R-12 alternatives - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

VeggiePup · #11 05-12-2003, 03:55 AM

Damn. This thread should die, but.....
The last poster hinted that he added one can of Duracool to an R12 system to top it off. That's illegal everywhere. If he sells the vehicle, and the buyer takes it to a shop for service, it could pollute hundreds of dollars worth of R12 in the recovery machine. If it only took one can to top the system off, why not use a $25 can of R12?

One of my students came in recently to use our equipment (I teach at a technical college) to recharge his R12 system. He had gone to a local parts store and asked for two cans of R12. The clerk brought out two cans of R12a, checked the student's 609 license, and sold him the refrigerent. No mention at all that it was a hydrocarbon refrigerant, that the system must be empty of R12 before it could be used, that it was specifically prohibited for use in motor vehicles in this state (Arkansas) and seven others at last count, and was legal under EPA rules only as a retrofit for R134a systems in the other states. Somehow that clerk believed that Duracool R12a was a direct drop-in replacement for R12. Couldn't have anything to do with Duracool's deceptive marketing practices, could it? Selling less than a dollar's worth of propane and isobutane for $10? What could the possible incentive be for deceptive marketing practices?

For those who live as far south as I do, and use Duracool, you are in for a real surprise when the temp reaches 105~110 degrees. Duracool will become less effective as a refrigerant at higher ambient temperatures. Even with the system fully serviced and functional. It's physics. Ask your Duracool salesman about it; I'm sure he'll tell you the truth.

I use MSR Isopro backpacker stove fuel to run diagnostics on my R12 A/C systems. It's cheaper than Duracool, more widely available, and is almost exactly the same blend of isobutane (20%) and propane (80%). Once the system is all sorted out and any leaks fixed, I then recharge it with R12. If you fix the leaks, R12 isn't expensive to use. And NOTHING works better in the real world.