Five Automotive Air Conditioning Tools To Keep In Your Workshop 23.03.2023: Air conditioning. It's one of the most important inventions of the past few centuries. It keeps us cool. It brings us relief. It keeps the heat at bay. Most of all, it's an essential part of any residential or business structure (especially in higher temp

Air conditioning. It's one of the most important inventions of the past few centuries. It keeps us cool. It brings us relief. It keeps the heat at bay. Most of all, it's an essential part of any residential or business structure (especially in higher temp areas like Texas).


But like many of the other machines we collectively rely on every year, air conditioners—especially the ones in your vehicles—must be maintained. A stronger demand for air conditioning around the world combined with a shortage of skilled tradesmen and repairmen operating in the field lead to a strong need for understanding how to make simple repairs yourself.





To make matters worse, sometimes air conditioning repairs can be costly and drawn out. Fortunately, anyone can do an air conditioning repair on their car or truck with the right tools and a little bit of knowhow. Here are five fantastic tools for vehicle-related air conditioning repair (and maintenance) to keep in your auto shop right now.






Couplers and Fittings




Every baker knows you can't make certain types of bread without yeast. And you certainly can't make most of them without flour and water. The same basic concept applies to air conditioning, only in this case couplers and fittings make up some of the base “ingredients” a car's air conditioner needs to remain in good working condition.


Couplers are one of the most important tools for your air conditioner and having a wide variety of them on hand will save you (or a your mechanic) a ton of time (and possibly money) when something goes wrong. Couplers come in a few common sizes (this one's for all you measurement nerds out there): 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 3/8, 5/16, 7/15 and more.



It's also highly specific. Coupler sizes will vary based on the size, type, and manufacturer of your vehicle. Fittings are also essential and can include clamps, elbows or specialty fittings unique to your vehicle's air conditioner.





Vacuum Pumps



Another vital air conditioner repair tool is the vacuum pump. They're easy enough to store in your workshop and use whenever you need to work on your vehicles air conditioning unit. Vacuum pumps remove moisture from a system, making it easier to clean, examine, repair, and maintain.


Vacuum pumps are critical for air conditioner maintenance and any job that requires a vacuum. They're used for cleaning out the condenser coil and pulling out the air from a refrigerator in a room. Vacuum pumps come with a pressure gauge and different size hoses to fit your needs.


Using a vacuum pump requires some safety measures as well. You must always wear the appropriate protective equipment, use it properly, and keep it well maintained. It doesn't matter if you're a professional or a DIY enthusiast, having a vacuum pump on hand is incredibly useful for air conditioning repair in terms of vehicles and can even translate to cleaning up / fixing up your air conditioner at home.






AC Repair Tools



To ensure your car's AC unit (or any that you might work on for client vehicles) remain in good repair, you'll need some disconnecting tools and specific AC repair tools. Clutch tools, flaring tools, thermometers, oil injectors, A/C line repair kits, valve core repair kits, fan straighteners and flushing equipment all belong in your arsenal of essential AC tools.


Part of repairing and maintaining an air conditioner means disconnecting certain parts of it. For this, you'll need specialty disconnecting tools in addition to your AC repair tool kit. There are plenty of options that'll work for most vehicles.


 Disconnecting tools are used to disconnect heavy electrical power supplies, connectors, hoses, and other parts without causing damage to them. Using these tools correctly ensures a safe and efficient air conditioner repair.




Hose Tools



Crimpers. Cutters. Hose clamps. Every plumber, mechanic, and HVAC repairman worth their salt knows the value of having several of these tools around. In any air conditioning repair—on a car, truck, van, or heavy vehicle—hose tools are extremely vital. The hose crimper, for instance, can create a tight seal between two pieces of hose.



A cutter can help you create precision cuts to make sure a repair gets done right. Hose clamps are used for securing hoses snugly over a fitting. Without them, a hose could come loose or fail. No air conditioning repair job can be completed correctly without the proper hose tools.


And since working in a vehicle can be a pretty tight space, it's important to have a good hose tool to help with working in those tight spaces. So be sure to keep a variety of different hose clamp sizes and hose Tools around to help you keep things running cool.





Spare Parts

Being prepared isn't just for the Boy Scouts! Every savvy homeowner or maintenance guy needs to keep some spare parts on hand. The make and model of your air conditioner will largely determine what spare parts you keep around. But it's a good idea to have a compressor, an AC condenser, an evaporator, extra refrigerant and fan motors around just in case you need to replace them.


If you're running a mechanic's shop, keep a variety of different ones around or be willing to order them for customers. You don't need to go overboard, but having a few spare parts can be the difference between staying cool during a heatwave and an A/C disaster.



At the end of the day, the idea is to ensure your workshop can handle simple repairs and emergencies, along with some normal vehicle maintenance.



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