 Starting
November 1992, sale of small 12-ounce cans of R-12 refrigerant will
be restricted to certified professionals only.
Some states have also passed "can ban" legislation of their own that
outlaws or restricts the sale of the small cans to professionals as
well as do-it-yourselfers. Check with state officials for what
applies in your area. Keeping current on local mandates is
important.
Such laws do not necessarily mean do-it-yourselfers will no longer
be able to buy refrigerant to recharge their own A/C systems. A
loophole in the federal law still permits the sale of the small cans
of refrigerant that contain dye for leak detection purposes.
As the deadline approaches, here is what will happen; most retail
parts stores will probably dispose of their existing inventories of
R-12 refrigerant to effectively prevent the sale of small cans to
noncertified professionals. Traditional parts stores will likely
move their R-12 cans to the back shelf and sell it by request only
to their professional clientele (who usually buy 30 pound bulk
containers anyway).
The new restrictions are a result of the new Clean Air Act that
became a law back in November 1990. To reduce the amount of CFCs
that are being released into the atmosphere, Congress decided to (1)
phase out R-12 and replace it with a more ozone-friendly
refrigerant, (2) require professional automotive service technicians
to become certified in refrigerant recovery and recycling
techniques, (3) require automotive service shops that do A/C work to
buy recovery/recycling equipment, and (4) restrict the sale of small
cans of refrigerant to professionals only to discourage people from
recharging leaky A/C systems.
By making R-12 unavailable to the general public, people will be
forced to take their cars to a professional for service. The
professional, in turn, will find and fix their leaks before
recharging their A/C system with refrigerant, recover and recycle
their old refrigerant, and save the ozone from destruction.
Here is what is happening today. Mechanics are getting certified in
huge numbers and shops are buying and using the required
recovery/recycling equipment. R-12 production will end in this
country by the end of 1995, but it will probably continue to be
produced in Third World countries, which may lead to a black market
in R-12.
Car makers are starting to phase in the new generation of A/C
systems using ozone friendly (and expensive) R-134a refrigerant.
Everybody is wondering what will happen to the market price of R-12
as supplies dwindle and there are no direct drop-in substitutes
available. Several under development do not yet have industry
approval.
R-134a cannot be used in place of R-12 in existing A/C systems
without expensive modifications. Compressor oils that the two
different refrigerants use are totally incompatible. An R-12 system
would have to be thoroughly cleaned prior to converting to R-134a.
Different pressure switches would also be required and possibly
different hoses and other parts.
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