R134a discontinued????

[Dr. Righteous]

I cannot seem to find any information in a news search but it seems that refridgerant manufactures have stopped producing R134a and the prices is going threw the roof! Is there a freon that is going to replace it that is backwardly compatible?
Anyone know?
Right now it look like we are going to be "R12ed"

[ToiletDuck]

Originally Posted by Dr. Righteous

I cannot seem to find any information in a news search but it seems that refridgerant manufactures have stopped producing R134a and the prices is going threw the roof! Is there a freon that is going to replace it that is backwardly compatible?
Anyone know?
Right now it look like we are going to be "R12ed"

round here you can get a big charge can of that stuff for like 10 bucks i dont know if thats high or not

[73Cudaswap]

I heard that it's not that it's being discontinued, but more of a fact that one of the chemicals used in making 134 no longer exists, so they're working on a way to make it in a lab rather than it being a natural occuring chemical, prices on 134 are going up, and will continue until they make another replacement.

[ehostler]

the above is false. The fact is, there are only a couple of plants that produce R134a. One of those plants also produces a commercial refigerant. That plant can only produce one refrigerant at a time. That being the case, they are currently producing the H125 that is more profitable.

Low production and growing demand is the explanation for the price increase. Many shops have seen the cost of a 30lb cylinder go from $50 to $300 in a one week period of time.

[George G. Leverette]

There are substitute refrigerants being offered that are readily available and the prices are very competitive with 134, check some of the ads in the mopar zines.

[jelsr]

Just a FYI post. If you check the MSDS's on the propane based types you hear all the bad stories about you will find the flash point is higher than the 12 and 134A. Seems there was an exception granted years ago and 12 was termed not flamable. I guess it was carried over to 134A. That is not what the MSDS's show. Been retired for a while now so I have to do this off the top of my pointed little head but if the flash point is above a certain std it is classed as not flammable.

[DartByU]

I heard it was going up because the car manufacturers in this country are buying it all up because they're going to be forced to change the freon again, and the car dealers are now required to service their vehicles for up to 10 years, so they would definitly need to stockpile the freon .........

[ehostler]

OK... people are confusing terms. Freon is the trademark name of R-12.

All new cars currently use R-134a (and have been for over 8 years). That being the case, dealerships already maintain a stock of R-134a.

R-12 is no longer manufactured. When the current supplies of it are gone, it's gone.

If dealers are buying up R-12, then why would it drive up the cost of R-134a? As R-134a is what's currently being used and dealers already stock it, why would they try to stockpile it?

The simple fact is what I stated earlier. If you do a search of the web, I'm sure that you will find the same information from reputable sources, not just what someone heard.

[DartByU]

I didn't say dealers were buying up R-12, But I should have said 134a, and I do know that 134a is not really freon but thats what everybody calls it. Nobody says "my 134a is getting low so I need to charge it" they say "my freon is getting low so I need to charge it" people don't like to change.

[TrashedCharger]

Refrigerant formula 12 has been on it's way out for quite a while now. When I was doing formula 134A conversions it was becoming difficult to buy R12 some 4-5 years ago.

I still dont see a clear answer to this question. My truck had a twin piston monster and a Chrysler Air Temp sticker in it's window to begin with and I was considering putting it back in, but I'm kind of weary spending money on something that uses a dwindling supply that is increasingly expensive.

I'd sure hate to leave the A/C out because this truck is loaded, but I don't want to be stuck with $600 worth of A/C components that are useless and that I couldn't even sell if I wanted to get my money back.

I can see lack of supply and increasing demand causing price climb, but I'd like to hear the progress and plans behind manufacturing R-134A from the source.