Reply to "Orignal R12 A/C Pressures Readings?"

George,
My concern is not with the word burst, it is with the time frame mentioned. When charging any system, that amount of time can admit a large amount of refrigerant into any system.......depending on the tools used as you mention. Also, 30 seconds of liquid is a lot different than 30 seconds of vapor......BOTH by default will register on a scale, if it does not register, something is wrong and stop. Either you are not actually charging the system, or the scale is not working. period.

I have multiple refrigerant manifolds, from some old timers to the newer digital sets. All of the older units take multiple turns to open the manifold valves completely. Some sets open and close 100% with 'only' a quarter turn.

My main concern, and the reason I posted, is for safety. In another life I was the lone survivor of a 5 man crew in an industrial accident that due to a combination of poor practice and technician assumptions a liquid receiver ruptured killing 3 outright, 1 the next day. Luckily for me since I was the new kid was sent to a truck as a gofer and was about 20 feet away. Bad day for an 18 yr old. I have no clue on how many systems I have worked on since then, just too many. But admittedly, most in the commercial and industrial environments, I have stopped the automotive systems (except mine and friends cars) since I stopped being a line mechanic around '79 I believe.

Just this year, I was standing next to a car at a show when a refrigerant hose blew apart...refrigerant and oil cloud everywhere. This happened as the owner was proudly explaining to me how he had just finished charging the car......incorrectly.

I am just saying, be careful and SAFE. If you do not know the correct procedures to properly charge a system, either read up about it or have someone else that does know do it for you.

Have fun,

Angelo