Handling of Refrigerant Lines and Fittings

CAUTION: For personal protection, goggles should be worn and a clean cloth wrapped around fittings, valves and connections when doing work that includes opening the refrigeration system. If Refrigerant-134a comes in contact with any part of the body, severe frostbite and personal injury can result. The exposed area should be flushed immediately with cold water and prompt medical help should be obtained.

^ All metal tubing lines should be free of dents or kinks to prevent loss of system capacity due to line restriction.
^ The flexible hose lines should never be bent to a radius of less than four times the diameter of the hose.
^ The flexible hose lines should never be allowed to come within a distance of 63.5 mm (2 1/2 inches) of the exhaust manifold.
^ Flexible hose lines should be inspected regularly for leaks or brittleness and replaced with new lines if deterioration or leaking is found.
^ When disconnecting any fining in the refrigeration system, the system must first be discharged of all Refrigerant-134a.
^ Once a refrigerant line is opened to the atmosphere, it should be capped or taped immediately to prevent entry of moisture and dirt.
^ The use of the proper wrenches when making connections on O-ring fittings is important. The opposing fitting should always be backed up with a wrench to prevent distortion of connecting lines or components. Tighten all tubing connections to the specified torque for the fitting. Too little or too much torque when tightening can result in loose joints or deformed joint parts. Either condition can result in refrigerant leakage and an inoperative air conditioning system.
^ O-rings and seats must be in perfect condition.
A burr or piece of dirt may cause a refrigerant leak. Install new O-rings that have been lubricated with mineral base 525 viscosity refrigerant oil. Do not use PAG oil.
^ Keep polyalkylene glycol (PAG) refrigerant oil off fitting threads. Long term contact of PAG oil on threads may cause future disassembly difficulties. Flush threads of fittings with mineral base 525 viscosity refrigerant oil. Do not use PAG oil. Do not wipe threads with a cloth.