Custom AC lines

[myksomerville]

I'm trying to tidy up my engine bay and am thinking of replacing the stock AC lines with polished stainless and braided hose. Has anyone done this?

It *looks* pretty straightforward but I'm wondering if there are any potential difficulties.

I'll be starting at the firewall with stainless ports, then replacing all hard lines and soft lines

 

[07GTS]

personally i wouldnt touch them, but if u do make sure it is all a/c chemical safe, cant use fittings as it has to all bolt together for safety as the gas is very toxic, maby talk to a a/c place first as someone may not touch it after to refill it for u if its not 100%

 

[Skylarking]

TLDR: go talk to an ac expert before you start thinking shiny shiny is the best…

Modern refrigerants are small sneaky little molecules which like to leak out of ac systems.. To combat this, modern refrigerant systems use hard lines and special hoses (as short as possible) that are crimped to the hard lines. Crimping is used as it’s supposedly the better way of sealing the system (but tell that to the many Holden owners who suffer leaks at hose crimp joint)...

Such methods are used to ensure best performance with the lowest leak rate (again tell that to the many owners who have leaky hose crimp junctions)…

So if you want braided hoses everywhere, you need to find stainless hard lines and hoses that are certified for modern AC gas use, else the problem becomes one of legalities and ac shops might balk at refilling your new shiny system.

Also, do note that if you reroute hoses and end up with longer pipework, this changes the amount of gas that that your modded system must be charged with (longer lines = more gas needed, but how much more ?)…

Lastly, just keep in mind that stainless and aluminium aint great bedfellows as you can get galvanic corrosion issues… So that’s something to consider as well…

Best, safest, easiest approach is to use aluminium ac line and polish them to perfection, then clear coat those lines before installation. Stick with black AC rubber/nylon hoses where required. It will still look nice and shiny, still look tidier and custom and gets away from the other problem issues..

PS: another perspective is shown in the video below, but what’s allowed in the USA may not be acceptable here so again, talk to your ac guy. But he also makes a point of only using ac hose…

 

[J_D 2.0]

PS: another perspective is shown in the video below, but what’s allowed in the USA may not be acceptable here so again, talk to your ac guy.

Indeed. Our laws regarding AC are draconian. In most places your allowed to regas your own AC system with R134a and you can buy AC refill kits for this purpose. Here in Australia its illegal to do this.

 

[losh1971]

It's only a $100 plus filter for me to get my AC serviced. The tech vacs it down and removes the moisture before gassing, which means it's done right. I have no issue with it being illegal to do your own. The cost savings are just not there to make it worse messing with yourself.

 

[J_D 2.0]

It's only a $100 plus filter for me to get my AC serviced. The tech vacs it down and removes the moisture before gassing, which means it's done right. I have no issue with it being illegal to do your own. The cost savings are just not there to make it worse messing with yourself.

You’ve got to question the reason why it’s illegal though. Is it purely to protect an industry? I think so when the excuse for it being illegal is that its bad for the environment to release the gas but you can buy freeze spray made of R134a that’s specifically for releasing into the environment!


https://www.aimsindustrial.com.au/assets/sds/A0115651.pdf

 

[Skylarking]

You’ve got to question the reason why it’s illegal though. Is it purely to protect an industry? I think so when the excuse for it being illegal is that its bad for the environment to release the gas but you can buy freeze spray made of R134a that’s specifically for releasing into the environment!


https://www.aimsindustrial.com.au/assets/sds/A0115651.pdf

Ah, so we can buy r134a cans for regassing our ac systems, it’s just called “freeze spray” down under

PS: licensing ac work is primarily for industry protection using the environment as an excuse…

 

[losh1971]

I can buy AC gas online I see it advertised every few days, it pops up as an ad. It's in a proper gas bottle too.

 

[losh1971]

I don't understand why it needs protecting? Talking to an AC tech a few years ago and he said it's not big profit compared to other jobs, because warranty claims are common, because of the nature of car AC systems but they still do it anyway. I think if there was large profits to be made a lot more garages would do it. Only half a dozen or so places in Launceston that does AC, so I don't think the mech I spoke to a few years ago was pulling my leg.

 

[J_D 2.0]

I don't understand why it needs protecting? Talking to an AC tech a few years ago and he said it's not big profit compared to other jobs, because warranty claims are common, because of the nature of car AC systems but they still do it anyway. I think if there was large profits to be made a lot more garages would do it. Only half a dozen or so places in Launceston that does AC, so I don't think the mech I spoke to a few years ago was pulling my leg.

There seems to be a bent on preventing anyone from doing anything themselves in this country. In a lot of places around the world your allowed to change your own power points and light switches but of course that’s illegal here because you might mix up three wires that are marked and colour coded so you literally can’t fuk them up!