Introduction
With the recovery and recycling of R-12 now
mandatory in all areas of the country, you may
be thinking that the storm of change is over.
Not so. There are still clouds over head because
of the industry-wide transition to R-134a and a
few still loom on the horizon. This doesn't mean
you're in any danger though. That is, at least
as long as you're armed with the right strategy.
That cause is what we've dedicated this update
report to...your cause. Here's what you need to
know to adapt legally, effectively-and most of
all-profitably.
Refrigerant Report
To expedite a reduction in ozone depletion, R-12
and all CFCs, for that matter, are scheduled for
phaseout on December 31, 1995. Several producers
of the refrigerant, however, will cease
production sooner. DuPont, for example, will end
its production of Freon at the end of 1994. As
production cuts back, prices will increase
accordingly.
Manufacturers have worked day and night to
develop effective alternatives to R-12 that
provide efficient cooling with little or no
environmental side-effects. Based on the results
of extensive research, HFC-134a, commonly known
as R-134a, has been chosen as the next
refrigerant by consensus within the industry.
Hence, car makers are moving ahead swiftly with
the use of R-134a. It's estimated that roughly
90% of the 1994 new car and truck fleet will use
the new refrigerant.
Just a few days before this went to press,
Chrysler announced it will use R-134a
exclusively in all its new vehicles by January
1, 1994 - two years ahead of the mandate enacted
by the Federal Government. Ronald R. Boltz,
Chrysler's Vice President of Product Strategy
and Regulatory Affairs, remarked, "We've moved
as aggressively as possible in removing R-12
from our product line and we believe our rapid
deployment of air conditioning systems using
R-134a is in the best interest of our consumers
and the environment."
In spite of the environmental advantages that
R-134a offers, it does have some drawbacks. It
is less efficient than R-12, so R134a requires
higher operating pressures and larger system
components to compensate for the penalty in
performance. R134a is also incompatible with
R-12, so the two refrigerants should never be
mixed. Furthermore, even though R134a is less
likely to affect the ozone layer, the new
refrigerant still has the capability of
contributing to the greenhouse effect (global
warming) when released into the air.
Consequently, the recovery and recycling of
R-134a becomes mandatory on November 15, 1995.
In spite of this deadline, it's likely that you
may be involved with R134a recovery and
recycling somewhat sooner because of this
refrigerant's high initial cost and more
stringent local regulations.
The Latest On Retrofitting
Does this mean that all systems charged with
R-12 are doomed once they lose their refrigerant
charge? Hardly, but as time marches on, the
limited availability of R-12 won't make it very
cost-effective to keep an A/C system on an R-12
diet. That's why carmakers and other industry
groups have been working hand-in-hand to develop
a standardized retrofit procedure for switching
R-12 systems over to R-134a. Just recently, the
Society of Automotive Engineers released a
standard to that effect, known as J1661. The
standard covers all aspects of the retrofit
procedure and recommends reference to
manufacturers' procedures when available.
A critical portion of the retrofitting procedure
involves evacuation of the A/C system. We found
that some controversy exists regarding how, and
for how long the system should be evacuated.
According to SAE J1661, "...evacuate the air
conditioning system for a minimum of 30 minutes
to remove air and trace R-12 from the
system...." The verbiage continues, noting that
some manufacturers may require a longer
evacuation period for their systems.
According to Simon Oulouhojian, President and
Chief Operating Officer of the Mobile Air
Conditioning Society (MACS), "J1661 encompasses
the collective knowledge of industry experts,
many of them at the original equipment
manufacturers' level. It's difficult to dispute
the findings of such a panel, especially when
you consider what they have at stake."
D. Wayne Strout, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Refrigerant Technologies, Inc. (RTI),
disagrees with the evacuation procedure
advocated by SAE and MACS. Strout recommends
that the system be evacuated for one hour, then
filled with an initial charge of R134a. Next, he
recommends running the system, then recovering
and recycling the entire fill of refrigerant
before charging it into the system once more.
This final step, he believes, emulates flushing
to remove any residual mineral oil that may have
mixed with the ester or PAG oil.
On that note, we'd like to mention a
breakthrough in refrigerant oil specifically
formulated as a retrofit lubricant. Castrol's
Icematic Retro 100 has a unique formula that's
compatible with both R-12 and R-134a. Up until
now, the refrigerants required mineral (R-12)
and PAG or ester (R-134a) oils, which couldn't
be mixed. This product promises to make
retrofitting less of a headache.
MACS estimates the cost of retrofitting older
A/C systems will be approximately $250 to $800,
depending on the condition of the system and the
age of the vehicle. It's likely that the cost of
retrofitting will increase accordingly with a
car's age. Since 80 to 100 million vehicles are
estimated for retrofit by the year 2000, you may
want to look into this flourishing area of A/C
service as a new profit center.
As we went to press, Ward Atkinson, MACS
technical advisor, advised PTEN that another SAE
standard was on the ballot regarding the
standardization of retrofit fittings. According
to Atkinson, "Some fittings currently on the
market may not open when required and others may
stick open after service equipment is removed.
We're finding that a stack-up of tolerances is
often the cause, because many of the internal
dimensions are really not specified in any
current standard."
