Your car’s AC system works very much like your home’s air conditioning in that it uses a refrigerant to hold heat and then to deliver cool air. Depending on the amount of pressure the refrigerant is under, it will be either a gas or a liquid. When the pressure is low, it is a gas, and when the pressure is high, it becomes a liquid. Your car is equipped with both low and high AC pressure hoses – the low handles the gas, and the high the liquid. As you might expect, the high pressure hose has a smaller diameter, and this is the hose that delivers high pressure liquid to your car’s AC.
Usually, your AC high pressure hoses will deliver years of good service, and you may find that you never have to worry about replacing them. Often, they will last as long as your car. It is not unreasonable to expect the hoses to last eight years, and they will usually not last more than ten. That said, they are vulnerable to damage if refrigerant should leak, or connectors should become damaged, and if that happens, they will need to be replaced.
Signs that your AC high pressure hoses need to be replaced include:
- Leaking
- Air is not as cool as it should be
- No cool air at all
Obviously, you want to be comfortable in hot weather, so if you think that your AC high pressure hoses are failing, see a professional to have the problem diagnosed. An experienced mechanic can provide an effective diagnosis for all your air conditioning problems, and replace your AC high pressure hoses if necessary.
