2mJps
Well-known member
I have wondered if a frig compresser could be used to recover the freon from cars or central air unites then would it be ok to reuse? Would it need to be or could it be filtered?
Freon Recovery
- Thread starter 2mJps
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zmaxmotorsports
Well-known member
Differant types of freon.
kd3pc
Well-known member
highly regulated by the government, and those rules and fines will make it very tough to build a DIY recovery unit. Anyone licensed to repair/recover is obligated to identify bad equipment, etc.
as another poster commented different refrigerants and processes for each of those.
rsanter
Well-known member
Short answer is yes...
A friend did it many years ago.
He used it as a vac pump to evacuate AC systems on cars and what was pulled out was pumped into an old freon tank.
He was able to get a hold of some filters that were used in the recovery systems as service replacements and he would run from the dirty tank, through the filter and into a ' clean ' tank.
Then he would use the clean stuff in people's cars.
Now, he was a mobile repair small buisness and a bit if a share tree guy. Most of his work was good but some I questioned.
I don't think the freon was as clean as the whole pro system makes it but it was better than nothing.
He enclosed the pump and stuff in a box he painted so it did not look like a complete hack job
Bob
A friend did it many years ago.
He used it as a vac pump to evacuate AC systems on cars and what was pulled out was pumped into an old freon tank.
He was able to get a hold of some filters that were used in the recovery systems as service replacements and he would run from the dirty tank, through the filter and into a ' clean ' tank.
Then he would use the clean stuff in people's cars.
Now, he was a mobile repair small buisness and a bit if a share tree guy. Most of his work was good but some I questioned.
I don't think the freon was as clean as the whole pro system makes it but it was better than nothing.
He enclosed the pump and stuff in a box he painted so it did not look like a complete hack job
Bob
zmaxmotorsports
Well-known member
It is against EPA regulations to use recovered refrigerant in any system other than the one it came from without it being recycled by a liscened recycler. If any water vapor had been into the system or if a compressed had burnout it could quickly destroy another system. There would be no way for you to efficiently remove the water vapor.
BD1
Well-known member
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
crabjoe
Well-known member
From what I remember, it's either back into the same system or it can be used in a different system owned by the same owner.
That's correct
zmaxmotorsports
Well-known member
engineer2
Well-known member
You can find used recovery machines for sale, especially for older refrigerants. If you pull used Freon from a used car for example, you really have no idea what is in it. It has to be distilled to separate out mixed refrigerants and contaminants.
A good read here: http://www.achrnews.com/articles/112079-road-to-reclaim-purity-is-a-complex-one
A good read here: http://www.achrnews.com/articles/112079-road-to-reclaim-purity-is-a-complex-one
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zmaxmotorsports
Well-known member
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
Only of you start with an evacuated recovery cylinder or of all of the refrigerant in the cylinder is the same type and from the same owner. If any other refrigerant is in there it must be recycled.
Tommy
You aren't supposed to mix types of refrigerant anyway, makes the recovered refrigerant useless and generally it has to be destroyed
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
My point wasn't about mixing refrigerants, it was that the tech can only reuse the recovered refrigerant on the OP's unit if he started with an empty cylinder or if it was all the same type of known good refrigerant from the same owner.
Tommy
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