1 00:00:08,958 --> 00:00:11,875 Right, on this video, we're going to have a look at air conditioning. 2 00:00:12,333 --> 00:00:17,000 Okay, we're going to cover the basics for PPE, personal protection equipment, 3 00:00:17,666 --> 00:00:20,291 connecting the machine, potential dangers we face 4 00:00:21,083 --> 00:00:23,083 and the different types of gases in the system. 5 00:00:23,583 --> 00:00:24,875 We've got two air con machines. 6 00:00:24,875 --> 00:00:28,375 So in this video, we're going to use this one, which is a dual function machine. 7 00:00:28,583 --> 00:00:31,416 And in the later video, we're going to use the computerized version, 8 00:00:31,416 --> 00:00:35,291 which kind of makes life a bit easier and incorporates the latest systems. 9 00:00:35,958 --> 00:00:37,458 OK, so air conditioning. 10 00:00:37,458 --> 00:00:42,625 Common misconception with customers is they use it between kind of April and September 11 00:00:42,625 --> 00:00:45,291 and then for the rest of the year, they don't bother switching it on or off. 12 00:00:45,750 --> 00:00:50,958 Most manufacturers recommend at least 30 minutes use a week for air conditioning systems. 13 00:00:50,958 --> 00:00:54,000 So generally, with mine I have it on auto, 14 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,666 set it for 20 degrees and then run it most of the year round. OK. 15 00:00:58,208 --> 00:01:02,416 You will find in a garage scenario, most customers don't worry about it in the winter. 16 00:01:02,750 --> 00:01:05,500 Come April, first warm weather we have you'll 17 00:01:05,500 --> 00:01:08,750 get a flurry of people coming in saying 'my air conditioning doesn't work'. 18 00:01:09,375 --> 00:01:12,458 OK, these systems can leak gas over time. 19 00:01:12,458 --> 00:01:14,708 It's just a natural loss. 20 00:01:14,708 --> 00:01:19,125 It's not necessarily the sign of a leak, so it's worth checking whether the system has been serviced. 21 00:01:20,208 --> 00:01:24,750 We've got a pollen filter - we'll cover that in the next video, and we'll go through removal and checking of that. 22 00:01:25,041 --> 00:01:27,083 It's a vital part of the system. 23 00:01:27,083 --> 00:01:30,708 It gets bypassed in servicing a lot because they can be expensive to replace, 24 00:01:30,916 --> 00:01:33,708 and it's supposed to be an annual service for a pollen filter. 25 00:01:34,125 --> 00:01:39,250 Customers don't have them done, you get a buildup of spores or fungus in the system, 26 00:01:39,250 --> 00:01:43,083 which then gets pumped around the cabin, which leads to unpleasant odors, poor operation 27 00:01:43,333 --> 00:01:47,500 and potentially illness if people suffer with asthma or chronic hay fever. 28 00:01:48,250 --> 00:01:53,208 OK, so regarding PPE equipment, we need safety glasses or goggles. 29 00:01:53,208 --> 00:01:56,291 Goggles probably preferable just to protect the eyes, 30 00:01:56,291 --> 00:01:59,750 just in case there's any leaks from the system when it's under pressure. 31 00:02:00,500 --> 00:02:03,250 For gloves we can't use standard latex gloves 32 00:02:03,250 --> 00:02:06,458 because of cold temperature, so we need to use heavy duty gantlets. 33 00:02:07,250 --> 00:02:11,541 Probably the best way of testing these is checking them physically for any cuts and rips. 34 00:02:12,250 --> 00:02:16,250 But if not, you can actually blow them up and just check there's no leaks. 35 00:02:19,833 --> 00:02:24,375 So that holds pressure, you do the same with the other one, and then we can test those to make sure. 36 00:02:24,375 --> 00:02:27,375 If they leak, you need to dispose of them, get some new ones 37 00:02:27,791 --> 00:02:31,208 because these are heavy duty and they're protection from frostbite. 38 00:02:31,958 --> 00:02:34,333 Regarding burns, motor vehicle 39 00:02:34,333 --> 00:02:36,791 mechanics tend to suffer with hot temperature burns. 40 00:02:37,416 --> 00:02:40,125 They're not pleasant, but they are easier to treat. 41 00:02:40,125 --> 00:02:45,625 If it's a cold burn, what happens is the blood inside the cells tends to freeze. 42 00:02:45,625 --> 00:02:48,375 What it can do is it can kill the cells permanently. 43 00:02:48,375 --> 00:02:50,958 If you're unfortunate enough to suffer that 44 00:02:51,541 --> 00:02:54,166 generally, if the flesh starts to go. 45 00:02:54,166 --> 00:02:58,416 There's no way of getting it back so it can cause permanent damage. 46 00:02:58,791 --> 00:03:02,916 It goes without saying if the gas or refrigerant gets into your eyes can be really, 47 00:03:02,916 --> 00:03:06,625 really painful and can cause permanent damage if it's under pressure. 48 00:03:07,083 --> 00:03:11,541 Okay, so the main issues if you're working with air conditioning systems, 49 00:03:11,541 --> 00:03:16,083 the minimum legal requirement is that you've done a refrigerant handling course. 