You take this for what it's worth cause I got it second hand.
I worked with a guy my rookie year, didn't become friends but would see him around the supply house when i started my biz.
Cut to the chase my sheet metal guy told me one of his contractor customers found this guy in the company van with a jug of R22 fallen on it side and hose down the guy's throat.
My sheet metal guy told me the guy who i used to work with had passed out and knocked the R22 jug over and froze his lungs.
Yes they are changing it to 134a which qualifies it as a reformulation so there is no more generics.(well at least for another 3 years)
I have a can of that that I bought from Wal Mart sitting in my garage..
Back to the topic though,
I was close friends with a guy that found out he could get "high" from refrigerant and was huffing from any condenser possible, we found him one night (after stealing refrigerant from a service truck) passed out in some random yard with the can in his hand.
We all know that 410a is mankinds savior because it is so environmentally friendly. I am sure soon there will be a press release from Dupont saving how
huffing 410a is so much better for you than 22 because it contains an extra carbon atom or something.
I'm sorry, the devil took over my fingers and made me do this
Somebody mentioned how dumb huffing is. He couldn't be more right, all it is is oxygen starvation to the brain and the so called "buzz" these jerks get is the result of dying brain cells.
One of my first gigs before I opened up shop was was a domestic refrig tech.
Boss gave us R22 to blow out drains (wrap your mind around THAT compared to today). The very first plugged drain I cleared was in a side by side GE.
I had cut the hose fitting off a gauge hose. I connected it to the R22jug and pushed the cut end down the drain and let'er rip. No body told me i wasn't supposed to keep my head in the freezer section.
I effing passed out in front of the frig.
If any of you old timers from Detroit you remember Harrison Refrig.
Call me ignorant but I am shocked that someone would even try huffing this stuff. I did not know it was a problem until I started studying the new 2009 ICC Code (residential/Mechanical) and saw the code that requires all outdoor condenser units to have locking valve caps. There is only one municipality that is enforcing it here but it is only a matter of time until the rest will. Everyone better have the valve cap keys on their key rings or service will be out of the question.
My partner once hired a helper flunky for installs, he was not around too long. He would go outside alot, my partner looked in the truck and noticed the cylinders were all frosted up. I guess the helper was just another waste of a human life?
Unofortunately several die every year from Freon huffing. BTW, asthma metered dose inhalers now use R-134a. The key is "metered" . As the old saying goes "the dose makes the poison". Operating room anethesia is also very similar from a chemical structure viewppoint but it is mixed with oxygen, and administered in highly controlled doses.
Originally Posted by gary_g
Reply With Quote
