mo6697

Having issues with the supply of R12 ( obviously ) and with the molecular structure of R134a leaking out after a period of time, I have been using a product called duracool as a replacement drop in refrigerant. I have had no problems with it so far and have been using it in the HVAC industry for a number of years. (Automotive and residential/commercial) Any experiences out there with a similar product? ( Tired of sucking out old refrigerators and bar coolers for R12 )

karl ruiter

Thanks for the tip. I am planning on going though my system before summer, and this looks like the ticket.

joejoe

I am using autofrost in my '81 with no problems, my system has no leaks however.

Nicole

"autofrost" - that might as well be the title for your avatar...

joejoe

Not sure I understand Nicole, was only answering a question.

Royalty

I know E-humor cna be hard to detect so let me take a jab at it.

She was sayign that "autofrost" sounded cool and that should be ur avatar name.

SOund bout right?

karl ruiter

I guess she was actually referring to mo6697's avaitar.

JKelly

Do you mean a replacement drop in for the R12 or a replacement drop in after conversion to an R134a system? I assume you mean R12, but just want to be sure. Summer is on the way!

Nicole

I was referring to mo6697's avatar: it shows auto + frost

Sorry for the confusion.

EB338

I have been told by several people that duracool is explosive and can/has been responsible for several minor catastrophes in situations where it was ignited while leaking during normal operation or while being serviced. I have no direct experiance with the product, I was just warned very strongly to avoid it at all cost.

dr bob

Once again...

Using a non-standard refrigerant makes you an instant pariah when it comes to having your system serviced by others. Most folks start thinking about changing from R-12 because it costs a lot to fill the system every year. Guess what-- your system leaks! That's why you are spending on freon all the time. Hmmm, what could the solution to that be? Changing refrigerants won't cure the leaks.

You mention that you are concerned with the R-134a leaking out because of a small molecule size. Take a look at the components of DuraCool and se if any of them are smaller than R-134a. My educated guess is that at least two of them are smaller. So now you have a fraction of your gas that will leak out, leaving you with an unbalanced mixture.

Solution: Fix All The Leaks In Your AC System. Replace all the o-rings. Rebuild the flex line sections using barrier hose. If you want to change to R-134a, decide now to change to polyolester oil when you refill. That's the only change required, after you replace all the stuff you should like the dryer and the expansion valves. Use polyolester, and you can still use R-12 if you want with no other changes, and have the option of R-134a later by just evacuating the old R-12 gas out and refilling with new R-134a.


In the end, choosing the replacement refrigerant is the easiest part of the whole process. Just fix the leaks...

mo6697

People get scared by the drop in replacement saying yes it is explosive.( Gas is explosive yet we use it
in our cars.) The molecular structure of R134a is smaller that it leaks out...even the best barrier hoses will mean topping up. I am just pointing out that there is a less expensive and a very viable alternative to R12 and R134a. The structure of duracool will not leak out like R134a.I have used it for both "drop ins" Yes, fix your leaks be all means, but our shop has had ruptures with hoses and leaks with duracool and we are still here. How many propane vehicles have deceided to flame on? Caution is always the best policy considering the pressures that AC systems have. Dr. Bob is right on with his advice - fix it. Like I said there is an alternative and it does work.