Making the Grade
The EPA requires machines used for the
recovery/recycling of R-12 and R134a to be
tested by an independent standards testing
organization. At the current time, the EPA
recognizes Underwriters Laboratories and ETL
Testing Laboratories, Inc. as approved
organizations. These labs evaluate recovery and
recycling equipment for compliance with
applicable SAE standards. Both labs forward a
list of machines to the EPA, which then
consolidates both lists into one. The end result
is a listing of EPA-approved equipment.
When shopping for a machine, check to see if
it's approved by the EPA. In the past, some
machines carried a UL label, implying that they
were EPA-approved, but really weren't. The label
merely meant that one or more internal
components, like a transformer, may have passed
a UL test. To avoid confusion when shopping,
look for verbiage such as "Design certified by
(testing organization) for compliance with SAE-J
(applicable standard number)." That way you can
be sure the equipment you're buying is up to the
task.
Recovery-Only Exclusion
If you own several shops, you needn't fear the
expense of a recovery/recycling machine for each
facility, or having to send refrigerant off-site
for reclamation (reclaimed refrigerant must meet
a more stringent, like-new purity standard than
SAE's recycling standard). The EPA provides an
exemption for owners of multiple service
facilities that allows you to recover
refrigerant at all of your shops, then recycle
it at one of them with a piece of approved
equipment. This exemption does not apply to
franchised organizations or chain stores.
The equipment used for the recovery-only of R-12
does not have the capability to recycle
refrigerant or recharge a system. The SAE
standard addressing recovery-only equipment
states, "The equipment discharge or transfer
fitting shall be unique to prevent the
unintentional use of extracted (recovered) R-12
to be used for recharging auto air
conditioners." Recovery-only equipment must also
be EPA-approved.
Late-Breaking News In Leak Detection
Just before our deadline for this article, SAE
released two long-awaited standards regarding
leak detection. The first, SAE J1627, describes
the rating criteria for electronic refrigerant
leak detectors. One of the most critical parts
of this document is a standardized 1/2-ounce per
year leak rate that will eventually give
electronic leak detectors a performance
benchmark. Eventually, these products will carry
a label with the "design certified..." lingo
that will make it easier for you to choose a
leak detector based on proven, not published
performance.
The second standard released by SAE addressing
leak detection, SAE J1628, involves the
procedure for use of a detector meeting the
first standard. Among other things, the standard
defines the rate of movement for the detector's
probe, a critical part of finding leaks.
Currently, no standards exist regarding gas leak
detectors, because they can't "sniff" R-134a and
the previously-mentioned standards address R-12,
R-22 and R-134a.
There are no standards currently available on
leak-tracing dyes. That's because an equivalency
for dye-indicated leaks and
electronically-sensed leaks couldn't be
determined at the time the previous SAE
standards were adopted. It's only a matter of
time, however, because SAE is currently working
to provide guidance on the use of leak-tracing
dyes.
The Facts About Fittings
To reduce the chances of mixing R-12 and R-134a
during service, R-134a equipment must have a
1/2"-16 ACME thread for connection to manifold
gauges or recovery/recycling/recharging
equipment. This is a different size than the
fittings used on R-12 equipment.
The opposite end of low-and high-side R-134a
service hoses can connect directly to a
quick-coupler that connects to the vehicle, or
an optional M14 x 1.5 fitting can be used
between the hose and quick coupler. Unlike R-12
systems, which typically use threaded service
fittings for the high and low sides, R-134a
systems use quick-coupler fittings without
external threads. To ensure proper connection of
service hoses, the high-side fitting has a 16.0
mm O.D. and the low-side fitting has a 13.0 mm
O.D.
Cautions On Cross-Charging
You should be aware of the hazards involved when
an A/C system becomes cross-charged. This means
that the system has been partially charged with
a refrigerant other than the type specified by
the manufacturer.
Typically, a cross-charged system will perform
poorly and suffer damage from chemical breakdown
and lubrication problems. Should a
recovery/recycling machine be connected to a
cross-contaminated system, the machine will have
to be cleaned out completely, including
replacement of major components like filters and
dryers. Furthermore, if a contaminated machine
is connected to other A/C systems before the
problem is discovered, those systems, too, will
become infected.
Presently, cross-charging is difficult to detect
on-site. Leak detectors using current technology
provide unreliable results when sniffing mixed
refrigerants. Although the only exacting way to
assess a refrigerant is by sending it to a lab.
Robinair is currently working on some affordable
testers that will be capable of determining the
type of refrigerant right for your shop.
Building Consumer Confidence
Hopefully, the information in this article has
helped you gain perspective on where the
industry is at, and where it's headed. Now take
that perspective and educate your customers
about what it's going to take to service their
air conditioning systems now and in the future.
MACS launched a consumer awareness blitz back in
July with three consumer brochures. For more
information regarding the MACS brochures, call
(215) 679-2229.
Also recognizing the importance of such a
campaign, the National Automotive Dealers
Association (NADA) issued a press release with a
"don't blame the dealer" theme. The release was
a direct response to consumer alarm over how
much the price of A/C service had risen.
The business of servicing automotive air
conditioning systems will continue to change as
R-134a gradually becomes the most widely used
refrigerant. This doesn't mean, however, that
recovery and recycling will end once R-12 is no
longer produced. The remaining supply will have
to be conserved with diligence, a responsibility
that both you and the environment can benefit
from.
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