R-1234yf WTHeck?

[Supervisor42]

In the beginning everyone had a vehicle to drive wherever they wanted; life was good.
But if you wanted air-conditioning, all you could do was roll down the window while you drove.
Along came R-12 FREON and vehicles had ice-cold A/C! Life was great.
The system had a sight-glass on it and you could tell when the gas would get low - the glass would be milky-white.
You went down to Walmart and got a can or 2 of R-12 that cost 88¢ each and added gas until the sight-glass went clear (+a little more) and you were good for another year or 2.

Then the environmental nazis marched in with erroneous satellite data and convinced the government that evil R-12 was chewing a hole in the ozone layer at the north pole and it must be banned.
In 1995, R-134a appeared. Of course with the smaller molecule size and the system running at higher pressure, the gas would seep out of the system even faster. The gas was also 10-times more expensive, but just $9 a can.

Well, the environmental nazis marched in again in 2015 and told the government that evil R-134a was a potent greenhouse gas that caused climate change and it must be banned.
Any vehicle 2017 or later must have R-1234yf in it instead. And the system runs at 9-times higher pressure.
(oh, and did I mention that it's 10-times more expensive).

30-pound jug of R-134a : $139

25-pound jug of R1234yf : $1350

The good (bad) news, is the system has to be serviced by a very expensive computer-controlled machine that takes the guesswork out of how much gas to put in.
It draws out the gas from the system, weighs it and adds enough for the exact correct weight to be put back in.
This also means that if the A/C in your 2017 or newer vehicle gets puny and needs the gas topped off, expect to drop a little more than $300.

The guy and the machine (Evac & Recharge) - $160.
1.3 pounds of R1234yf refrigerant - $150.

...and when it's your turn, you will find out as fast as I did, just what "yf" stands for.

 

[SheepDog]

Yearly Fun?

 

[Meerkat]

In the beginning everyone had a vehicle to drive wherever they wanted; life was good.
But if you wanted air-conditioning, all you could do was roll down the window while you drove.
Along came R-12 FREON and vehicles had ice-cold A/C! Life was great.
The system had a sight-glass on it and you could tell when the gas would get low - the glass would be milky.
You went down to Walmart and got a can or 2 of R-12 that cost 88¢ each and added gas until the sight-glass went clear (+a little more) and you were good for another year or 2.

Then the environmental nazis marched in with erroneous satellite data and convinced the government that evil R-12 was chewing a hole in the ozone layer at the north pole and it must be banned.
In 1995, R-134a appeared. Of course with the smaller molecule size and the system running at higher pressure, the gas would seep out of the system even faster. The gas was also 10-times more expensive, but just $9 a can.

Well, the environmental nazis marched in again in 2015 and told the government that evil R-134a was a potent greenhouse that caused climate change and it must be banned.
Any vehicle 2017 or later must have R-1234yf in it instead. And the system runs at 9-times higher pressure.
(oh, and did I mention that it's 10-times more expensive).

30-pound jug of R-134a : $139

25-pound jug of R1234yf : $1350

The good (bad) news, is the system has to be serviced by a very expensive computer-controlled machine that takes the guesswork out of how much gas to put in.
It draws out the gas from the system, weighs it and adds enough for the exact correct weight to be put back in.
This also means that if the A/C in your 2017 or newer vehicle gets puny and needs the gas topped off, expect to drop a little more than $300.

The guy and the machine (Evac & Recharge) - $160.
1.3 pounds of R1234yf refrigerant - $150.

...and when it's your turn, you will find out as fast as I did, just what "yf" stands for.

Bad choice of abrviations,sorry.

 

[havasu]

If you can find a jug of black market R12 freon, they can go as high as $1000 a container.

 

[randyt]

i still have a jug of r-12 and 132a.

 

[Caribou]

If you can find a jug of black market R12 freon, they can go as high as $1000 a container.

WHAT? Guess I shouldn't have given my R-12 away.

 

[Supervisor42]

If you can find a jug of black market R12 freon, they can go as high as $1000 a container.

Oh they still sell R-12 you just have to have a 608 or 609 certification to buy it.
(which I still have)
...And the fact that a 25 pound jug is $1400 could be a minor factor .

 

[randyt]

If you have a reclaimer, freon could be saved from old appliances and reused. Probably not "legal" to use in a customers equipment unless reclaimed from their equipment. But reused in your own equipment for your own use there probably wouldn't be an issue.

 

[viking]

This all sends me back to my youth, riding in a 1939 Cad La Salle coupe from Washington to the Dakota's with a canvas water bag hanging from the door handle, Air conditioning then was unknown, there may have been a device that was cylinder shaped that could be hung from a side window, they were evaporative coolers, if you find one now days they are collectables and probably cost more than when they were made. Back in those days people didn't die from lack of air conditioning (modern age problem), they had salt tablets and I've seen them in dispensers hanging from posts in a few factories where I've worked. If our vehicle AC systems stop working, I don't think they'll be fixed, (R)eady 1-2-3-4, yf'd. I have have felt for years that the PTB in Washington DC are looking out for their , couldn't get a job if they had to, friends, by creating jobs out of unfounded so called science.

 

[Supervisor42]

. If our vehicle AC systems stop working, I don't think they'll be fixed, (R)eady 1-2-3-4, yf'd. I have have felt for years that the PTB in Washington DC are looking out for their , couldn't get a job if they had to, friends, by creating jobs out of unfounded so called science.

Down here, A/C is not a luxury but an essential since we routinely have at least 4 months with daily temps in the 90's each year.
If the A/C doesn't work in your vehicle, you would consider it 'down'.
Sure you could still drive it, but you would be hitching a ride with someone else first.
I was just giving people a heads-up that things have changed - a lot.
Since the 2017's are just now turning 4 years old, all of the people that have newer vehicles have no idea what awaits them.