Date: 7 Jan 1998 21:41:36 GMT From: "Duane Dostie" <ddostienopsamtiernet.net> Subject: Re: need Air compressor, time to convert?
There are other alternatives to converting cars to R-134A. I found this web address for a low cost R-12 replacement the other day. Go to: http://www.autofrost.com/ This replacement does not require new oil. R-134A has some safety problems. There have been reports of cardiac arrests caused by exposure to low concentrations of R-134A. I'm a refrigerant chemist and as much work as I do with R134a I haven't heard anything regarding side effects (death) due to exposure to the material. Yes, R123 has a degree of toxicity, but the substitute for R12, ie R134a is safe as far as I know. The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute has made no recommendations to the effect that these materials are harmful. I have worked in the chemical industry for ten years and am quite happy that the materials I work with namely halogenated hydrocarbons are reletively inert biologically as opposed to many other areas of chemicals. Think about it for a minute. It's definitely in the best interests of the peddlers of R12 substitutes to hype ANY bad press R134a might get, be it scientifically valid or not. A specific recommendation I would make is DO NOT USE FREEZONE. Period. My company produced the material for the inventor and you should have seen him dance when the material started to polymerize in our equipment. He left town real quick. I refuse to analyze the stuff when it gets reclaimed by Joes Auto Shop. It's really a shame that R12 is fetching $60 a pound on the retail market. It's not really a big seller and in fact is worth no more than $10/lb wholesale. It is a mistake to assume that R12 is in short supply. I can assure you it's not. Unfortunately it appears that most of the exiting supplies of R12 just pass between speculators, never actually seeing a car A/C system. I would suspect this trend will continue. The same thing will eventually happen with R134a and any "substitute." Just as a warning I would stay away from any replacement other than R134a. A properly functioning R12 or R134a system will be economical for quite some time. The emphasis is on a PROPERLY functioning system, ie no leaks. Duane
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