Review on FavorCOOL 2FC-36T 2-Stage 1/3HP Rotary Vane Vacuum Pump for HVAC Car A/C Refrigerant Charge - R410a R134a R22 by Chris Lujan

The air conditioning condenser on one of my vehicles was damaged in an accident a few weeks ago. All of the coolant has leaked out. After replacing the condenser and dryer, I had to vacuum the system to remove moisture from the system before recharging. I have two sets of gauges on the A/C manifold, but I haven't had a vacuum pump yet. Most auto parts stores in my area offer free loan of some auto tools. I used this service earlier when I needed an air conditioner vacuum pump. The problem is that each store only rents out 1 or 2 pumps. Most of the time the pump wasn't available when I needed it. I would either have to wait or walk a long way to the store. With this pump in hand, I hoped I didn't have to look for rent. Unfortunately it isn't. Conventional air conditioning gauges such as two of my own (from JB and Mastercool) cannot be connected to this vacuum pump without an adapter. No other vacuum pump I've used in the past has had this problem. The hose from my gauges was simply screwed in. Today I spent hours on the phone and driving to look locally for an adapter but no one is selling one. I ordered one online but won't get it until the end of next week. Having already installed a dryer, I didn't want to wait more than a week before charging the system. I ended up renting a pump from a local car dealership, just like I used to. It's amazing why a manufacturer in the US market would sell an air conditioner vacuum pump with an inlet fitting that doesn't fit a regular air conditioner. Manifold gauges sold in the United States. Out of curiosity, I went to the Harbor Freight Store to look at the two vacuum pumps they sell. Nobody had this problem. The adapter I ordered online was only $6. If the manufacturer had just built that into the pump, it would have saved me many hours of frustration. The pump itself looks good. Noise and vibration levels were comparable to a rented pump. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test one of the most important characteristics, which is how well this pump creates a vacuum. I'll do that when I get the adapter and update the review if the pump doesn't work well.