Video · AC Replacement
The AC Replacement Process, From Recovery to Startup
The AC replacement process runs in order: recover the old refrigerant, pull the old unit, set the new one, connect lines and power, leak test, pull a vacuum, then test it running. This clip shows the first steps.
Job footageSwiftPro
- Topic
- AC Replacement
- Length
- 0:25
- Posted
- September 17, 2026
- Shot by
- The SwiftPro crew, Northern Virginia
What you’re seeing in this video
It opens at the old condenser beside a brick house. A tech in a navy hoodie connects hoses to its service ports, which is how the refrigerant gets pumped into a recovery tank instead of vented into the air. Federal law requires that, so it's not optional.
Next, a second tech wearing a headlamp rolls the new condenser on a dolly across the back deck, right past the patio furniture, so the unit never gets dragged through the grass.
Then a third tech holds a level against the brick and drills in a new electrical disconnect for the new unit. Numbered steps on screen run through the rest: connecting the refrigerant lines and wiring, the leak check, the vacuum and the startup test.
Why it matters in your house
- Ask how deep the vacuum gets pulled. A tech who reads it on a micron gauge and holds it there knows moisture and air are out of the lines before refrigerant goes in.
- Leak testing matters most when the old line set stays. Reused copper has to hold pressure, or the new system slowly loses its charge.
- Skipped steps don't show on day one. They show up as a weak compressor or a recharge a couple of summers later.
Why does pulling a vacuum on a new AC matter?
Air and moisture get into the lines anytime the system is open. A vacuum pump boils that moisture off and pulls it out, and a micron gauge shows when the lines are truly dry and tight. Skip it and the moisture mixes with refrigerant oil, forms acid and eats at the compressor from the inside.
Want it done at your place? See AC Replacement at SwiftPro or call (703) 997-9757.
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