In many parts of the country, traveling without auto air conditioning would be ill advised, and many of those with breathing problems would be confined to their homes. By being able to fit the three main components of auto air conditioning into even the smallest cars, travel has become much for comfortable. While in the beginning only those with sufficient financial resources and larger vehicles could afford air conditioning, today the smallest and least expensive cars are equipped with this technology.
Essentially, auto air conditioning consists of three components, the compressor, the evaporator and condenser. Working together, they use a gas that is easily transformed from liquid to gas and back again, to pull warmer air from inside the vehicle and replace it with much cooler air. Sometimes, drivers see a small puddle of water under their car and worry that something is wrong with the car or the auto air conditioning unit itself, but this water is a natural occurrence and is part of the evaporation process.
Typically, an auto air conditioning system will last the lifetime of the vehicle but occasionally it may require service and some vehicle owners are concerned about being told the truth about their system by unscrupulous mechanics. Repairing an auto air conditioning system can be costly and few home mechanics have the skills or specialized equipment to perform the repairs.
Gas Collection Requires Special Training And Equipment
Since the government determined that Freon, the gas commonly used in auto air conditioning systems is hazardous to the environment, technicians working on auto air conditioning units must be certified to work with Freon and expensive equipment is required to collect any Freon gas that may escape from the system. Cars made after 2010 must have systems equipped with Puron, a gas considered to be friendly to the Earth s ozone layer, and by 2020 there can be no Freon left in a vehicle s system.
A few offerings to check your auto air conditioning for a small price often leads to expensive unneeded repairs as some will take advantage of a person s fear of losing their air conditioner in the middle of a hot summer. A basic rule of thumb, is that if the air condition is still blowing out cold air, there is probably nothing wrong with it.
Freon gas used in an auto air conditioning also contains special oil to help keep the compressor lubricated and the most common problem is a loose or broken compressor belt. This can checked visually and in most cases changed by the car s owner.