DIY R-12 Retrofit to Envirosafe R-134a Substitute Explanation
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- Опубліковано 2 тра 2014
- [WARNING: Scientific/Technical Explanation Follows]
In this video I show part of my non-standard process for the conversion of an R-12 system to Envirosafe hydrocarbon blend refrigerant. This video discusses the process on a technical level rather than providing a proper step-by-step guide for conversion - there are tons of these already out there that are well done. Keep watching If you are curious about what this refrigerant is and how it works.
Envirosafe is also marketed as a replacement for R-134a refrigerant. Before this video I already added 4 Oz of Ester (POE dual Compatability) oil to the low side of the refrigerant system on the car by removing the valve core, adding the oil and then replacing the valve core. I rotated the compressor by hand several dozen times after adding the oil. Ester Oil is compatible with R134a, which is what I was originally considering converting to. The higher solubility of hydrocarbon refrigerants (like Envirosafe) in residual mineral oil and the close to R-12 pressure curve are what sealed the deal for me to go with Envirosafe. The Ester Oil 'bridges the gap' of compatibility (solubility) between R-134a and the residual mineral oil added with the original R-12 charge. Because of a slow leak, I have to continuously add refrigerant to the car every ~1.5 years or so. The hydrocarbon Envirosafe should leak faster as the molecules weigh less than R-12 or R-134a (per Graham's Laws of Diffusion) but the new oil I think helped rejuvenate some of the seals and slow the leak rate. I wanted a low-cost environmentally friendly refrigerant which would be less expensive to continue to top off rather than to have a professional AC rebuild and retrofit performed. It was unnecessary for me to fully evacuate the system this time (I evacuated it before during the conversion), but did so for the video as a demonstration. I did not flush the AC system with argon gas (from a welding shield gas tank) this time to help remove residual refrigerant gas and water as I did the first time for the retrofit.
In this video I used a makeshift AC manifold made out of brass valves and tubes, an Envirosafe recharge kit, and a 2-stage KC-5 Kinney High-Vacuum pump with a thermocouple gauge that reads in the miliTorr (microns Hg) vacuum range.
For a proper R-12 retrofit, you should change the accumulator/dryer, barrier hoses/seals, and the expansion tube as well as flush the system. What I am showing is a hack/DIY method - it is not proper or the best way, it is just a way that worked for me that I am sharing
The first time I removed the residual R-12 during the retrofit, there was so little left, recovery was impractical/pointless, if any substantial amount remains, you must recover the R-12 in an environmentally responsible way!
There are some concerns with explosions due to hydrocarbon refrigerants. In my view, all of the simulated explosions (search for the news reports) were made with very contrived situations. There are plenty of flammable/explosive agents in the car already that are a much bigger concern than the 12 ounces of refrigerant that would slowly leak (and diffuse into the atmosphere and stay under the explosive limit) in 99.9% of cases.
Thank you for such a good video, well explained, and full of technical information.
for a young guy you know your shit,i would hire you in a second,thats coming from a master tech
Great praise, thank you!
Great video. I am about to try this stuff on an r12 conversion myself. Thank you for this video
Almost a year later, no top-offs needed, still cold as ever!
Michael Klopfer Just got rid of this car yesterday because of a transmission problem. AC worked perfectly to the end with no more messing around since this video was posted. Highly recommend this product for a good working R12 conversion on the cheap.
This stuff works very well.
Hi there. Thanks for the very technically accurate video! I was wondering why Envirosafe didn't recommend charging into a vacuum - thanks for addressing that. Charging by weight (mass) into a vacuum is the best way to refill a system. I believe the Envirosafe is completely compatible with mineral oil, or any other, for that matter. I think the Ester oil is needed only if you are placing R134a into an R-12 system and leaving the mineral oil.
Glad this has been helpful!
I believe this is correct. Residual mineral oil can work - I never flushed the residual out. I added 1-2 oz of ester oil with UV dye just as a carrier for the UV dye.
Why did to convert to R134? R12 blows colder
FYI... envirosafe is 100% compatible with both oils used in r12 and r134, and you do NOT need to put a vacuum on the system. Its literally a miracle refrigerant.
Can you mix it or do you need to purge the remaining r134a or r12?
Cool video. I have to do this on my supra
Good luck, please let me know how it goes!
What kind of dye is in the can? Thank you.
BigJigDad Cuba No dye in can, I added liquid refrigerant dye to system before evacuation.
Mike ... how did you get the r-12 out of the system and do you have a video on it?
Almost no R12 left in system. Generally not good/illegal to vent to atmosphere, but there was nothing really to collect, practically speaking.
Michael Klopfer how did u know there wasn’t any r12 in it
Leak's probably evap core on this Bird..20-30 hour dash r&r
Do you still have that conversion table of envirosafe to cfc12?
That is from the Envirosafe product sheet
Trying to use this. When compressor kicks on pressure goes down to zero, then the compressor kicks off. Does that mean I have a blockage?
Ya , system's either 'lo' or blocked
Basicly this is Propane type gas thats used in some comercial cooling.
I called envirosafe and they said it was not necessary it's not necessary to use pag oil that are 12 refrigerant oil was compatible
You dont need ester oil dude. Hydrocarbon-based refrigerants are compatible with all oils.
POE added to add back lost oil, this is compatible with both mineral oil (original R12) and PEG (R-134A).
you don't need to pull a vacuum with Evaro-safe freon
Enviro-safe does not have to be put in under a vacuum.
This is true, but if you suspect that air or moisture is in your system [as I did] and you do not pull a vacuum prior to charging any refrigerant you will either get icing up at the orifice tube or degraded performance. The industrial version of envirosafe recommends charging into a vacuum.
Cool. I have been told that it works better also.
The can indicates not to charge into vacuum for regular envirosafe, but from what I researched this is to prevent overcharging, in this case I am charging by weight. The zeolite molecular sieve used in the dryer needs hot nitrogen to cause adsorbed water to be released, vacuum alone at this level should not dry it substantially. Pulling a hard vacuum on it and flushing it with dry inert gas helps remove any water adsorbed elsewhere in the system or present in the oil. Something was continuing to be released from the AC system long after the refrigerant was pulled, likely it was water from source or another.
bla bla about not release freon outside I do it all the time nothing happens if is illegal if no body is around release that stupid things