50 00:03:16,291 --> 00:03:16,875 Okay. 51 00:03:16,875 --> 00:03:19,875 The basic qualification allows you to assess 52 00:03:19,875 --> 00:03:23,041 PPE, know the type of machine you're working with, connect 53 00:03:23,041 --> 00:03:26,833 the machine to the vehicle and recover gas 54 00:03:26,833 --> 00:03:29,958 and refrigerant from the system and put it back in safely. 55 00:03:30,458 --> 00:03:33,666 OK, so in a series of videos, we're going to cover that basic qualification, 56 00:03:34,333 --> 00:03:37,625 which is available kind of as a lifetime qualification. 57 00:03:37,625 --> 00:03:40,708 Once you've done it once and completed the assessment, 58 00:03:40,958 --> 00:03:43,583 you are then kind of qualified to do that from there on in. 59 00:03:43,833 --> 00:03:47,916 And then there is an advanced refrigerant handling course for testing and diagnostics. 60 00:03:48,333 --> 00:03:51,583 OK, so generally get the handling course out the way first. 61 00:03:51,583 --> 00:03:55,500 It's normally a day course and then you're qualified to kind of go from there. 62 00:03:56,041 --> 00:03:58,208 OK, so there's two types of gases in the system - 63 00:03:58,208 --> 00:04:01,291 I'll move the gloves out the way so you can see the basics of the machine. 64 00:04:02,083 --> 00:04:04,666 We've got R134a. 65 00:04:04,666 --> 00:04:13,083 Now that it's generally fitted for most vehicles from early to mid nineties, up to probably 2005-2007. 66 00:04:14,041 --> 00:04:17,416 Some vehicles have still got 134a in even later, 67 00:04:17,791 --> 00:04:23,041 that has now been replaced by this gas, which is R1234yf. 68 00:04:23,791 --> 00:04:26,166 Early systems had a gas in call R12, 69 00:04:26,500 --> 00:04:30,666 so 1970s/80s had a gas called R12. 70 00:04:30,666 --> 00:04:36,458 R12 is no longer available due to the fact that the contents of the gas were really harmful to the environment. 71 00:04:37,125 --> 00:04:39,208 OK, so we've now replaced it 134. 72 00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:42,708 The next progression has now been on to 1234yf. 73 00:04:43,166 --> 00:04:46,333 We can't use this gas in an R12 system. 74 00:04:47,083 --> 00:04:49,583 It's not compatible with the seals and it will leak. 75 00:04:50,375 --> 00:04:53,000 So if you've got an R12 system in a classic vehicle, 76 00:04:53,375 --> 00:04:58,541 really, your only options are to have the system stripped and rebuilt to take 134 gas. 77 00:04:58,916 --> 00:05:00,875 Or unfortunately, you can't use the system. 78 00:05:00,875 --> 00:05:02,125 It has to be decommissioned. 79 00:05:03,125 --> 00:05:05,875 So just bear in mind when you're working on vehicles. 80 00:05:06,125 --> 00:05:10,833 If you go into the bonnet, there's normally a sticker which will indicate what system you've got. 81 00:05:10,833 --> 00:05:14,166 If that information is available, you can use auto data 82 00:05:14,166 --> 00:05:18,416 or whatever auto system you've got for data. 83 00:05:18,666 --> 00:05:21,416 It will tell you the amount of gas and the type in the system. 84 00:05:22,083 --> 00:05:26,250 Okay, so some machines, you'll only get a single machine and that will do one gas or the other. 85 00:05:26,458 --> 00:05:29,916 This is in fact a dual machine, so most workshops buy this 86 00:05:29,916 --> 00:05:32,291 and then they are quick to cover both kind systems. 87 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:38,166 There are plans afoot to replace this gas now in later systems, with some more environmentally friendly still. 88 00:05:38,416 --> 00:05:41,625 So just be aware of the change point of vehicles. 89 00:05:42,125 --> 00:05:44,500 Some use different gases from others. 90 00:05:44,500 --> 00:05:48,875 So just because one model is older than another doesn't mean it's not using the different gas. 91 00:05:49,083 --> 00:05:50,541 So double check. 92 00:05:50,541 --> 00:05:54,333 Okay, so we've got a printer on the machine for prints outs. 93 00:05:54,333 --> 00:05:56,666 This is an analog machine, so it's got gauges. 94 00:05:57,125 --> 00:06:00,541 The later machine we're going to use in the other video, it's got a digital readout as well, 95 00:06:00,541 --> 00:06:03,583 and it runs you step by step through connection. 96 00:06:04,416 --> 00:06:04,833 Okay. 97 00:06:04,833 --> 00:06:07,583 So we've got two sets of pressurized pipes, one for each system. 98 00:06:07,750 --> 00:06:11,916 We don't need to take them off the machine and they're installed permanently so we can use those. 99 00:06:12,583 --> 00:06:15,666 And what we're going to do in the next part of this video is we're going to move on 100 00:06:15,666 --> 00:06:19,541 to the vehicle itself and we're going to locate the points to hook up the machine.