RV Repair: RV Air Conditioner, r 12 freon, refrigerator compressor

Question
Hi Bill, I bought my Camper in Anchorage in 98, I am in lower 48 now, but saw  you are from Alaska so I thought I would throw this at ya..

Simple question I hope, I need to charge my rooftop AC unit, can I do it myself or do I need proffesional service?

Also, I want to convert my camper to a toy hauler, basically put a ramp type door on the back, can you point me in right direction to get started?

Thanks

Dave  

Answer
Hi Dave:
Yes, you can charge your air conditioner yourself. You will need a vaccum pump and a set of refrigeration gages. Most of the earlier units, including yours, use R-12 freon. That stuff is getting hard to find and spendy, also people that have it will be reluctant to sell it to you. If you are persistant you'll find some. Once you completely evacuate the system to about 28 inches of vacuum you charge it until you have 20psi or so on the low pressure side. A used refrigerator compressor makes a great vaccum pump. You could convert to R-132, any good automotive parts house has the conversion kit. You will loose a little efficiency. R-12 and R-132 do not mix so you will still have to evacuate the system completely. Follow the instructions in the kit. You will need to also get a piercing valve to get into the system.
As far as the drop down door on you camper goes I do not know of any ready made place for that. It's a pretty unique project. Any good fabrication shop or trailer manufacturer can probably get it done for you. My guess iis it will be spendy.
Bill