In the hot summer months, you probably have your car's air conditioner cranked up high. Over time, the freon inside of the AC unit can run out, causing the fan to blow nothing but hot air. While you could take your vehicle to a licensed mechanic, there are also freon kits you can purchase at most auto parts stores to recharge and refill the freon yourself. If you decide to do this on your own, here are the steps you'll need to take in order to get your AC running nice and cool again.

Safety First

Once you've purchased a freon kit, there are some safety tips to keep in mind. First,never let the freon come into direct contact with your skin or else it can cause serious burns and irritation. You should also never let any freon escape into the air since it is extremely harmful to the environment. It's always a good idea to wear gloves and safety glasses when you recharge the freon to protect yourself. Read the instructions very carefully and ensure that you feel comfortable performing the work on your own.

Preparing For The Refill

Before you can add the freon to your vehicle's air conditioning system, you will need to locate the hose that is attached to the air conditioning compressor. This information can be found in your car's owner's manual. Pop the hood and locate the hose, and then attach it to the can of replacement freon. Do not tighten the valve at the end of the hose to the can completely just yet. Once the can is attached to the hose, loosen the valve slowly which should release the excess air from your AC system. Once the air is released, you can tighten the connector valve that is attached to the freon can to connect it tightly to the hose valve.

Drawing Freon Into The AC System

Once everything is connected, start your vehicle's engine and turn the air conditioner on to the highest setting. Hold the freon can in an upright position and then slowly re-open the valve on your ac hose. This will draw the freon back into the ac line, and fill it back up. There should be a small meter on the can that will indicate how full it is, and when it shows that the can is empty, you can remove it and reattach the hose back to the compressor. You may need more than one can depending on how low the freon is. If you find that you need to add another can, simply repeat these steps and you should have a nice, cool air conditioner in your car that will make driving in the summer more tolerable.

Contact a local auto AC service shop if you have further questions.