R-134 / Bus Air / Good Price

[LegalEagle82]

For those interested, I thought I'd share what seemed to be a good price.

Sam's Club has 30lb tank of R-134 for $65.88
I have no interest/ownership etc in sam's just sharing information.

I couldn't help myself and bought 2 tanks.

I have an 82 eagle that still has the bus air and been converted to r134,
I'm ready for a little warmth and sunshine.  I'm going find the beach sometime this summer.

Nashville to Pittsburgh **
Leaving in 2 weeks for Pittsburgh, if anyone is on that route I would like to have a few contacts if I have any trouble.   If you see an old green bird going down the road, thats me.

Evan

[Beatenbo]

Down for winter slump. I bought a 30# can last summer at Sam's ad it was about 96 bucks. Good to buy in the winter if you need to recharge. I have about a 1/2 can left from my compressor install if I need to ad a smige this summer.

[belfert]

I'm just guessing here, but the slump in auto sales is probably part of the reason R134A has dropped from a year ago or so when the price was sky high.  I would guess that autos are a major user of R134A.

Brian

[TomC]

Wow LegalEagle82- It's not so legal in California to buy any type of freon without a refrigeration contractor certificate.  Glad you were able to do it on the side.  Good Luck, TomC

[grantgoold]

TomC, I walked into Sams tonight and picked up a 30lb can of 134-a and they took my cash no questions asked.

Grant
Sacramento

[edroelle]

TomC,

Is 134a freon?

I thought it was a different chemistry and that freons were R11, R12, and R22.

Ed Roelle
Flint, MI

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Ed,

R-11, R-22, and R-12, ect, the old Freons have CFC's that are essentually "Cloradifloramethanes" that scientists

claim deplete the ozone. The old gasses were called Freon, and the new gasses are called Refrigerants.. [no freon]

R-134-A, and all the new gasses we use in commercial refrigeration are blended refrigerants, which have no "Chlorine or Chlora" but

a mixture of many of the new gasses to make up a comparable refrigerant.

!34-A is among the blends that still have the methanes but it seems to be easy to purchace at Sam's Club. ??  The same gas at our

supply houses requires us to sign a material data sheet along with showing out EPA certification cards.  The only difference between

the freon at sam's club, and our supply houses is the fittings on the can. Sam's product is limited to the automotive fittings that

can only be used with automotive guages.

Nick-

[pvcces]

Hey, Nick. We have a 1996 Subaru with 134 in the AC. We also have a vacuum pump. Do you thnk that it would be beyond our ability to figure out how to recharge it?

The car lost the refrigerant when it was out of service for several months.

If you could point me to a page that would let me know what I needed to learn, I should be able to take it from there.

Thanks.

Tom Caffrey

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Tom,

I wouldn't recommend this job to a person with no background cause, you can really do harm to yourself...

There are a few things you just have to know about the trade to do this right, which is why I asked.

As long as you have some background with auto a/c like, knowing which fittings are the Hi side and which are the Low side.

Next, you will have to find the exact freon charge printed in the manual.

Then, Evacuate the system with your pump, and let it sit in a vaccume to check for leaks.

Your next step would be to find a scale that measures ounces to handle your tank. and weigh it in as liquid, upsidedown...

R-134A systems are very critical to exact charges. Too much, and you will burn the compressor or relief valve.

Good Luck
Nick-

[DrivingMissLazy]

The car lost the refrigerant when it was out of service for several months.

It is not normal for a unit to lose refrigerant while sitting for a few months. You probably have a refrigerant leak that must be found, per Nick's instructions, before you try and recharge the system.
Richard

[pvcces]

Thanks, Nick. I will try to get those in the right order or have someone else do it.

Richard, the story I got is that the automotive units need to be run once a month to keep the seals from leaking. That's supposed to be one of the reasons that the defroster turns them on for a short time when the car is too cold for the AC thermostat to turn them on.

I'll get it figured out.

Thanks.

Tom Caffrey