ReplyIf I'm not mistaken R134a is the same regardless of which ever kind of drum it comes in. Like a 125 lbs, you just need a special automotive fitting to get it out of the drum.
Regular Guest
HI All
Today I Went to our warehouseman to get some 134A what he gave me was a refillable cylinder with a larger nipple I think this is "scrubbed" refrigerant intended for automotive use I am hesitant to use it in my chillers. Has anyone seen these or know what this is? Would you put it in your chiller? The warehouse guy says he got a great price. Thanks for any input.
Professional Member*
If I'm not mistaken R134a is the same regardless of which ever kind of drum it comes in. Like a 125 lbs, you just need a special automotive fitting to get it out of the drum.
Global Moderator
Originally Posted by thegoodlistener
and any auto store should be able to get the fitting. Last cylinder i bought was for automotive but was not a recovery cylinder. I would question a recovery cylinder which could have anything in it.
Regular Guest
I was at a supply house the other day and the manager had recieved a 134a 30lbs drum shipment from an automotive supplier. The same you get at autozone, cant think of the name off hand. He said that it was good, but it was at a differant purity level then that you would find in our normal commercial 134a. Auto industry goes by different an more leaniant standards then we use. But it was allot cheaper. Also found out that the keyboard cleaner or compressed electronics cleaner is 134a. Look on the can and it gives you the full name, not 134a. Put a r12 side tap on it and you can charge your auto for $2.00 a can insted of 6 to 8.
Redfive
Regular Guest
Thank you all for your input I did not use this in my chiller but will use it tomarrow in a 4 ton package and see how it goes I guess I just like my freon looking brand new.
Global Moderator
The guy is full of BS. Before i bought a automotive cylinder of 134a i called DuPont and asked if there was any difference and was told absolutely not. This was from the horses mouth.
Regular Guest
Thats good to know. Autozone drums are a lot less.
Redfive
Global Moderator
I don't no why but the price of 134a has double here were i am. I got lucky and called around and found a supplier with one jug left at there old price. Was still 50% higher then what i paid last time.
Professional Member
I suggest you do your own research, however I believe I am correct. If you find something wrong, please let me know.
Virgin refrigerant should be the same.
As for second hand stuff....
Recovered or recycled refrigerant is not allowed to change ownership except for MVAC use. I believe car scrappers can recover R-12 and R-134a, then send it to a reclaimer or put the refrigerant back to the supply chain for MVAC use only.
For stationary use, the refrigerant must be returned for reclamation and purified to ARI 700 standards by a certified reclaimer. If it's sold for MVAC use only, it's probably a recycled (NOT reclaimed), hence "great deal". So... if one car owner did something funky and put crazy stuff in his car, or a tech screwed up and mixed up refrigerants, it'll be in there.
Here's a good reading material:
http://dnr.wi.gov/air/compenf/refrig/NR488FAQ.html
Reclaimer is basically a chemical process with high degree of purification process and a pre-shipment analysis to ensure it meets standards. Those portable Jiffy Lube MVAC recycling machines do not come anything close in purification performance.
EPA politics aside, if you put used refrigerant that do not meet ARI 700 purity standards, you'll probably void warranty on the chiller. I don't know how warranty contract works, but manufacturers representative probably reserves the right to take refrigerant sample for analysis and you have a whole lot of questions to answer if they find propane, R-12, leak-fix and other crap in the samples.
In other words..... if you decommission a large R-12 chiller, you maybe able to get a higher buy back through MVAC supply route than reclamation buyback.
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