Can I use Brake Cleaner vice Super_Cool A/C Flush ( to save $$$)
 

A friend of mine told me I can use Brake Cleaner just as effectively as Super Cool AC Flush. The only difference is Brake Cleaner is $2.95 a can and Super_Cool is $14.95 can. I kind of agree with him, I mean Brake Cleaner is a good solvent, comes pressurized in can, vaporizes when its done, though I don't know what its oil miscibility properties are..

I'd be concerned about using it on rubber hoses, but I think the evaporator and condensor would be fine. Some brake cleaner on the shelves today uses tetrachloroethylene and some (probably less effective) is non-chlorinated. The efficacy of a given flush depends upon several factors, such as solubility that the refridgerant oils have in that solvent as well as its viscosity and the volatility of solvent which allows particulates to be temporarily suspended in the vapor stream.

dude..you want cheap. use rubbing alcohol.

Typical "rubbing alcohol" is 70% isopropanol and 30% water, you don't want to use that. You can buy a 90%/10% formulation in most of the same places, but I wouldn't use it in my system. Now, if you got 99%+ pure isopropanol, then I'd say yes. We use that here for cleaning small precision hydraulic components, and it works very well.

I've got the 99% isopropyl alcohol here for cleaning off thermal grease from cpu cores. :D Works great! The auto-evaporate feature is handy too. :D ;)