Of course, there could be other problems such as a seized compressor or a blocked expansion valve. Some compressor manufacturers or OEMs suggest PAG type oil for R134a. Theres no doubt that R12 refrigerant is one of the first compounds manufactured for the air conditioning and refrigeration world, but it had to be banned. There is R744, which is literally carbon dioxide (CO2). The global warming potential of R134a is 1430. The global warming potential measures the amount of heat trapped by any gas compared to the amount of heat trapped by the same amount of carbon dioxide. Note also that, unlike mineral oil, both PAG oil and ester oil are hygroscopicthat is, they absorb water. They frame it as a replacement for R134a in cars and other vehicles. As R134a was touted as the replacement for R12, and the conversion of the refrigeration system to run R134a was relatively painless, many commercial installations use this refrigerant. When the temperature is reduced to-7C or below, the plants ability to cool the airdrops significantly. If you you dont have the free time to play then you are better off to pay a technician. Stay on the right side of the law, the environment, and your conscience, and dont vent refrigerant. The concern that the original R12 hoses would leak R134a like a screen door on a submarine appeared to be largely unfounded, as the insides of original hoses seemed to naturally become impregnated with a combination of refrigerant and oil that acted as a barrier. R12 has a global warming potential factor of 2400. The global warming potential is a factor that measures the amount of heat trapped by any gas when compared to the amount of heat trapped by the same amount of carbon dioxide. See your PT chart. 1. In addition, there is a $10,000 rat-out fee your neighbor can collect if youre venting refrigerant and he tattles on you. Reusing Refrigerant: Refrigerant must be properly recycled or reclaimed before it can be reused, even if it is being returned to the vehicle from which it was removed. I was recently selling a beautiful 1987 BMW 325is with cold R12-based A/C. This boiling point means that itll condense with moderate pressure, so applications can use a lower pressure condenser to achieve the same results. At this point it is time to make an appointment with the a/c shop. To discover the capacity for refrigerant, you want to use the specs for the current system and multiply the R12 charge by 0.9 or 90%. The common problem when converting from R12 to R134a is lack of knowledge or equipment. Concentration level: The R134a vapor dilutes the oxygen concentration in the air to a low level, thereby causing harm. R134a is an HFC or tetrafluoroethane, and its chemical formula is CH2FCF3. Certainly no one selling cans of R12 on Craigslist is asking for your EPA 609 card. Theyre also tasteless, colorless, and odorless. Were most familiar with water, which we see as ice when its cold, liquid when its at room temperature, and steam when we boil it. Hopefully after you have read this entire page you will have enough information to determine which type of refrigerant is best for you. Its unlikely that air conditioners or refrigeration plants will be converted from R12 or R134a to R22, but it can be done if reclaimed R22 refrigerant can be located. The only time this product will be unsafe for humans is if its exposed to flame, when it breaks down into toxic substances or if its discharged into the air. 5 foreign cars that were copied from American style. Unfortunately, the R12 refrigerant doesnt always blow cold air. If your car was produced after 1994, it likely has R134a used as the refrigerant. Miscibility with oil: R12 can be mixed with the compressor oil no matter the operating condition. Thats not the case with R12, ensuring that the efficiency of the plant isnt compromised. Reattach the hose lines using new R134a compatible o-rings, lightly lubricate with compressor oil. If he is not in the garage fixing challenging mechanical problems, he is writing automotive repair guides, buyers guides, and car and tools comparisons. Refrigerant Can Leak Easier For starters, R12 systems and R134a systems are designed differently to accommodate the gaseous state of each. However, R12 refrigerants are still used as fire retardants in aircraft and submarines. The cylinder head gasket is one of the most over-engineered and stressed components in an internal combustion engine. However, the operating pressures are reportedly four times those of other refrigerants, so retrofit appears out of the question. R134a is NOT less efficient than R12 - Actually R134a is more efficient. The biggest problem that youll have is the oil in the system. As these refrigerants are slowly phased out, there are still many questions that people have about them. Because the two oils were different, R134a certainly wasnt a drop-in replacement for R12. As you probably know, matter can exist in three statessolid, liquid, and gas. All compressors require oils to lubricate the moving parts. In many parts of the world, its now viewed as a greenhouse gas, and its use is discouraged. R12 was the first refrigerant created. Im not a lawyer, but charging a known-leaky system with something flammable sounds like culpable negligence to me. The major reason for the replacement of R12 with R134a was to curb future greenhouse effects. Yes, there will be less refrigerant by weight. Its often said that buying or selling R12 is illegal. Its improbable that any new installation will be built that uses this refrigerant as its use is deemed highly undesirable in many countries and international environmental treaties discourage its use. R134a has an ozone depletion potential of zero and a global warming potential of 1430. The safe high side pressures are determined with a PT (pressures and temperatures) chart. The weight is only 2.4 ounces. R134a is still used in the automotive industry as a refrigerant and in other industries, such as pharmaceuticals, as a propellant. Refrigerant for domestic & commercial use, Mainly used in the automotive industry but can be used as a refrigerant for domestic and commercial use, Has excellent cooling properties and performs at a similar level to R134A, Has excellent cooling properties and performs at a similar level to R12. Swapping the components isnt a herculean task, but recharging the AC is a challenge. This item: R12 R22 R134a R404a Manifold Gauge Set 3" Gauge HVAC A/C Refrigeration Charging Service. So as long as the system was functioning correctly and not leaking, it appeared that you could flush the system of any old