General requirements
When carrying out maintenance work on the air conditioning system and when handling the refrigerant, safety precautions must be strictly observed.
All work on the vehicle's climate control system must be carried out by personnel who have undergone appropriate training.
It should be remembered that all modern automobile climate control systems are filled with R134a refrigerant; whose boiling point at normal atmospheric pressure is -26.5°C.
It should be especially noted that the refrigerant is odorless and colorless, it is heavier than air and therefore displaces oxygen, under the influence of a nearby flame or a strong heat source, the refrigerant can decompose into deadly phosgene gas.
If safety precautions are not observed, the refrigerant may spill onto the floor or into the inspection pit, which poses a risk of poisoning people, although there will be no evidence of the presence of this danger.
In case of poisoning by refrigerant vapors, the victim should be immediately taken to fresh air and an ambulance should be called. If the refrigerant comes into direct contact with the skin or mucous membrane of the eye, frostbite may occur. The affected area must be washed with plenty of water, the skin must be wiped with pure petroleum jelly and an ambulance must be called immediately.
Special precautions
1. It is prohibited to work and handle the refrigerant without protective glasses and gloves.
2. It is prohibited to release steam from the air conditioning system into the air space, especially where there is a flame, or in the immediate vicinity of the operating ignition system and fuel system of the vehicle.
3. Do not close the air conditioner valve during operation.
4. It is prohibited to carry out soldering and welding work with soft or hard solders on parts of the air conditioning system filled with refrigerant.
It should also be taken into account that when carrying out painting work and drying the paint coating, the temperature in the drying chamber should not exceed 80*C.
This requirement is due to the fact that. that when heated, the pressure in the air conditioning system increases significantly, which can lead to the activation of the safety valve on the compressor.
5. Use caution when working in the immediate vicinity of the evaporator and condenser. For example, careless handling of the condenser fins can cause serious cuts.