Kestas, To start with , here is your statement:

"As long as your system is blowing some cold and the compressor engages, you have positive pressure in the system and no chance of air/moisture/debris entering the system, hence, no need to evacuate, and you can simply top off the system as needed. Once the system has no pressure (the gage pressure is zero), then you have to treat your system as if it's contaminated."

Aside from the fact that it is wrong.. it was said with such confidence that I thought I would ask where you found such feelings.... It also shows you missed a couple of times in AC threads lately where this has been discussed... and at least once where I volunteered to take a picture of the statement in one of my AC manuals which clearly states that a leak is to be considered as having contaminated the system...

I hope and assume that you are more easily swayed with facts and argument than PEH, whom I have given up on affecting due to the basis of most of the things he says which I disagree with... because the differences come from his philosophy of frugalness ... which I consider "over the top"... he took me to task in an email in which he did not like the term I was using ( force) when air pressure is applied to a piston ... and he has hot buttons which include motor/engine,gas/fuel, etc... I still have not figured out what he was saying in that email about ' force'.... and I really tried...

but basically I came up the thread from the botttom... and did not see PEH's statement... just saw yours... LOL