- What is refrigerant gas doing in your vehicle airconditioning system?
- What does VASA say about the type of refrigerant gas that should be in an automotive system?
- Why is VASA so interested in the refrigerant gas?
- What are the environmental issues?
- Why should motorists take responsibility for the refrigerant gas used in their car?
- What’s so important about only dealing with workshops displaying the VASA symbol?
What is refrigerant gas doing in your vehicle airconditioning system?
Automotive airconditioning systems are charged with a refrigerant gas. The compressor compresses the gas, causing a great rise in its temperature. On passing through the condenser heat is given off and the gas condenses to liquid form.
It then passes through the receiver-drier, a storage and filtering device and on to the expansion valve which releases the correct amount of gas into the evaporator through a small orifice. The sudden pressure drop in the atomised liquid gas causes its temperature to fall well below that of the vehicle cabin where it absorbs heat through the evaporator coils, vaporises to gaseous form and returns to the compressor for the cycle to be repeated.
What does VASA say about the type of refrigerant gas that should be in an automotive system?
VASA has a very explicit policy on the subject. Adherence to the policy is a condition of membership of VASA.
In making the policy VASA took these points into account:
- the over-riding importance of safety, both to its member workshops and consumers; and
- the accepted practice of the major automotive manufacturers and the designers and manufacturers of automotive airconditioning components and systems.
VASA supports a mono-refrigerant policy throughout the automotive airconditioning industry and recommends to members the refrigerant gas R134a as the preferred replacement gas for R12 in all automotive systems.
VASA does not recommend the use of hydrocarbon refrigerants or refrigerant blends of any kind in automotive air conditioning systems that are not designed specifically for their use.
Read the Australian and New Zealand safety alerts
Why is VASA so interested in the refrigerant gas?
The car makers of the world, without exception, adopt one tested refrigerant for use in mobile air-conditioning systems.
Driven in part by the need for more environmentally friendly refrigerants, the chemical companies are constantly refining and developing refrigerants.
Millions of dollars are spent by them, the car companies and the major environmental agencies before any blanket approval is given for a refrigerant to be used in vehicles.
Vehicles are treated with greater care by the industry because of the constant movement and heat generation of vehicles and therefore the greater strain on fittings, hoses and components. This is becoming less of an issue with the modern motor vehicle as engineering design improves, but the type of refrigerant used in the system is still the subject of extreme testing for safety, efficiency and environmental responsibility.
In the early 1990s, Australia joined other countries in changing over to the refrigerant R134a, which was more environmentally friendly than its predecessor.
As with many products, cheaper versions of the refrigerant were put on the market. These were simply blends of refrigerants. Others were far more dangerous, like hydrocarbon refrigerant. This is an effective refrigerant but it’s like putting barbecue gas into your car, and into a system that was never designed for it. Most authorities issue safety alerts about hydrocarbons because of the potential safety issues in mobile situations.
VASA takes the view that since R134a is the only gas which has been proven for use in mobile airconditioning systems, it should be consistent in the use of this recommended gas in all vehicle systems when they are changed over or converted from the old gas.
What are the environmental issues?
There are currently (2010) two significant events which will impact on the mobile air-conditioning repair industry.
The most visible is the creation of the Australian refrigerant handling licensing system, which makes the release of R134a into the atmosphere, either deliberately or accidentally, an offence under the law. This law began in 2005.
All technicians who handle this refrigerant must be licensed, and VASA members were among the first to submit their credentials and workshop practices for licensing.
So as well as the VASA symbol, motorists should look for the ARCtick logo, which indicates that the workshop acts in a responsible way with refrigerant.
The second event is the recent world carmaker adoption of a brand new refrigerant which is dramatically more environmentally friendly that R134a. It is called HFO1234yf, and this also has undergone stringent tests worldwide and is now the approved replacement for R134a in automotive situations.
It will be several years before Australian motorists see this new refrigerant, but VASA members are kept aware of its progress and will among the first to be proficient in the use of the refrigerant.
By law, all refrigerant gas must be recycled and VASA supports the efforts of Refrigerant Reclaim Australia, a cooperative industry effort, whose job it is to take back all recycled gas, paying a rebate to the workshop which supplies it. The gas is either recycled in its original form, or if contaminated, is must be destroyed by special methods.
VASA has taken a strong stance on the recycling issue, showing the lead for the industry in recycling. However, VASA is the only organisation in this industry which is fully committed to recycling of gas, hence its scepticism about back yard regas “experts” doing the right thing.
Why should motorists take responsibility for the refrigerant gas used in their car?
It is to every motorist’s advantage to take responsibility for the type of gas in their vehicle’s airconditioning system.
It is always wise to follow the manufacturer’s specifications in case you have a warranty claim.
Ask about the flammability of the gas recommended by your car airconditioning specialist. After all, you can’t be too careful about the safety of your occupants.
Be aware that many car airconditioning systems were simply not designed to run on just any old gas. Your airconditioning runs most efficiently when those maintaining it recognise the delicate relationships between the refrigerant gas, the oils and the sophisticated equipment.
Regassing is not easy and not everyone can do it. Experience and knowledge in properly diagnosing airconditioning breakdowns is imperative. A wrong diagnosis could eventually prove very expensive.
Be wary of repair shops which advertise cheap regassing of vehicle airconditioning, especially if airconditioning repair is NOT their main business. If you would not entrust your car engine to anyone other than a qualified mechanic, think carefully before sending your airconditioning to anyone other than a trained specialist. An airconditioning mechanic must be skilled in three trades motor mechanical, refrigeration and auto electrical.
Sometimes it’s attractive to get a quick, cheap repair job done on your car.
But remember sooner or later, cheap repairs or poor diagnosis of faults can come back to haunt you. It’s the same with everything . . . but you have a choice.
So for all of these reasons, next time your car airconditioning is serviced remember to ask the question . . .
“WHICH GAS ARE YOU PUTTING IN MY CAR?”
You are entitled to know… then make up your own mind…
What’s so important about only dealing with workshops displaying the VASA symbol?
Workshops which display the VASA logo guarantee that their customer care practices and technical knowledge meet stringent performance codes for installations and repairs to your mobile air conditioning systems
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