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Old 08-20-2019, 03:05 PM   #1
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Removing auxiliary AC unit and discharging freon.

I finally got to the point of removing old non working ac unit from my shuttle bus but ran into dilemma on what to do with ac hose and freon. I can't just disconnect it and let freon "discharge" on it own. I hear there are hefty fines for doing that. So what do I do? Call licensed hvac guy to do it?
I am guessing auxiliary ac has its own system it runs on and not connected to driver's AC . Does anyone have any experience removing these beasts?
Please see pictures.
PS: last question.. what is that thing with fuses? is that some sort of inverter?
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Old 08-20-2019, 04:09 PM   #2
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Call around. Firestone did mine for 20 bucks, though the service manager wanted 100 and only did it for that because I got that quote on the phone. Most places will only quote for a full AC service, but you’ll find someone that will just charge to evacuate the system.

PS. Have you read the Think Twice post?
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Old 08-20-2019, 04:44 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Danjo View Post
PS. Have you read the Think Twice post?
No. can I read it now.
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Old 08-20-2019, 05:17 PM   #4
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where are you located at?
if your close i will do it and take all of your non working unit with me as payment?
get it working and figure a way to build around it cause that is your road AC unless your build just doesnt need it.
not saying that when most AC systems develop a leak?
that no one is standing there on the ready to catch it until it has leaked enough that the owner is complaining that it doesnt work properly but it is at least a 30,000 fine for each if caught by the EPA.
you can talk to any or all of yourr local HVAC companies or just ask one of them to give or sell you an old freon bottle under vaccum but that would require you to have your own refrigeration hose.
a bottle under vaccum will take most of the freon on a small system but will leave some the oil behind but dealing wiith oil is easier for the normal person than dealing with a vapor.
local HVAC companies catch the men in the mornings when they are loading up getting ready to go to work and you will find one that will do it in his off hours.
dont walk in the business end front door.
just talk to the workers and say i need a small 10-12,000 BTU unit evacuated in a bus and if they care then they will ask R12,R22,134a and the likes but your units and compressors or tags on the hood frame rail should tell you so be prepared to answer that before you go if you choose that route.
if you can get guages to hook to it you could tell if it is pressurized or not before you have to go that route but the oil is supposed recovered also.
good luck
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Old 08-20-2019, 05:42 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by CrazyKGB View Post
No. can I read it now.
I realize you say it’s non-working, but you might not be far from working. Anyway, this convinced me to keep mine

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f9/thi...a-c-27952.html
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Old 08-20-2019, 05:59 PM   #6
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Nicde in-wall A/C system, like that... heck yeah id want to keep that... and in a shuttle bus it likely is a Tie-in system to the main dashboard A/C.. does this A/C blow warm and your Driver A/C blow cold? if so then its possibly a complete separate system. but most of them used one condenser and one compressor for the dashboard and for the shuttleAir... the heftier systems were completely separsate so you could yank the rear and keep the front.
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Old 08-20-2019, 06:22 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
Nicde in-wall A/C system, like that... heck yeah id want to keep that... and in a shuttle bus it likely is a Tie-in system to the main dashboard A/C.. does this A/C blow warm and your Driver A/C blow cold? if so then its possibly a complete separate system. but most of them used one condenser and one compressor for the dashboard and for the shuttleAir... the heftier systems were completely separsate so you could yank the rear and keep the front.
It doesn't blow anything at all and on buses that had it working (auction site had about 20 of them) they made this horrible noise and rattled the entire bus. I think part of the reason they sold those buses off is because it had "structural damage" due to heavy and often leaking AC units. Just about every bus I inspected had them caved in on one side.

Jolly Roger, I'm in Dallas.
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Old 08-20-2019, 06:26 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Danjo View Post
I realize you say it’s non-working, but you might not be far from working. Anyway, this convinced me to keep mine

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f9/thi...a-c-27952.html
Thank you. very good info to consider.
I am planing to install smaller unit that works off power bank. Since its a short bus, I am not expecting to install overly huge BTU unit. And living in Texas makes me very familiar whats its like to drive in the heat.
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Old 08-20-2019, 06:36 PM   #9
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all my family is close to dallas
born and raised in kilgore,longview,tyler area.
marine corps brought me to NC
my brother is a refrigeration tech in the area
let me know if you decide you need some help?
he aint a skoolie but he will probably help or at least give some advice if asked when he is in the area and has time?
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Old 08-20-2019, 06:40 PM   #10
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pioneer brand mini split has a 12v inverrter unit that i have seen do very well over a few years in commercial construction and daviddgeorge on here has a few installed that he is happy with.
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Old 08-20-2019, 07:01 PM   #11
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minisplits are an excellent choice for parked-A/C. they are my first choice for that purpose.. they are soft start and with being variable speed they run longer but at reduced power levels when the cooling load isnt super high. so they are solar and battery friendly..



looking at the coils in your pics your shuttle bus appears to have had a 40,000 BTU rear system couple with dash air of 12,000 (van chassis dash can be bought as high as 18,000 but usually were standard 12,000).. if you have your dash A/C working and run your mini split omn the road in the shuttle im guessing you can stay cool on all but the hottest days.. if you dont make the dash A/C work your mimnisplit is going to work itself hard to try and cool while driving
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Old 09-07-2019, 03:38 PM   #12
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The company that came out, pulled about a pound of whatever freon was left in the 2 systems, charged me $200... Good to do the right thing but if no one finds out (how could they?) you can't get fined.
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Old 09-07-2019, 05:03 PM   #13
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Any place that does AC repair and service can vacuum out your system. I had it done at a local tire repair shop they just charged me for one shop hour. I've got an international amtran 300 with an auxiliary air conditioning system with three large head units hanging from the ceiling. I guess I should call them three large head-banging unit because that's what I do, bang my head.
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Old 09-07-2019, 08:07 PM   #14
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I got charged $100 for my freon removal...had a heck of a time removing the 2 interior AC compenents, ended up cutting a bunch of wires and hoses to get it all out. Not reusable at this point.
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Old 09-11-2019, 11:03 PM   #15
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If it’s non working it’s probably not charged anymore. If it really is charged then you really need to be sure you don’t want it because it’s definitely fixable.
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