[AT] Air conditioner question

[Dean Vinson]

>
<http://consumerproductsworld.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CP
W&Category_Code=REDTEK>
> Is it true? Looks like the EPA is shutting down the use of R134a so 
> that leaves us with the RED_Tek types of refrigerants.

I know nothing about RedTek but it seems they stand to benefit financially
if R134a is banned, so I have some skepticism about their website's
announcement.

As it happens, just yesterday at work I was browsing the EPA website for
information about R134a, since we're planning a facility maintenance project
which will involve installation of a new R134a-using chiller and I want to
be sure we're not setting ourselves up for regulatory trouble down the road.
Everything I found on the EPA website suggests R134a is not going to be
banned.  

R-134a is at the top of the list of acceptable substitutes for R-12, at
<http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/refrigerants/macssubs.html>.  That same table
shows that R-134a consists of 100% HFC-134a, and other pages on the EPA
website seem to use "R-134a" and "HFC-134a" interchangeably.  HFC-134a is
high on the list of acceptable substitutes for many other chlorinated
refrigerants beyond R-12.

The FAQ page at <http://www.epa.gov/Ozone/title6/608/faq.html> contains the
question, "Is it still legal to purchase R-134a?".  The response is as
follows:

"EPA has finalized a rule...that does not include a restriction on the sale
of HFC refrigerant R-134a. EPA has limited the sales restriction to
refrigerants that contribute to depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer,
including HFC blends containing an ozone-depleting substance (e.g., FRIGC
FR-12, Free Zone, Hot Shot or R-414B, GHG-X4 or R-414A, and Freeze 12)..."

The "Guidance on Retrofitting to HFC-134a" page at
<http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/609/technicians/retrguid.html> contains the
following:

"Many service techs believe that R-134a is only a temporary replacement for
R-12, to be used until a drop-in replacement that cools well and does not
require a retrofit becomes available. Current research indicates that no
such replacement refrigerant exists. The worldwide automotive industry
conducted extensive research and testing on many potential substitutes for
R-12 before selecting R-134a. EPA is not aware of any plans by the
automakers to use any refrigerant in new vehicles other than R-134a."

None of that constitutes a statement that the EPA will never ban R-134a, but
I see nothing that backs up the assertion made on RedTek's website.

Dean Vinson
Dayton, Ohio
www.vinsonfarm.net