It became known as R12 or Freon. You can prevent this loss by having your system checked annually prior to the start of hot weather. R-22 is an CFC refrigerant. Nevertheless, repeat after me: It is illegal to vent refrigerant. Make a container ready to discharge the refrigerant. In contrast, the most likely reason you’d consider recharging with an “alternative refrigerant” is because the refrigerant leaked out of your car and you’re trying to avoid doing a full-on A/C rejuvenation which includes finding the leak and properly changing refrigerants. Note that R134a is also sometimes called “Freon,” even labeled as such on the can, so it’s best to be clear and use the names R12 and R134a. R-410A is a type of HFC refrigerant that is widely used in newer AC units, replacing older HCFC coolants. Hell, it’s possible that not all of the original A/C components are even there anymore. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. 2. But in order for refrigeration to work, you need something that has a low boiling point, something that exists as a gas at room temperature and can be easily pressurized into a liquid so that, when it is allowed to expand, it immediately boils at room temperature and cools. Over time, a credible middle ground emerged. Freon is the brand name of a type of air-conditioning refrigerant gas manufactured by DuPont Chemicals. For this reason, when a car is being sold these days, R12 is often seen as a liability, a looming conversion expense, even if the system is functional and cold. State EPA is angry with you And some combination of: * Nothing * Compressor is inefficient * Compressor can’t work at all #1 is certain. And that brings us to…, I continue to use R12 in two of my cars—my 1972 BMW 2002tii and 1973 Bavaria. So, modern cars use R134a refrigerant which is environmentally friendly. There are two types of refrigerants used: R12 and R134a. Yes, there’s a certain irony in the fact that we’ve gone full-circle from the invasive “you’ll need to replace almost everything including the compressor and hoses in order to properly convert R12 to R134a” to “you don’t need to replace all that much; just flush it, new oil, new drier and o-rings,” and back to “you’ll need to replace almost everything including the compressor, hoses, and the condenser.” But this change has occurred both because the cars are that much older than they were when the R12 to R134a change occurred in the mid-1990s, and there is now a better understanding of the need to take advantage of updated compressors and condensers in order to get the A/C systems to blow adequately cold with R134a. They may sound just like similar part numbers, but there are major differences between them. Until a few years ago, many air conditioners sold in the United States used the refrigerant chlorodifluoromethane, usually referred to “R-22.” R-22 is one of a number of gases marketed under the brand name Freon, and has been commonly used as a coolant in air conditioners, heat pumps, and other appliances. When it's time for an AC recharge, turn to AutoZone. Follow these steps to retrofit air conditioning in cars to new refrigerant, such as R-134a. Note also that, unlike mineral oil, both PAG oil and ester oil are hygroscopic—that is, they absorb water. Slightly less damaging to the ozone than R12, but the EPA has still mandated a phase out as a result of the Clean Air Act of 2010. King holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Southwestern Adventist College. You can shop online for same day in-store pick up or go to your local AutoZone to find the right AC solution for you and your vehicle. The Environmental Protection Agency outlawed ozone depleting substances in 1994 and, as a result, R-134a Freon is now used instead. Other brands of R-22 refrigerant gas are made by other manufacturers. One essential element of climate control systems is the refrigerant. 98. Today, nearly all new vehicles offer air … Since you can’t vent any refrigerant without breaking the law, and since you’ll be hard-pressed to find a shop that will recover anything other than R134a, you’ll have painted yourself into a corner. Two types of refrigerant are used in automotive air conditioners. You can recharge your A/C system with chicken soup (lousy refrigerant, by the way) and no black helicopters will come to your house, but in a world where people usually don’t hold onto their cars forever, R134a is still the best choice for retrofit applications. When R12’s effects on the ozone layer became known and it was superseded by R134a, EPA came down hard with large fines on both professionals and DIY-ers. If the target environment is only moderately hot, and your use of the car is light, R134a will probably be fine. Copyright 2021 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, Alpine Home Air Products: Keeping Your AC System Properly Maintained, Car AC Systems: Mercedes Benz Air Conditioning Compressor, Wayne's Garage: Good A/C Performance and Maintenance saves Money. GooMeng R1234YF Car AC Refrigerant Charge Hose Kit,Auto 1/2 Acme LH R1234YF Air Conditioning Refrigerant Charging Hose with Gauge. Freon, better known as R-12, was the primary chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) used in car A/C systems up until it was banned in the mid 1990s after the EPA discovered that it was depleting our planet’s ozone Layer. More Buying Choices $6.66 (7 used & … It can be connected with your car’s AC service port and give you a reading based on the purity status. When used in refrigerator and A/C systems, R12 cooled incredibly well. Unfortunately, taking the longer view of things, even if you do leak-test a car thoroughly and properly all A/C systems leak eventually, so any can of R12 you put into a car will likely wind up in the atmosphere, an eventuality that I am less and less comfortable with. “No one here will work on it,” he said. In most cars that are on the road today, R134a refrigerant makes the A/C system blow cold on hot days. Some auto AC professionals recommend evacuating the system and refilling it every three to four years in order to test for leaks. With new R12 no longer being manufactured, the market price soared to $100/pound. The advantage of ester oil is that it works with both R12 as well as R134a, so you can fill the system with it and then use either refrigerant. This … So, along with R134a came a new oil: Polyalkylene Glycol—or PAG oil. If your car has a leak, you are legally obligated to have the leak repaired before recharging the system. Lastly, there are the flammable organic refrigerants (propane and its blends). Selected for its low flammability and safety, as well as because it's kinder to the environment, almost every car built since 1994 is equipped with R134 refrigerant. The molecule size of R134a is smaller than that of R12, so there was concern that R134a could leak out through the hoses and flare fittings that R12 systems used. It is also an HFC refrigerant. In the automotive world, the replacement for R12 was tetrafluoroethane, a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) branded as R134a. Type #2: R134a -- The One That's (Probably) In Your Car Right Now. Overcharging the system can be as damaging as chronic refrigerant gas loss. Initially, an invasive recipe was proposed: the system should be flushed to remove any traces of the old R12-specific mineral oil, the compressor and expansion valve should be replaced with R134a-specific versions to perform correctly, and the old hoses should be replaced with 134a-specific barrier hoses to forestall leakage. R134a is not an ozone-destroying agent, but it is a greenhouse gas, and is illegal to vent as well. Of course, there could be other problems such as a seized compressor or a blocked expansion valve. As you probably know, matter can exist in three states—solid, liquid, and gas. The problem was that there was not agreement on exactly what was required for the conversion. The refrigerant is the fluid that is used in the car’s air conditioning system. But the problem with R12 is twofold. International manufacturing of new R12 ceased in 1996, but existing R12 can still be reclaimed and purified. 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