Environmental regulations that go into effect at the end of this year ban the U. The new rules, which are meant to protect the earth's ozone layer, have sent freon prices into the stratosphere. This, in turn, has spawned a ring of chlorofluorocarbon CFC smugglers that has state and federal officials scrambling.
That's more than a brake job. Rising freon prices is mostly an issue for consumers who have air-conditioned cars built before Later models use another refrigerant, Ra, a less harmful hydrochlorofluorocarbon that is not banned. Home air conditioners don't use freon. While refrigerators do, they only use about 8 ounces -- compared with 3 pounds for a car -- and rarely leak.
So, Chrysler began a few years ago to include air conditioner components that would make a switch to HFCa easier and less costly.
The public has no idea how rapidly the auto industry has been moving on this, he added, pointing out the original CFC phaseout date of Stofflet also believes that the a coolant appears to make the most sense for now. Greenpeace, the international environment group, disagrees. In an October report called "Climbing Out of the Ozone Hole," it listed alternatives to ozone-depleting coolant chemicals.
Greenpeace researcher Damian Durrant insists that some hydrocarbon mixtures containing propane and butane could be "ideal drop-in replacements" for CFC. Auto manufacturers said they oppose using chemicals such as propane and butane that might pose a fire hazard so near the passenger compartment, though Durrant wondered whether it made sense to worry about a few ounces of flammable material under the hood "when you've got a tank full of gasoline.
Various sources mentioned helium-type refrigerants, as well as coolers using water, ammonia, hydrocarbons, liquid carbon dioxide and nitrogen. But what about auto air conditioners in the distant future? They can both heat and cool. Those were not happy times for people here handling complaints. Eventually, when people understood, they liked the idea. They are breathing cleaner air. Everybody wants to enjoy cleaner air. By By Casey Bukro. This new refrigerant works as well as its predecessors while breaking down into harmless components in 11 minutes, causing almost no environmental impact.
It has been required in vehicles sold in Europe since and is becoming the norm in the U. The one drawback of Ryf is that it is flammable; however, bursting into flames has not been an issue after a decade of use in Europe. Refrigerant is the lifeblood of the air conditioning system. In fact, it is helpful to think about the AC system as a human body.
The compressor serves as the heart, pumping the refrigerant through the system. Hoses are the blood vessels that carry the refrigerant through the system, and the condenser is like sweat glands, cooling the refrigerant. The evaporator works the same way as skin, allowing heat to leave the body. As with other systems, a fluid leak can cause a serious breakdown in the AC system. It is critical for the proper cooling of the passenger cabin that any refrigerant leak be stopped and refrigerant refilled.
Unlike other fluid leaks, a refrigerant leak is difficult to diagnose simply by looking on the ground. Refrigerant is colorless and mostly odorless, and spends most of its time in the AC system as a gas. Here are a few clues that your vehicle may be leaking refrigerant. It looks like a port that can accept the attached Refrigerant Stop Leak coupler.
Shake the can well and connect it to the low side service port. It will not be long until all new vehicles are using this newer HFO refrigerant. Yes, there will always be outliers out there but finding a new car with Ra will be the exception. What does that mean for you, the consumer? Well unfortunately, it means an extremely high repair bill coming your way when your air conditioner does break. Ryf is ten times more expensive then Ra.
Yes, you heard me right… ten times more expensive. That two dollar can will be around twenty or thirty dollars now for YF. I have seen some folks actively switch their yf systems back to Ra. Not only would you be damaging the environment but it is also against Federal Law. This is just one of those cases where we have to suck it up and deal with the higher prices. For now though, this is just the way things are. By Alec Johnson Jul 26, Conclusion In conclusion the answer is yes, Ra is being phased out from automobiles.
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