Where Good Neighbors and Good Servicemen Meet
AC—Only For The Rich?
Refrigerant used for cooling has come to be known by DuPont's trade name which is Freon.
The plan is to replace all air conditioning equipment twice—first to deal with the ozone depletion problem, and then to deal with the global warming situation. Both of these so called problems are theoretical—neither has been proven.
This article is about the first refrigerant replacement. The second refrigerant has yet to be formulated.
| Old Freon | New Freon | |
|---|---|---|
| Automotive AC | R-12 | R-134a |
| Household AC | R-22 | R-410a |
The Short Story
With the old Freon, tiny refrigerant leaks were not a big problem. Each spring you could add 1-2 lbs of Freon, and the system would work fine for another season.
With the new Freon, the charge has to be exact. That means living with a minuscule Freon leak will be a thing of the past. Even the tiniest leak has to be fixed right away. This will often mean a huge repair expense running into the hundreds of dollars.
After January 1, 2010, it will be illegal to manufacture R-22 condensers, and you will no longer have access to economical R-22 equipment. Will there come a time when the title of this article, AC—ONLY FOR THE RICH? becomes a reality? We're moving in that direction.
The old Freon will still be available for over 20 years. For my property, I’m replacing my old R-22 condensers with new R-22 condensers—just before the January 2010 deadline.
The Long Story
Old Freon (R-22 or R-12) is homogeneous, and will always maintain its chemistry. It makes no difference whether it's charged as a liquid or as a gas. New Freon (R-134a or R-410a) is a blend which will leak out selectively and fractionate. It will also fractionate if charged as a gas. Fractionation leaves the remaining refrigerant with an off-chemistry composition.
An Unfolding Nightmare
On the basis of an unproven and controversial "Ozone Depletion Theory," America is leading an unparalleled re-engineering effort to replace traditional household refrigerants with new ones that are expensive, technologically backward, and possibly harmful to human health. Machine Design, in its January 24, 1994 issue, called it the $5 Trillion Mistake.
How Expensive?
I decided to run the numbers. The population of the United States is about 300 million with an estimated 75 million households. Spread over the entire nation, $5 trillion works out to be $66,666.66 for a family of four.
But you object: the $5 trillion estimate is on a world-wide basis. Okay, let's be doubly generous. Let's assume only half of that $5 trillion is for the United States. Now we're only looking at a cost of $33,333.33 for an American family of four. The economy has seen considerable inflation since the 1994 estimate, but we'll overlook that.
Why So Expensive?
- Every piece of AC and refrigeration equipment will have to be replaced twice—first to deal with the threat to the ozone layer, and later to deal with the global warming issue.
- It's creating confusion in the installation, service, and repair industry. Repairmen must choose between different types of equipment, refrigerant jugs, recovery machines, storage tanks, gages, and pressure/temperature specifications.
- The danger of contamination is enormous, and the cost of correcting the contamination must be factored in.
- Refrigerant costs continue to skyrocket. It started out as Freon, and the price kept going up. (That was meant to be a joke, but when you're paying the bill, it's not funny.)
- Unlike traditional refrigerants, both R-134a (automotive) and R-410a (household) refrigerants must be charged and maintained with precision. Even small refrigerant leaks have to be fixed. The good old days of "living with the leak," and adding a little Freon each spring will be gone.
- An automobile may hold only 28 ounces of R-134a Freon. Conventional practice has been to charge by pressure, but that no longer works. If there's any doubt about the charge, all the refrigerant must be removed, and then replaced. New refrigerant must be installed by weight.
- For an R-134a automotive system, the refrigerant will not cost that much. But as I will show below, in my personal illustration, the repair costs can be enormous.
- The new refrigerants are not homogeneous, but a blend. When a leak develops, it will leak out selectively, and change the composition. When that happens there will be no choice but to remove and replace the entire charge. For R-410a, a typical system can hold 15 lb. At $20/lb, that comes to $300 to refill the system. The price could go even higher.
