How to Remove Freon From a HVAC Unit

There is only one way to remove Freon from a HVAC system, and that is with the use of a reclaimer. The machine is designed to capture the Freon, filter out the impurities and store it for future use. It is illegal to release Freon into the atmosphere. Freon contains fluorocarbons that are harmful to the environment. When Freon is removed from a HVAC system, much of the refrigerant oil is lost as well and needs to be injected back into the system when the system is charged.

1. Raise the hood

Raise the hood. Locate the air conditioning high and low side hoses and the location of their respective Schraeder valves. The low side hose is the largest one that is connected to the compressor and runs to the accumulator. The high side hose is the smallest diameter hose and runs from the condenser to the firewall or to an H-block on the firewall.

2. Plug the machine in and make sure that both valves on the front of the machine are closed

Plug the machine in and make sure that both valves on the front of the machine are closed. Open the valve on the storage tank in the rear of the machine. Install the blue, low-side line from the machine to the large diameter low-side line Schraeder valve. Install the red high-side line to the smallest diameter line Schraeder valve.

3. Open both the blue and red valves on the front of the machine

Open both the blue and red valves on the front of the machine. Push the button marked "Recover" on the keyboard. The machine will now remove all the Freon. When the machine is finished, it will draw the system down to about 20 inches of vacuum.

4. Close both the red and blue valves before removing the red and blue lines from the system

When the machine shuts off, close both the red and blue valves before removing the red and blue lines from the system. Close the valve to the storage tank in the rear of the machine.

Video: How to Remove (Recover) Refrigerant From a Running AC System

Comments on this video:

• Great thorough explanation of the process, while being quick and concise! The animation detail is nothing short of amazing too, perfectly matched to and illustrative of the information content. Really gotta hand it to you, it's professional grade production.
  And I can definitely perform this operation much more quickly and efficiently after reviewing this.
• This turned out to be very practical to me. I’ve been in that situation before. Now I know an easy and effective way to do it. Thank you.