From: jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond)
Subject: Re: Air Conditioning
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 92 06:22:04 GMT
Organization: Dixie Communications Public Access.  The Mouth of the South.

beuf@wpi.WPI.EDU (Richard J Fuller) writes:

>I am bout to purchase a new Geo Storm Coupe....

>I was a bit confused about the Air Conditioning posts I have
>been reading over the past week....

>Can someone explain this 1995 thing to me clearly?

In 1995, unless the govt comes to its senses, the manufacture of R-12
will stop by govt edict.  Not of any terrible concern, as there is 
a considerable stockpile.  Of concern is the fact that the perceived
"shortage" and the new ban against releasing R-12, the mandatory 
capture and recycling of old R-12 and the impending licensing requirement
of service technicians are already being used to jack up the price of
service.  

On the horizon is an even worse horror - R-134a.  This substitute
refrigerant is being passed off by the government, some auto mfrs and
the service industry which stands to reap a large financial windfall,
as the panacea to all our problems.  R-134a costs much more than R-12,
has less refrigeration capacity, requires special oil, appears to be
at least a little toxic and may break down at the operating temperatures
in condensers during the summer.  Ford (always on the leading edge for
finding new things to break [ ahem ]) and some foreign manufacturers
are now using R-134a.  Hapless customers will first discover this fact
when their AC quits or needs filling and the price tag arrives.  Sticker
shock all over again.

A car that uses R-12 will be in pretty good shape until at least 2000.
What happens then rides strictly on some nasty politics now unfolding.
When R-12 becomes unavailable around 2000, the govt and service 
industry plan is you will have to pay an estimated $1000 to have your
R-12 system converted to R-134a.  This will involve replacing just about
every component in the system.

Several people have been working on an alternative.  DuPont has a product
called SUVA that is designed to be a drop-in replacement for R-12.
George Goble (ghg@ecn.purdue.edu) has developed another patent pending
substitute.  Not only is this product a drop-in replacement, it actually 
improves the cooling capacity of the system by an average of 20%.  I have
been involved with George since the beginning and have installed 
GHG in over a dozen cars.  Over 400 cars total are now running GHG.

The political problem is the car AC service industry, seeing all those
R-134a conversion dollars flying out the window on the wings of these
substitutes, is now trying to solve its problem by getting the EPA
to ban all other substitutes.  If this attack on your pocketbook
makes you mad, write a letter to the EPA.  If there is interest,
I might scan and post the text of MACS's (Mobile Air Conditioning Society)
petition to the EPA.

This is the bottom line.  Buy a car that uses R-12.  It will be 
serviceable using R-12 for at least 5 years.  Modern leakrates being
what they are, it will likely not need service for 5 years.  Assuming
MACS does not get its way, the substitutes should be in wide deployment
by then.  Don't make the mistake of buying a vehicle that uses R-134a.
This is a dead end.  you will pay big bucks everytime the system has
to be serviced.  R-134a is an eco-chic non-solution that is being 
forced to the market by forces unrelated to engineering or need.
I predict it and/or its lubricants ultimately will be found to be 
hazardous and will be pulled from service.  Someone's going to have 
to pay for all this.

John
-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC               |Interested in high performance mobility?  
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