oil, change the oil in the compressor to PAG or ester oil, replace only the receiver-drier and the o-rings, screw on the charging port adapters, evacuate the system, and recharge it with the new R134a, using about 80% as much as the original R12 volume. Thats not true either. The biggest difference between the two is that R1234yf is mildly flammable and does require special handling. Its among the greenhouse gases and will keep adding the current problem of heat not leaving the earths atmosphere. Motor manufacturers in the USA used R134a in air conditioning systems for new cars from 1994. The original expansion valves work very well with R134a. Difference Between R-134a and R-410A Refrigerants? Theres a lot of misinformation surrounding R12. And, unfortunately a small high side pressure gauge on a short hose. This means that its classified as a greenhouse gas and will add to the current problems of heat not escaping the earths atmosphere. Your email address will not be published. Energy usage: R134a is less efficient in cooling compared to R12. You might find that the system doesn't get as cool even after properly charging it. ZENY 3,5CFM Single-Stage 5 Pa Rotary Vane Economy Vacuum Pump 3 CFM 1/4HP Air Conditioner Refrigerant HVAC Air Tool R410a 1/4" Flare Inlet . As these two products essentially do the same job, there are many similarities between the two refrigerants. Sign up for the latest automotive news and videosin short, everything for people who love cars. Alternator Overcharging - Causes and Fixes. Also, they are mostly used in refrigeration and automotive air conditioning systems. When used in refrigerator and A/C systems, R12 cooled incredibly well. R134a systems operate at higher discharge-side pressures than R12, which can cause compressor seals to leak. Osuagwu Solomon is a certified mechanic with over a decade of experience in the mechanic garage, and he has over five years of experience in the writing industry. We recently created this blog site to enable us to share our knowledge with other automotive mechanics and car owners. By using a qualified a/c shop with the proper equipment you odds are in your favor of having the job done correctly the first time. Both of these products are refrigerants. Its often said that R12 is no longer available. R134a was developed to replace R12, so it works over the same range of applications. h. c. F. Porsche AG. Low refrigerating effect per pound: In comparison to other refrigerants, the refrigerating effect of R12 per pound is low. R134a can easily go between liquid and vapor states as with other refrigerants. Existing technology: R134a has been in use in the refrigeration industry for very many years, and theres so much information about the safe use of the product. The problem with these so called drop in replacements is that to properly handle them you may need dedicated equipment to identify the gas and evacuate it for proper disposal. Both claims are demonstrably untrue. The air conditioning system in your car uses a combination of evaporation and condensation to cool the interior. In fact, R12 was used for many years as a propellant in a variety of aerosol products and sprayed directly into the air, and it is closely related to the halon used in fire extinguishers. First, it is a pernicious ozone-destroying agent, so if you are going to use it in a car, you are morally required to do everything under the sun to thoroughly leak-test the system before charging it with R12. If you have a perfectly operating system using R12 you do not have to drop what you are doing and convert to R134a. You do not need to replace the expansion valve in most cases. So to keep things simple and to avoid controversy and politics we have R134a. The value of carbon dioxide is 1. R12 is used in several applications like low temperature, medium temperature, and high-temperature applications. Rob Siegel has been writing the column The Hack Mechanic for BMW CCA Roundel magazine for 30 years. He passed. These two refrigerants are very similar. These guidelines are strictly enforced, and contravention of them can lead to severe penalties being imposed. R1234yf is more environmentally friendly and has a global warming potential of 4. Theyve moved away from using R12 in favor of more modern, environmentally safer products. The manufacture and sale of the small cans of R12 used by hobbyists to top off a system also ended, although New Old Stock (NOS) cans of R12 are still privately traded on eBay and Craigslist (Ill come back to that). R134a was the replacement refrigerant for R12. Problem solved, right? You can order a personally inscribed copy here. Second, as youll see below, if you have to perform work on an A/C system that has refrigerant in it, it is illegal to vent the refrigerant (to let it escape into the atmosphere); it must be captured and recovered. These properties make it very attractive for domestic, commercial, and automotive refrigeration and air conditioning. In contrast, older CFC refrigerants had an ODP of 1. This product was developed to overcome the old CFC refrigerants problems as it has an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of 0.055. You can spend interesting evenings going down the rabbit hole online and reading posts from folks who vigorously defend flammable refrigerants and say, You do know that your car carries 20 gallons of flammable gasoline, dont you? Yes, but gasoline usually isnt routed through the passenger compartment, and theres a zero-tolerance policy toward gasoline leakage. Chemistry. Both of these compounds have similar cooling properties. The service ports in both systems are quick-connect, but they are taller in the yf systems to avoid cross-contamination. 0,008 0,01 0,012 0,014 0,016 0,018 0,02-40 -35 -30 -25 -20 -15 -10 Evaporation Temperature Mass Flow Rate R600a R134a R290 R1270 R32 . Many existing fridges and air conditioning units still use this refrigerant and work very efficiently. This means that when using R134a, the compressor should be oiled with Polyalkylene Glycol or PAG oil. The original rubber a/c hose lines in your car will leak out R12 through the hoses lining. Because of this products greenhouse gas attributes, its manufacture has been banned in the European Union since 2011, and motor manufacturers stopped using it in motor vehicle air conditioning at that time. These cheap kits usually have a few cans of R134a (either 12 ounce or 16 ounce), maybe an extra can of refrigerant oil, a few generic R134a charge port adapters and maybe some o-rings.
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