In air conditioners, refrigerant flows through low pressure areas to high pressure areas, and vice versa. This process creates the cool air that blows out of an air conditioning system, and regulates the temperature of the room to stay at a comfortable level.

Maintaining adequate pressure within the air conditioning system is essential in its functionality. HVAC technicians often use tools to determine the condition of an air conditioning unit so they can fix any problems that arise from the system. One of the common tools used in HVAC inspections is the manifold gauge.

What are HVAC Manifold Gauges?

The manifold gauge is a device that is used to determine the system pressure of the AC unit. Also called the HVAC gauge set or refrigerant gauge manifold, the device is composed of two gauges: a low-pressure gauge, and a high-pressure gauge, that connect through internal passages. The manifold gauge set is used to read the

There are two gauge face types used in a manifold gauge. There's analog gauges, which have an arrow or needle pointed to the corresponding pressure readings, as well as digital gauges that provide accurate numerical data. These types can be used interchangeably, and an experienced HVAC technician should be able to read analog gauges with minimal effort.

Manifold gauges are often used by HVAC technicians to determine whether the air conditioning system is functioning properly based on the pressure readings on the device. These are staples in a technician's tool box, and HVAC technicians often have R-134a and R-12 manifold gauges for use in modern HVAC systems.

Besides being used to determine the pressure inside an air conditioner, the manifold gauge set is also used to relieve the high pressure from inside an air conditioner, and remove contaminated refrigerants from an A/C system.

How to Use HVAC Manifold Gauges

Before connecting the HVAC gauges to the air conditioning system, you will need to ensure that the AC unit is at rest. To do this, simply shut off the compressor for at least 30 minutes. This will give you the most accurate readings of the compressor output, and is safer to work with as well.

Connecting the Gauges

There are three service hose connections on a manifold gauge, color-coded to blue, red, and yellow. The blue hose connects to the low-pressure gauge, and should be connected to the low-pressure port on the AC unit. The red hose connects to the high-pressure gauge, and should be connected to the high-pressure port on the AC unit.

A manifold gauge set should have a yellow hose in the middle of the high-pressure, and low-pressure hoses. This hose is called the testing and charging hose, and goes to either the vacuum pump, or the refrigerant container. When removing contaminated refrigerant, the yellow hose connects to a refrigerant recovery bottle to store the unwanted coolant.

Doing a Pressure Reading

Once the gauges are connected, the device should automatically read the pressure within the cooling system. The low-pressure gauge (blue pressure gauge) should read at around 3o PSI, and the high-pressure gauge (red pressure gauge) should read at around 150 PSI for a well-functioning air conditioning system.

Removing Refrigerant

To purge refrigerant from the unit, remove the yellow hose from the vacuum pump, and attach it to a refrigerant bottle, and turn the blue valve to release the pressure. Because the blue valve connects to the low-pressure side, refrigerant flows through the hose into the recovery bottle at the end of the yellow hose.

Maintaining HVAC Manifold Gauges

Manifold gauges are used in most air conditioning systems for repair and diagnostic purposes. Digital gauges and analog gauges are common among technicians' diagnostic tool sets. Maintaining HVAC gauges is simple: give the tool a good clean after every reading, store it properly, and keep it away from children and pets.

HVAC gauges come in contact with refrigerants, so it is important to handle the device with care. The needle of HVAC gauges may lose calibration, so be sure to check whether the device presents a reading of 0 before attaching it to the air conditioner.

At Luce Aircon, our experienced technicians have the knowledge in all things HVAC. Give us a call today, and we can clean, diagnose, and repair your unit for you!