A/C Service Trends:
New Refrigerants, Equipment And Rules

by Ben McNamara

It has been a few years since automakers started manufacturing vehicles exclusively with R-134a systems, and if some independent shops have not had to service an R-134a system yet, the time should be here soon enough. As an essential part of the change to from R-12 to R-134a systems, shops have needed to acquire the necessary equipment to properly handle the servicing and retrofitting of vehicles for use with R-134a, while continuing to maintain and purchase R-12 equipment.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated that all shops need dedicated recovery/recycling equipment for each refrigerant used. Other alternative refrigerant blends also have made the business more complex. Currently, there are standards for recovery equipment for R-12 and R-134a, but there are no standards for recovery equipment for alternative blends. Also, it is not currently legal to recycle any refrigerant other than R-12 and R-134a.

"There has been a proposed standard for recovery equipment to deal with alternative refrigerants other than R-134a," said Frank Allison, president of the International Mobile Air Conditioning Association (IMACA). That proposal is being formulated by UL (Underwriters Laboratories). Another UL proposal, currently in draft form, contains a provision that if you recover or recycle refrigerants other than R-12 or R-134a, you must be able to identify them with your equipment. What does this mean for shops?

All shops that perform A/C service should already have equipment for use with R-12, but that equipment by itself might be outdated. If you're going to do A/C service, you need either a dual unit for R-12 and R-134a, or separate units for both refrigerants, said LeeAnne Perkins, manager of marketing communications for Robinair. "R-134a is the refrigerant of choice," said Wayne Strout, president of RTI. "You must have an R-134a machine - if you don't, you are not in the A/C business."

Since all recovery and recycling equipment must be dedicated to a particular refrigerant, if a shop services R-134a or chooses to service vehicles with alternative refrigerants, it will have to convert its current R-12 machines or purchase new ones. The EPA allows new or used R-12 recover-only equipment to be fitted for another refrigerant, but the fittings must be permanent.

It's obviously still very important to have the proper R-12 equipment, although R-12 equipment could become obsolete in the near future. Some equipment manufacturers have confronted this dilemma by manufacturing equipment in the past year or so that can later be converted to R-134a use.

Some of the new recovery/recycling machines have hydrocarbon sensors to test for the presence of flammable substances, said Perkins. And some, she added, have sensors that detect air and will get rid of it.

Some refrigerant equipment manufacturers have formed agreements with alternative refrigerant manufacturers and/or distributors, whereby they manufacture recover/recycling equipment for a specific blend in addition to R-12 and R-134a.

One company that manufactures both recovery/recycling equipment and an alternative refrigerant has confronted the problem that it is not currently legal to recycle refrigerant blends through a policy whereby it will reclaim the alternative refrigerant from its customers at no charge.

Manufacturers are bound by EPA regulations, but some contend that many rules are not necessary. Technology is available to allow machines to handle more than one refrigerant, according to Ken Adams, national sales manager for equipment accessories group for Technical Chemical Company (TCC). "You can clean a machine of any existing refrigerant that's in it," said Adams. Also, there are universal recovery stations for refrigerants, according to Perkins.

Strout agrees that the EPA is not completely accurate it its regulations for refrigerants, specifically on its definition of recycling. "The EPA cannot tell someone you can't take refrigerant out of your car and then put it back in," said Strout. What the recycling definition implies is that you can't put it in someone else's car, he said.

Strout thinks some of the policies for refrigerants are based on myths and not actual facts. R-134a and other alternative refrigerants do not damage the machines, said Strout. "These alternatives are basically R-134a with other stuff in them. How close to the original formulation does it have to be to be OK.?" The industry should use the same standards and logic with alternatives that were used when testing R-134a before its approval, he contends.

Identifying
It's important for technicians to know what they're dealing with when performing A/C service to avoid contaminating other supplies of refrigerant. A label under the hood should identify the refrigerant type used in the car, or check with the owner and maintenance records. Because proper records are not always maintained, refrigerant identifiers can help determine what's in a car before servicing the vehicle. However, for shops, there are only identifiers for R-12 and R-134a, and no standards exist for identifiers of alternative blends.

Typically, these identifiers will show whether or not the R-12 or R-134a is pure enough to reuse, or they will identify the refrigerant as "unknown," in which case the refrigerant should be reclaimed or disposed of.

Allison believes that all shops should have an identifier. Strout thinks identifiers are not necessary when used with certain recovery/recycling equipment that will themselves determine if there is cross-contamination. And if you must have an identifier, he contends, you only need to buy one that identifies R-12. This is Strout's logic: It's not necessary to know what is in the system if it isn't usable R-12. If it isn't recorded by the identifier as usable R-12, then it is either unusable R-12, R-134a or another alternative blend. If it's unusable R-12 or another alternative blend, it will have to be reclaimed anyway, so it doesn't matter whether you can identify it exactly or not. If it's R-134a, it won't matter because R-134a is inexpensive enough not to be worth the costs of identifying.

What Are Shops Doing?
According to preliminary results of a 1996 IMACA survey, 28 percent of the responding shops had performed one or more retrofits in 1996 - 84 percent of those shops that had performed retrofits were independent aftermarket facilities. Only 25 percent of the shops that performed retrofits owned a refrigerant identifier.

