Re: A/C Upgrade?

[steveb@falcon.kla.com (Steven Buchholz)]

I would not recommend that anyone "upgrade" their R12 system to R134 un-
less they absolutely had to.  When shopping for a new refrigerator, I 
looked into doing the "right thing" and buying one that used the new 
refrigerant; I found that these new refrigerators are showing a much 
higher incidence of compressor failures than what was typical with R12.  
I have a friend who has bought a couple of new cars and has had A/C prob-
lems with both.  In one case he recently had his compressor replaced for 
the third time.  This minivan is less than 3 years old.  

When you hear that R134 has to be handled in the same way as R12 in that
it is not to be deliberately vented into the atmosphere it makes me wonder
why is R12 so much worse than R134?  They are probably concerned that it 
will destroy the ozone layer as well.  I wish the money that went into 
getting R12 banned went into research and development of a system that 
didn't leak so badly ... refrigerators can run over 20 years without 
needing to be recharged ...

There may be other alternatives even to R134.  Some time ago I heard about 
a product called GHG-12, but it now sounds like it is called GHG R406A.  
This refrigerant is compatible with mineral oils and it is claimed to be
useful as a direct replacement (i.e. no other system changes req'd).  It 
looks like this refrigerant may not be approved for vehicles yet, but if
you're interested there is an information page at:

	http://worldserver.com/R-406A/

I found some interesting things about DIY A/C repairs.  DIY is not prohib-
ited ... all that is illegal is venting R12 (or any other refrigerant for 
that matter) and you only need to be a licensed technician to purchase R12 ...

Steve Buchholz
s_buchho@kla.com
San Jose, CA (USA)