Gordon Taylor wrote:
The only legal uses of Freon in the United States are (1) nuclear submarines and (2) the Alaska pipeline. Even NASA had to eliminate use of Freon on the Space Shuttle, which, among other things, caused them to come up with a new procedure for foaming the external tanks, which led to their second shuttle catastrophe.
Some third world countries, including China, are still permitted to manufacture and use Freon, but not to export it.
I disagree on your first point.
As far as I know, it is 100% legal to own and use R12. Buying it can be a bitch though -
As Gordon implied, there is no longer any domestic production of R12. HOWEVER, any licensed AC dude can buy and sell remaining old stock or recovered refrigerant. Last I checked the street price for R12 is about $20 for a 12 oz can. Any AC shop should be able to do a simple R12 recharge for under $100.
It's more than R134a, but not too much more. Check ebay to get a good idea of R12 prices these days.
(PS - I bet R12 prices will drop eventually! Fewer and fewer cars on the road that use it means lower demand. Plus I bet junkyards are recovering any existing R12 in scrapped cars in order to sell to recyclers
It all depends on supply versus demand. )
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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1
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