Drying out my Drier

[BrettS]

I've been dealing with a slow leak in my AC system for a while now (a charge will last a couple of weeks before I need to recharge it). I just moved to Florida and the AC is a bit more important now than it was when I was living in NY.

I got a can of the Cliplight Super Seal Premium Pro A/C sealant that I'd like to try, but they recommend replacing the accumulator/drier to make sure there's no moisture in the system before you add the stuff.

The accumulator I have is less than a year old and I'm wondering if it makes sense just to use that one. Do you think I could I just pull a vaccuum for a while (several hours, even) to sufficiently dry it out, or I've seen people mention drying one out in an oven (how exactly would I do that?)

Or should I just give in and buy a new one? From what I've seen, I should be able to get one on Ebay for only $30 or $40 or so. Obviously I'd like to save money where I can, but I don't want to cause bigger problems for myself by trying to save $30.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks much,
Brett

 

[Glacier991]

You could probably get by by putting it in an oven at 210-225 degrees and maybe blowing a puff of compressed air thru it a time or two during an hour's stay (at low pressure!) and then evacuating it as you mention... I only buy mine anymore from my professional AC supplier as cheap Chinese knock offs seem to be appearing. $50 or so is what I pay for reliable ones.