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Shop for R-12 Freon recharge in SF South Bay Area?
It's time to recharge my 1983 with its original AC system and R-12. I had it done about ten years ago by Modderman in Mountain View, who did a great job but they now won't work on 928 models. And is it even still true that R-12 refills are available? Anyone with a local recommendation for a trustworthy shop?
Rick
R12 is getting tricky. You may need to source some R12 yourself and a set of AC gauges and learn to do it yourself. I bought a 30lb canister on Craigslist, ac gauges from Amazon and watched a number of YouTube videos.
I'm not attempting to start some ****storm, but why not convert to r134 and be done with it...illegal in many jurisdictions and good for the environment...just saying....
I'm not attempting to start some ****storm, but why not convert to r134 and be done with it...illegal in many jurisdictions and good for the environment...just saying....
How hot is it where the original poster lives? It gets to mid nineties in the mid-Atlantic and my 134a upgraded system (fully resealed) blows air a few degrees above freezing at low fan speeds. So, it’s been quite a few years since the system has been serviced, never refreshed? If the OP recharges, without a full reseal, then an R12 recharge will become an expensive, frequently recurring action, with diminishing supply.
I'm not attempting to start some ****storm, but why not convert to r134 and be done with it...illegal in many jurisdictions and good for the environment...just saying....
Because 134 isn't as efficient a refrigerant and if the R12 system is mostly working it's a bit expense and hassle to convert it if done correctly
Because 134 isn't as efficient a refrigerant and if the R12 system is mostly working it's a bit expense and hassle to convert it if done correctly
True, R134a isn’t technically as efficient, but please read post #6 in this thread.
these systems, if not already resealed, are way-way overdue for that service, regardless which refrigeration is used.
As long as you can get R12 for less than the price of an R134a conversion you might as well use it. No new cans of R12 are being produced (in theory) and the ones that currently exist will get used (or leak) sooner or later.
R134a cannot be sold at retail in Washington state, and I'd be surprised if it's allowed in California. We get most of our goofy laws from there.
R134a cannot be sold at retail in Washington state, and I'd be surprised if it's allowed in California. We get most of our goofy laws from there.
Yeah, I think I heard that. All the more reason for systems not thoroughly resealed to get that done. Live happily with R12 or R134 or whatever refrigerant without interruption for another 20 years.
I'm on my 2nd 30 lb container of r12 here in the PRK, purchased legally off of Ebay after completing an EPA 609 certificate course (for $20, online. Now up to $22, thanks to inflation https://ww2.epatest.com/epa-609-mvac/ ). The first 30 lbs was $300, the second was $900. So yeah, it's gotten (very!) expensive but AFAIK it's still legal.
I'm on my 2nd 30 lb container of r12 here in the PRK, purchased legally off of Ebay after completing an EPA 609 certificate course (for $20, online. Now up to $22, thanks to inflation https://ww2.epatest.com/epa-609-mvac/ ). The first 30 lbs was $300, the second was $900. So yeah, it's gotten (very!) expensive but AFAIK it's still legal.
Yes, still legal to buy, sell, and use R12 with a '609 certificate, but it is no longer legal to manufacture. So whatever is in the marketplace is it. But that marketplace has also shrunk dramatically, it is now >30 years since new equipment was sold with R12. The handy 30 lb canisters are no longer allowed on eBay, hard to find and expensive elsewhere. And places like Craiglist are a crapshoot, it is easy enough to put 30 lbs of something in an empty container.
Thanks to everyone for all the replies. I've left a message at Sportech and am waiting to hear back. I've also done some quick searches on ebay/craiglist and see that the small cans of r12 are still pretty readily available, so perhaps it's time to stock up and DIY. The AC is one of, or perhaps the only, system on the car that I have never even touched so (gulp) perhaps time to roll up my sleeves if all else fails. The good news is that everything seems to otherwise be working fine and the compressor engages.
Just for reference, does anyone have a go-to that explains how to do an r12 refill yourself with the gauges? Petza914, can you post a link to your gauge set? (I assume not all gauges are the same and we probably need some very particular fittings/connectors for our cars). What hardware do we need to connect to the cans? I also have an industrial vacuum pump if I happen to need that in the process as well.
Thanks to everyone for all the replies. I've left a message at Sportech and am waiting to hear back. I've also done some quick searches on ebay/craiglist and see that the small cans of r12 are still pretty readily available, so perhaps it's time to stock up and DIY. The AC is one of, or perhaps the only, system on the car that I have never even touched so (gulp) perhaps time to roll up my sleeves if all else fails. The good news is that everything seems to otherwise be working fine and the compressor engages.
Just for reference, does anyone have a go-to that explains how to do an r12 refill yourself with the gauges? Petza914, can you post a link to your gauge set? (I assume not all gauges are the same and we probably need some very particular fittings/connectors for our cars). What hardware do we need to connect to the cans? I also have an industrial vacuum pump if I happen to need that in the process as well.
Thanks!!
Gauge sets are the same since they just read pressures, you just have to dedicate a set to each type of refrigerant. Connections are different. The R134 uses the quick connects you're probably familiar with. The R12 fittings use screw on connections.
Thanks to everyone for all the replies. I've left a message at Sportech and am waiting to hear back. I've also done some quick searches on ebay/craiglist and see that the small cans of r12 are still pretty readily available, so perhaps it's time to stock up and DIY. The AC is one of, or perhaps the only, system on the car that I have never even touched so (gulp) perhaps time to roll up my sleeves if all else fails. The good news is that everything seems to otherwise be working fine and the compressor engages.
Just for reference, does anyone have a go-to that explains how to do an r12 refill yourself with the gauges? Petza914, can you post a link to your gauge set? (I assume not all gauges are the same and we probably need some very particular fittings/connectors for our cars). What hardware do we need to connect to the cans? I also have an industrial vacuum pump if I happen to need that in the process as well.
Thanks!!
I was a total AC newbie 15 mo months ago who could barely discriminate a compressor from an injection air pump and I completely refreshed my AC, leak free. It wasn’t done on a lark, but with considerable study, prep and VERY careful, deliberate steps. Search for threads started by me starting in early 2023.
Again; where do you live and how hot does it get? In central Md, with temps at or below 95, my vent temps are just above freezing, with recirc, above idle and I’m using R134a.
There’s a lot to this; flushing, vacuum testing individual lines, new TEVs, reseal, vacuum testing the whole assembled system, leak detection, charging with refrigerant and oil. . But it’s not rocket science. Dont accept any short cuts. There was never a greater feeling of satisfaction with this car than when the weather hit 95 in the mid-Atlantic a year later, the vent temps were ice cold.
06-28-2024, 09:46 PM
Shop for R-12 Freon recharge in SF South Bay Area?
