You get in the car. It’s scorching hot both inside and out. Time to get that A/C going! You turn the key, the fan begins to blow … and what’s this? The air feels warm. How did that happen? It was blowing cold just yesterday!
First, don’t panic. There is an inexpensive, fast, easy fix. You probably just need to recharge your a/c. Armed with that info, let’s explore how you got into this mess.
A car’s a/c system is a sealed system. Basically, refrigerant travels in a loop in your a/c, absorbing and releasing heat to keep your passenger compartment cool. The refrigerant does not get “used up”, like gasoline and will continue to do its job for the life of your car. So, if the refrigerant doesn’t wear out and is in a sealed system, how did my vehicle get warm? One word: Leakage!
Your car’s a/c operates in the harshest of conditions. Broiling hot in the summer, freezing in the winter with constant exposure to vibration, dirt and contaminates, it’s really no surprise that the a/c system can develop leaks. The a/c is made of both metal components, like your evaporator, condenser, compressor, and accumulator and rubber components, like hoses, gaskets and o-rings. After about 5 years the rubber components are particularly susceptible to wear, as they become brittle and can crack. Even small cracks will allow refrigerant gas to escape your sealed a/c system. Plus the metal components can develop multiple pin-sized holes that also allow refrigerant to escape.
This refrigerant leakage often happens slowly. Your system, as the amount of refrigerant gas decreases through the leaks, will slowly start to feel warmer. You may not even notice the change. However, one day the system will have lost enough gas, that it no longer functions. That’s when you notice that the fan is blowing warm air.
The fast and easy fix is to recharge your a/c system and replace the refrigerant gas that your system lost. The permanent solution is to repair the leaks in your system. Luckily, there are inexpensive chemical products that will do both. All AC AVALANCHE® products contain refrigerant gas plus a rubber rejuvenator and sealer to fix those brittle, cracked rubber components. Plus Black Diamond Triple Seal will repair leaks in both the rubber AND metal parts of your a/c. Triple Seal is a permanent chemical repair. Follow it with a can of AC AVALANCHE® to replace your refrigerant loss and you’ll be back in the cold air again!