How Dangerous Air Condition's Refrigerant is ?

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Red Cloud, Oct 7, 2006.

  1. Red Cloud

    Red Cloud Guest

    The Honda Manual warns not to touch air condition's refrigerant part
    unless done by the dealer
    or the air condition technican. I'm trying to take out all the air
    condition parts. I've no idea how
    dangerous refrigerant stuff is. Is refrigerant such a dangerous
    chemical? Is refrigerant must
    be depose by the professional waste handler? Do I must see the air
    conditional technican or
    dealer to handle this job? I would like to do it by myself if it is ok
    to depose refrigerant in the
    public.
     
    Red Cloud, Oct 7, 2006
    #1
  2. Red Cloud

    nm5k Guest

    You must have a EPA license to recover or handle freon. But I don't
    think you need it for 134a if I remember right. But even still, it's
    best
    to recover any refrigerant into the proper container for disposal.
    As far as R-12, you can be fined up to $25,000 for handling it without
    an EPA ticket. "If caught" You are supposed to have a ticket to even
    put gauges on a freon 12 system. There are various EPA tickets for
    this.
    There is one in particular for automotive use, and to buy small cans of
    freon.
    You can get it with a mail in test. It's super easy. Open book. A
    monkey could pass.. :/
    I've got universal myself. "Type 1,2, 3". Low pressure, high pressure
    and very high pressure, small appliance, and the section 609
    automotive.
    The only one you need is the section 609 automotive.
    MK
     
    nm5k, Oct 7, 2006
    #2
  3. It is environmentally toxic (especially the R-12) and it is a freezing
    and explosion hazard. If you pushed the valve tip in with your finger,
    you could find yourself picking a frozen fingernail out of your forehead
    with your other hand. The liquid expands to a great volume when
    decompressed so there's more force released than you'd expect.

    Go to an air conditioning shop and have them suck the coolant out. A
    shop might even pay you money if they can have your AC system.
     
    Kevin McMurtrie, Oct 10, 2006
    #3
  4. Red Cloud

    KWW Guest

    The R134B is EXTREMELY environmentally bad and quite toxic. It was really a
    sick joke, in my opinion. In order to satisfy the environmental complaints
    about Freon they replaced it with something worse, but at least it stayed
    close to the ground where it would hurt people and animals rather than
    possibly hurting the ozone layer.

    It is sort of like that gasoline additive they used in lieu of lead. Turns
    out it is very unhealthy. Whenever I see a new technology to reduce
    pollutant "x" I always look to see what pollutants that NEW technology
    produces - funny thing is, they tend to downplay it saying "there isn't much
    of that pollutant so it is not a problem." What they forget is that, if
    every consumer item (car for instance) uses that new technology instead of
    the old one, sure we reduce the pollutants indicative of the old technology,
    but we then will have to deal with an overabundance of the pollutants from
    the new one.

    I can't wait for the "new" R-12 (low chlorine) to come out so that we can
    get back to using a low corrosive, less toxic coolant!
     
    KWW, Oct 10, 2006
    #4
  5. Red Cloud

    blathc22 Guest

    Yes, he's right, you do need to obtain an EPA license and it is fairly
    easy to do. You can take some of the certification tests online. I
    suggest going to EPAtest.com and searching around. You can download the
    free manual for the section 609 certification and take the open book
    test online.
     
    blathc22, Nov 26, 2006
    #5
  6. I was watching "Dirty Jobs" on Discovery the other day.
    The Job was an junkyard/auto recycler.

    I was astounded to watch them CUT THE A/C REFRIGERANT LINES so they
    could drop the engine out of a Ford Probe. The jet of gas practically
    hit them in the face. I'd like to see the EPA use that footage for a
    tidy fine against these so-called "recyclers".

    --Gene
     
    Gene S. Berkowitz, Nov 26, 2006
    #6
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