79 Air Conditioner- mixed freons??

[JohnnyJ]

Need some advice asap. A friend of mine said that he services air conditioners and he would be glad to do mine. He claims that he can mix the original R12 with the newer 130 and that it will work just fine. Does this sound like it will work??? More important, will it hurt my A/C system???

Johnny

 

[Robin7TFour]

be sane don't mix them. r-12 and r-134a have different properties for cooling. if the system is sealed good<no leaks>. just evacuate<vacuum off> the old r-12.then install the proper 134a and new oil too. if your guy knows his stuff he'll also know it takes less 134a and cools at a different level..

best o' luck

robin

 

[photovette]

Pump it out and use R-409a--I have three 15 pound canisters (full) of R-12, but I found that 409a works much better than R-12. It's not legal for use in the USA, but it's what cars in Europe use. Ever since I put it in my '77, I discovered I could run the a/c fan on speeds other than 'HI' and it still be chilly in the car. I had to re-connect the heater hoses this summer--that cold!

If you want to be legal, use R406a. It's much better than R134a. You can buy it without a license in 10oz cans at any a/c, refrigeration supply store (they only sell to contractors, so dress scruffy and say you're an out of town Trane tech). So, rent a vacuum pump from Pep Boys, vacuum the system and put 3 cans in. Not as cold as R409a, but better than R134a and easy to obtain.

 

[Tom73]

...but I found that 409a works much better than R-12. It's not legal for use in the USA, but it's what cars in Europe use.

Not so much that it is bad stuff, just that per the EPA web site 409a has "not been submitted for review in motor vehicle air conditioning, and it is therefore illegal to use these refrigerants in such systems as an alternative to CFC-12."

The 406 stuff is made up of 55% HCFC-22 and 41% HCFC 142b, and 4% Isobutane. Right, 4% butane. Also the HCFC-22 is the one that requires the use of barrier hoses.

tom...

 

[HammerDown]

What about mixing/adding "Freeze 12" with the older R12 ?

 

[Tom73]

What about mixing/adding "Freeze 12" with the older R12 ?

Never ever mix them. Just think of the A/C shop that in the future goes to evac the system and ruins a $300 bottle of R12 because someone tried to save a few cents and mix refregrents. NO, don't do it.

 

[DDLS3]

401A is being used now in all Cat equipment and most over the road trucks. I have had it in my 81 since 2001 with absolutely no problems at all. Have the R-12 evacuated and install 3 pounds of 401, no other equipment or modifications are required.