I have been trying to read up on charging the A/C on the forum, do I need to get the professional hose kit or can I get one of the DIY cans with the gauge already included and go to town?

 

you can certainly try it that way a lot of people do, (which is one of the reasons you can buy R12 anymore).
If your AC needs charging then there is a leak, refrigerent is not something that gets used up. If it is only a little you may get a way for a while "topping it off" and it may last a while.
But to get you system working proper usually requires dumping whatever refrigerant thats in there, pulling a vacuum to remove the impurity and air,then recharging with the proper amount of refrigerent.
If you trying to put refrigerent into a system that has been opened, it's not going to happen, the system will need to be in a vacuum.
hope this helps

 

I agree. Why do you want to charge it? If the system is inefficient there is a problem, either you have a leak, it's contaminated with moisture, or electrical, or mechanical failure caused by one of the above. A full set of gauges will go along way to identifying the problem which is the best way to go. Just filling with refridgerant may be a temperary fix or actually cause damage if you over-fill. even worse, if you have a leak and mask it with a fill now, you may leak down in the winter and damage the compressor. Generally, 90% of the time, evacuating, drawing a vacuum for 20minutes, and charging will take care of the problem. Moisture gets in and the Vacuum takes it out.

 

Agreed on the advice for fixing that problem the proper way. I've trained for 4 years to be an HVAC tech and especially if you're system has run out all of its refrigerant chances are moisture has found its way in. Water will not compress so once you charge it with you're kit and turn it on you can bend back the valves in the compresser and toast it. Then you'll be out the cost of the part and labor to have it replaced and then properly re-charged and leak tested anyway. Trust us, do this the right way. Good luck.

 

Well, all systems can leak, may take years from new to seep down, doesn't mean they need a repair, just a recharge, and yes the one hose kit available at parts store will do the job easily as long as you follow the directions. By the way, many of those products also have the proper % oil oil, freon and some come with a stop leak additive for those that leak down every 3 or 4 years.