Charging the New Freon
AC technicians usually add Freon as a liquid, but balance the charge by adding it as a gas.
With the new blended refrigerants R-134a and R-410a, the technician must always add the refrigerant as a liquid. If he forgets, and adds it as a gas, fractionation will occur, and the chemistry will change.
The refrigerant in the AC system will be off-chemistry, and the refrigerant, that remains in the tank, will be off as well. The off-chemistry refrigerant that remains in the tank will eventually be charged into system after system after system. And the technician won't know he is installing off-chemistry refrigerant.
To suddenly require technicians to work with a new refrigerant that must always be added as a liquid is a major assignment. And to expect them to use both pure and blended refrigerants on a rotational basis is impossible.
A Personal R-134a Illustration
I have a Lincoln LS which is a sports car designed for mature (older) men. The car is 8 years old, and leaking R-134a refrigerant. Not long ago, a black light test revealed leaks at a compressor bearing, so I had the compressor replaced. The cost was $1050.
Since then, I continue to lose refrigerant. We have not yet found additional leaks, but I'm afraid we will have to replace the evaporator coil. If that becomes necessary, a mechanic will take the dash apart. The job will cost another thousand bucks!
Let me repeat what I said earlier: Back in the good "Old Freon" days, we could just add a little Freon each spring, and carry on for another year. We are now required to maintain a perfectly leak-free system, and that will cost everyone big bucks.
Theory Vs. Reality
My talk about fractionation and off-chemistry refrigerant could turn out to be more theoretical than practical. In actual use, the refrigerant composition might remain within working limits. In other words, the new blended refrigerants may work.
But, let's go back to 1992 when the "Clean Air" Act became law. It all started with an unproved theory. The ozone layer was in danger, and evidence was offered to prove it.
They went to the North Pole during the winter to gather evidence. Since the sun produces ozone, and there is little sunshine, it was no surprise that they found a hole.
The "ozone hole" was supposed to allow harmful UV to endanger animate life. But, someone has yet to produce a fried polar bear.
Hey! We can talk about theory until doomsday, but reality is this: There's really nothing wrong with the old Freon.
Conversion to R-410a
Forced conversion from R-22 to R-410a, for residential air conditioners, will start in 2010. For now you have a choice. If things go according to plan, it will be 20-30 years before all existing R-22 systems have been retired.
It May not Work!
How were they to know that asbestos and lead-based paint would lead to health problems? Abatement expense for these two materials will continue for decades.
Our highly industrialized, consumer driven way of life is entirely dependent on air conditioning and refrigeration. At stake is nothing less than our economy, and a major economic threat is from the refrigerant conversion process that is now in progress.
Our economy is not that strong, and this may be the 2x4 that breaks the camel's back.
Summary Statement
By government edict, they are trying to solve a non-existent problem, based on an unproven theory. They are using experimental refrigerants which are costly, and will make repairs more expensive. The "answer" to this non-existent problem may be harmful to human health; it may not work; and it could bankrupt the nation.
My Recommendation
What can you, the homeowner, do to protect yourself?
First, you can put pressure on your representatives to reverse this hideous legislation.
In the meantime, I recommend that you invest in quality R-22 equipment. As the 2010 deadline approaches, take every precaution to prepare for the future. Commit to the old R-22 Freon for as long as possible.
Some manufacturers offer a ten year compressor warranty. Even after 2010 you can replace a compressor under warranty. That allows you to stick with R-22 Freon.
After the warranty expires, you can always pay for a compressor replacement. That allows you to continue to stick with your R-22 system. Don't buy into a system that uses R-410a unless you absolutely have to.
What about the refrigerant itself? How long will R-22 refrigerant be available? In 1992, they began the automotive refrigerant conversion, but the old R-12 is still available. It's being taxed heavily, so the price is really high, but it's still on the market.
Surely within 20 years, the situation will resolve—one way or another. Either my warnings will prove to be unfounded, or the whole blended refrigerant endeavor will collapse under its own weight.
Yours for Continued Koolness,
Dr. Kool
