Frozen Freon

[taz4x4150]

Tis the season for shadetree/DIY'ers to be adding your own freon. I have a little tip that was passed on to me and has been one of best I know.

When adding freon, get a coffee can or such and fill it with hot water. As soon as you open the freon, put it in the can of hot water and it won't freeze up and will be empty in seconds!!

GOOD LUCK

[bccolum]

That's a great tip, thanks, I'm going to do that. My '96 doesn't hold the charge long enough these days. Do the sealer/freon combos work? Car has 245k miles on it and I bought it new, want to keep it going.

[taz4x4150]

If it's loosing the freon charge too fast, than "no" I don't think a leak stop will help. If you can find the leaking area (wet fittings?, around compressor clutch?, oily lines?) and have it repaired, then a recharge with the leak stopper wouldn't hurt. You don't say what kind of '96 you have.

[wwest]

Originally Posted by taz4x4150

Tis the season for shadetree/DIY'ers to be adding your own freon. I have a little tip that was passed on to me and has been one of best I know.

When adding freon, get a coffee can or such and fill it with very hot water. As soon as you open the freon, put it in the can of hot water and it won't freeze up and will be empty in seconds!!

GOOD LUCK

DANGER, DANGER...!!

That's purely and simply a recipe for an EXPLOSION..!!

"..will be empty in seconds.."

Yes, maybe even sub-seconds, 1 or 2 milliseconds even.

The refrigerant container was not designed to contain the level of pressure that might result. If you really want a quick exit from this life, blinded, or just mutilated, then why not simply use a butane torch to heat the can.

If you wish to follow this advice then at least wait until the refrigerant can is almost, virtually, empty and the remaining refrigerant has a lot of volume to expand into before the pressure rises to the point of an explosion.

[taz4x4150]

Originally Posted by wwest

DANGER, DANGER...!!

I'm 47 years old. Between myself, my children, countless other friends and relatives, I have owned/worked on 70-80 vehicles (mostly Ford) and I have never had a problem. Never had anyone-even ASE mechanics, that I frequently ask advice, ever tell me not to do this. If any of the "Certified" mechanics want to throw in their 2 cents, I would love a professional opinion.
Taz

[wwest]

Originally Posted by taz4x4150

I'm 47 years old. Between myself, my children, countless other friends and relatives, I have owned/worked on 70-80 vehicles (mostly Ford) and I have never had a problem.

"..never had a problem.."

Me too, 69 this year, started out shadetree mechanicing on farm tractors, John Deere, Farmall, Allis Chamblers, Ford Fergusons.. Remained a staunch Ford fan until I purchased a new '92 LS400. Still a Ford fan, '93 Ranger PU, '94 R/awd Aerostar, 2001 E350 cutaway MH.

Never had anyone-even ASE mechanics, that I frequently ask advice, ever tell me not to do this.

But, how many of those did you inform, explictly inform, what you planned to do.

If any of the "Certified" mechanics want to throw in their 2 cents, I would love a professional opinion.
Taz

Then maybe sometime you should "bother" to read the instructions, CAUTION notes, on the can of refrigerant itself.

[taz4x4150]

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare can for charging using a R-134a acme threaded dispensing valve and quick-connect hose. Connect to the low-side service port. DO NOT CONNECT TO THE HIGH-SIDE PORT, AS THE PRESSURE MAY CAUSE THE CAN TO BURST RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY.Start engine. Set A/C on maximum cooling. Hold can upright to charge as a gas.
CAUTION:
Do not mix with other refrigerants. Use only in A/C systems designed or retrofitted for 134a refridgerant. Repair leaks in system before recharging. Do not connect this product to any A/C system with a pressure higher than 170p.s.i. Use adequate ventilation when charging system to control exposure levels. Store in a cool, dry place.
WARNING
Keep out of reach of children. Contents under pressure. Keep away from direct sunlight and other sources of heat. Do not expose to temperatures above 120F. Do not puncture or throw into fire, or incinerator, or store in passenger compartment of vehicle. Always wear protective cloth-lined rubber gloves and safety goggles when handling this product. May cause frostbite. SKIN: flush exposed area with lukewarm water. Warm skin slowly. EYES: flush with warm water for 15 minutes. INHALATION: Remove to fresh air, if not breathing, give artificial respiration. Do not use adrenaline, epinephrine, or similar drugs after exposure. INHALATION OF CONTENTS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DEATH CAN OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING. CONTACT PHYSICIAN IMMEDIATELY.

"SO - Now that I "bothered" to read all the instructions, Where does it say, I can't put it in a can of water to keep it from freezing??"

[BroncoJoe19]

I've been following this thread, and was a little surprised by the Danger warning, not that it is not warranted, but because I had seen others put the freon container in a container of hot water to facillitate its transfer into the cooling system.

It is recommended that tap water be set no higher than 120 degrees F, because at 140F a child may get 2nd degree burns in three seconds. Temps of 140F is considered scalding hot.

I did a little measuring and filled a coffee can with water, then immersed a 12oz can of freon in it. The water overflowed out of the can, and when I removed the freon container, the coffee tin was slightly more than half full of water.

According to the label the freon container and its contents may safely reach 120F but beyond that it may be dangerous.

If one inserts a 85F can of freon into a coffee tin of 140F water, the temp of the two should be about the average of the two, about 112F.

Taz suggested to puncture the can first, with the appropriate valve tool, this will permit any build up of pressure inside the can a means to escape. Then to insert the freon can into a coffee tin of very hot water. As the freon escapes the can, it will cool its contents, and will decrease the pressure inside the can.

Using boiling water probably is not a good idea, but using Taz's suggestion, and hot tap water seems reasonably safe to me. Ofcourse wearing eye protection is always a good idea.

[taz4x4150]

Thank You Joe !
I was going to have the Moderaters pull this thread becuz I don't want to feel I gave advice for someone to get hurt. Even tho I have done this a million times, it does only take once to backfire and I don't want anybody hurt on my conscience !
Taz

[BroncoJoe19]

You're welcome Taz.

Perhaps you could modify your initial post to Hot water, rather than Very hot water, and everyone will be more comfortable.