Subject: Re: Re: Any one know anything about A/C?

[chris.miller at infofoundry.com (Miller, Chris)]

Lots of details on R12 (which is bad for the ozone layer) and R134a (not
bad for ozone) here:
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/609/index.html

R134a and R12 both are greenhouse gases (but 134a is 1/6th as bad as
R12); but that's separate from ozone depletion.  R134a is used
worldwide, including Canada and Europe.  Especially Canada, home of the
Montreal Protocol that led to much of this.  Science isn't that
difficult to understand.  

R134a doesn't work quite as well as R12, so R12 systems retrofitted to
R134a must cycle more often.  Systems designed for R134a work fine.

Other links include: http://www.macsw.org/pdf/manualE.pdf and
<http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2001/10/0
5/000094946_0109270407020/Rendered/PDF/multi0page.pdf>

among dozens of others.

Chris

On 6/20/05, David Utley <fahrvegnugen@cox.net> wrote:
> 
> >
> > From: John Gates <gatesj@mailblocks.com>
> > Date: 2005/06/20 Mon PM 02:54:31 EDT
> 
> >
> > As far as Canada/US, etc, I don't know the reasoning, if you're
asking
> > a rhetorical question, what IS the answer?  I am curious!  Would the
> > Canadian government mandate that use of a certain chemical be
avoided
> > because it causes damage to components?  Is that under their
purview?
> > I could understand if they mandated against its use because of
> > environmental impacts...
> 
> IIRC, it is because R134 IS actually bad for the ozone, while R12 is
not.  Some more details I have just found...  R134 molecules are 20
times smaller than R12, and R12 molecules are 20 smaller than air...  If
indeed R134 is smaller, then you could argue that R134 is more likely to
leak, and when the system sees a vaccum after cooling, that it would be
more likely to suck in air (and with air here, it would have moisture in
it).  Perhaps that is the reason why failure is common, but not in VWs
alone...
>