What Should Shops Do?
Only the production of CFC-12 is banned, not the continued use of it - therefore, it is not absolutely necessary to retrofit until R-12 runs out. But when it does run out, all systems still operating on R-12 will have to be converted or disposed of.

There are serious performance issues that need to be considered when retrofitting. Some A/C components are not compatible with R-134a or other blends, and will have to be replaced. Follow the industry standards set by SAE and UL. When in doubt about retrofitting procedures, always consult the A/C manufacturer.

Retrofitted systems should be re-labeled and proper fittings installed to prevent contamination of the system. Otherwise, a loss of refrigerant, personal injury or a poor operating system might be the result.

There is no such thing as a universal retrofit procedure, or a simple kit to provide the necessary parts to guarantee a successful retrofit for every make and model.

There are two basic types of retrofits for R-134a refrigerant. One type, provided by the A/C system manufacturers, include kits that in many cases are designed to provide performance comparable to the original CFC-12 system; these kits may include a new condenser, hoses and refrigerant controls. The second type, known as the "least-cost" retrofit, is usually accomplished by evacuating the system, making some minor component changes in some cases, and adding lubricant and R-134a. This retrofit may result in a reduction in performance.

When considering retrofitting for alternative refrigerants, these are the questions you should be asking yourself: do you expect to achieve equal or improved performance? What laws apply to the installation of the alternative refrigerant? Will you need additional equipment to service the A/C systems in order to comply with EPA regulations? What are the costs of the alternative refrigerant? What is the availability of the refrigerant? When installing an alternative refrigerant and replacing system components, will the replaced components be covered by their manufacturers' warranties?

Retrofit Kits
Most car original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have offered or have endorsed specific retrofit kits for conversion from R-12 to R-134a systems. Of the shops that performed retrofits in 1996, according to IMACA's survey, only 29 percent of the shops indicated that they had used an OEM retrofit kit.

The OEMs all have different opinions on retrofitting, and they have not been very helpful in providing information, according to Allison. "I don't think they want everyone to know what's going on," said Allison.

Normally, the OEMs are on the forefront of technology and the aftermarket is a year or so behind, said Allison. But with retrofitting, he said, "this is one of the first times we [the aftermarket] had a level playing field." Allison explained that the aftermarket was successful because it could go directly to the A/C system manufacturers for the information and compile the data for itself.

Some non-OEM organizations are promoting retrofit kits for conversion of systems from R-12 to R-134a. These kits are often accompanied with instruction manuals based on standard industry procedures.

Every A/C system should be checked according to a basic series of steps that will eventually reveal your retrofitting options, according to Butch Hill, sales promotion manager for Everco. It's important to approach each vehicle individually, because not every vehicle requires the same retrofit. Two cars of the same make and model might require different retrofits, said Hill.

It is important that shops make sure that their technicians are trained and experienced with retrofits, especially since the number of retrofits will inevitably increase. The general procedure for retrofitting is simple: change the fitting, label, and add oil and refrigeration. "Very little has changed in the past three years in terms of retrofitting," said Allison.

Bryan Hamilton, product manager, automotive A/C, for Castrol, recommends that technicians attend IMACA or MACS shows, where they can receive training instructions. Hill agrees that technicians need training, but added that "the guy who is going to do this [retrofitting] will already know how to service A/C systems." "It's the same thing you'd do in an R-12 system." You diagnose the problem, and retrofit if necessary, he said.

When To Retrofit
Why would customers elect to retrofit? According to IMACA's survey, 84 percent of the vehicle owners who chose to have their cars retrofitted in 1996 did so because the vehicle already required some repair service; in 69 percent of the cases, the compressor had failed.

"You need a working R-12 system [when retrofitting], otherwise you're working an unknown," Hill said. Retrofit an R-12 system when it is properly working, not while you're repairing it, he recommends.

Initially, it was believed that retrofitting would be costly and burdensome. "Initial thoughts were that you'd have to replace the compressor and major components," said Hamilton.

IMACA's survey revealed that of those shops that performed retrofits in 1996, 63 percent did so at a cost of between $100 and $200.

"Sometimes it's cheaper to retrofit than to put in Freon," said Hill. It might be cost-beneficial in the long run for some vehicle owners to have their vehicles retrofitted due to the high costs of R-12. The hard part is avoiding misunderstandings with vehicle owners and educating them on this idea, he said.

Collision damaged vehicles might be better off being retrofitted due to costs. Some insurance companies have implied that they will not pay for the high-priced R-12, but will pay for vehicles to be retrofitted, said Strout.

However, despite all of the changes that can be made to an A/C system, there are some systems that will not able to be successfully retrofitted, according to Allison.

Alternative Blends
"We [Castrol] are strong advocates of R-123a only," said Hamilton, "... mainly because of financial, environmental, performance and availability concerns for technicians." Both automotive OEs and compressor OEs have accepted R-134a as their replacement, he said.

This is a strong point to remember: no alternative refrigerants have been endorsed by automakers. And, the EPA's Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program does not determine whether the alternative will provide adequate performance or will be compatible with the components of an A/C system.

