Safety Precautions When Working On A/C System And When Handling Refrigerant R134A
A/C Service Station
Refer to the Workshop Equipment service information.
There is a risk of getting frostbite from the refrigerant.
Refrigerant can come out under pressure when working on the A/C system. Frostbite on the skin and other parts of the body is possible.
-- Wear safety gloves.
-- Wear protective eyewear.
-- Extract refrigerant and open the refrigerant circuit immediately.
-- If more than 10 minutes elapse after extracting the refrigerant and the refrigerant circuit was not opened, extract the refrigerant again. Evaporation can cause pressure to develop in the refrigerant circuit.
There is risk of destroying the refrigerant lines.
The refrigerant lines can be destroyed by ripping through the inner foil.
-- Never bend the refrigerant lines to a radius smaller than r = 100 mm.
- Do not attempt repair on filled air conditioning systems by soldering, brazing or welding. This applies also for welding and soldering work on the vehicle, in the event that parts of the A/C system may heat up. When performing paintwork repairs, the temperature in the drying booth or preheating zone must not exceed 80 °C (176 °F).
Reason
Exposure to heat increases the pressure in the system, which could cause the pressure relief valve to open.
Corrective Measure
-- Discharge the refrigerant circuit using the A/C Service Station.
Always replace damaged or leaking A/C system components. Do not attempt to repair them by welding or soldering.
Refrigerant vessels (for example, charging cylinders for A/C Service Station) must never be subjected to excessive heat or exposed to direct sunlight.
Corrective Measure:
-- Vessels must never be completely filled with liquid refrigerant. Without sufficient room for expansion (gas cushion), vessels will rupture with devastating effect in the event of an increase in temperature. Refer to REFRIGERANT R134A CHARACTERISTICS .
Refrigerant is never to be transferred to systems or vessels in which air is present.
Corrective Measure:
-- Evacuate systems and vessels before charging with refrigerant.