EPA standards for extraction and recycling are generally based on Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standards. EPA's standards for reclaiming refrigerants from motor vehicle A/C and refrigeration systems are generally based on Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) standards. Check to make sure that the alternative refrigerant manufacturer whose product you are using is working with these organizations to develop uniform methods for extraction, recycling and reclamation.

Why Use Alternative Blends?
When shops consider the current issues of using alternative refrigerants, why would any shop choose to use an alternative blend, especially since R-134a is so inexpensive?

"The perception is that you can convert the system and have to change fewer parts [retrofitting with blends as opposed to retrofitting for R-134a]," said Allison, "thereby keeping down the costs." Because R-134a has higher head pressure than R-12, sometimes it is necessary to change more components when retrofitting to R-134a, he said. Some blends claim to have better head pressure than R-134a, requiring less component changes. In addition, some systems converted from R-12 to R-134a experience a decrease in performance. Some blends claim to provide better performance than R-134a, according to Allison.

"In any retrofit, it's a tradeoff in one way or another in performance, Allison said." Some retrofits can be done economically and satisfactorily. In some systems, you don't want to retrofit at all - it will be more economical to keep purchasing R-12 despite the high cost, he said.

There are many factors involved with retrofitting in addition to what refrigerant is used, and the car make and model. Mileage on the car, climate, past service experience and other factors play into the decision of whether or not to retrofit and how to retrofit.

And, although some blends claim to offer better performance and cause less time and money when retrofitting, there are many unknowns about blends. R-134a has been tested for years. "We generally know what to expect from R-134a," said Allison. "There are a lot things about blends we still don't know." But he added that he believes in the free market system, and that we will learn a lot more about blends in the next year. Until then, he said, we will still have to deal with the misleading advertising done by some alternative blend manufacturers that is confusing technicians - which is an FTC problem. Until that is corrected, he added, "Let the buyer beware."

EPA standards For Alternative Refrigerants

EPA's SNAP (Significant New Alternatives Policy) program was established in 1994 to review alternatives to ozone-depleting substances like CFC-12. EPA examines new refrigerants for their ozone-depleting potential, global warming potential, flammability and toxicity characteristics. EPA measures substitutes for their safety as related to human health and the environment; EPA does not approve/disapprove refrigerants based on whether or not they will work in systems, nor does approval of a substance mean it is safe to use under any conditions. EPA measures these refrigerants, and if they pass, they are deemed to be "acceptable subject to use conditions."

EPA has found several alternative blends to be acceptable subject to use conditions, but EPA does not itself test substitutes - it makes its decision based on information submitted from manufacturers and independent laboratories. So, when deciding whether to use a blend, technicians must find out first if the blend has been approved, but then must find out if the blend can be used in specific motor vehicle A/C systems. Technicians also need to consider whether the blend is readily available, the costs of buying recovery/recycling equipment for that refrigerant and the expected performance from that blend in certain A/C systems.

EPA Use Conditions

Under the SNAP rule, each new refrigerant approved must meet a certain set of conditions before they can be charged into a system.

For more SNAP-related information, call EPA's Ozone Protection Hotline at (800) 296-1996, or visit their Web site (http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/ SNAP/snap.html).

Recovery, Recycling And Reclamation: EPA's Policies

Recovery is the use of a machine to move refrigerant directly from the car to a container. Recovered refrigerant must then be reclaimed or destroyed, but it must not be vented - it is illegal to vent any motor vehicle air conditioning (MVAC) refrigerant. Therefore, at a minimum, technicians must recover refrigerant and not release it into the atmosphere. Under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP), the recovery equipment must be dedicated to a specific refrigerant by permanently applying the fittings unique to that refrigerant. By applying the fittings, it is legal to convert a recovery machine to be used with an MVAC refrigerant other than the refrigerant the machine was originally intended to recover - although it may not be technically desirable. Incompatible materials in certain alternative refrigerants might cause short circuits, damage to seals and compressor failure. Check with the recovery machine manufacturers, especially since conversion might invalidate any warranties offered by the equipment manufacturer.

Recycling is the use of a machine to remove impurities and oil and then recharge the refrigerant into either the same car or a different car. Recycled refrigerant is not as pure as reclaimed refrigerant. Shops may either recover HFC-134a or recycle it using special equipment. Currently, however, it is not legal to recycle any other alternative MVAC refrigerant. It will remain illegal until a standard for equipment designed to recycle a particular refrigerant is published and available by EPA or an industry organization like SAE or UL. HFC-134a can be recycled in-shop or recovered by off-site reclamation facilities; but for cars using blends, recovery is currently the only option.

Reclamation is the restoration of refrigerant to a state that satisfies the ARI 700 standard, and requires the removal of all oil and impurities. Reclaimed refrigerant is essentially identical to new, unused refrigerant. Reclamation cannot be performed in the service shop. Shops generally send refrigerant either back to the manufacturer or directly to a reclamation facility.

For a list of EPA-approved reclamation facilities, call EPA's Ozone Protection Hotline at (800) 296-1996, or visit their Web site (http://www.epa.gov/ozone/).

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