Freeze-12 Question?

[HammerDown]

Looks like my system needs a little shot...extremely hot in Virginia this weekend 105 heat index and my AC seems to be short cycling and kinda lost that brisk feeling.
So, can I simply put some Freeze-12 in the system with the existing R12?
Heck I don't even remember the last time I saw a little can of Freeze-12 at my local auto parts store.

PS not looking to do a R134 change over.

 

[icanfixall]

Freeze 12 will contaminate your R12 system. Then nobody will touch it. Go and get a 609 license from these guys. IMACA Phone number 817-7324600 Fort Worth Texas. Web site WWW.imaca.org I downloaded to test material... Studyed hard... Paid $15.00 and past the test... Now I buy any size cans on Ebay whenever I find a good price. It can be done and our R12 systems take around 4 12 oz cans. Thats 3 lbs on a dry system. The small rifrigerater compressers make a great vacuum pump. Just find a bad water cooler or rifrig and soldier on your fittings. Job done easy. Don't vent an R12 system to the atmosphere. Thats not nice on Mother Nature...

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

You don't need to changeover your system to use R134a in your existing R12 system. If your lucky enough to find some leftover R12, it will be really expensive, and you are required to be a licensed HVAC technician to have or use R12 refrigerant. I would suggest turning on your a/c to max and watching the compressor cycle. If it runs a lot (like it's engaged significantly more than than it is idling) you are most likely short on refrigerant. I am a big fan of adding the small bottles as it's pretty tough to overfill a system.

I wish I was worried about a/c: it was 54 here in Washington yesterday .

 

[HammerDown]

Freeze 12 will contaminate your R12 system. Then nobody will touch it...

I was under the impression Freeze-12 was made to be compatible with R12...I read the below and now I'm really confused

FREEZE 12™ is an ideal replacement for R-12 requiring no extensive training.

FREEZE 12™ requires no system flushes or lubricant change. It works with the existing R-1 2 lubricant.

FREEZE 12™ is the ideal replacement for older R-12 A/C systems that normally require expensive retrofitting to R-134a.

FREEZE 12™ is priced below R-12.

FREEZE 12™ is lighter than R-12 therefore you will not have to use as much. Approximately 90% of the required R-12 charge is all that is needed.

 

[RLDSL]

I was under the impression Freeze-12 was made to be compatible with R12...I read the below and now I'm really confused

FREEZE 12™ is an ideal replacement for R-12 requiring no extensive training.

FREEZE 12™ requires no system flushes or lubricant change. It works with the existing R-1 2 lubricant.

FREEZE 12™ is the ideal replacement for older R-12 A/C systems that normally require expensive retrofitting to R-134a.

FREEZE 12™ is priced below R-12.

FREEZE 12™ is lighter than R-12 therefore you will not have to use as much. Approximately 90% of the required R-12 charge is all that is needed.

yeah, they lay all that schmaltz on to confuse the general public . It is ILLEGAL to mix refrigerants...PERIOD!

What they are illuding to is that freeze 12 can beused as a replacement refrigerant ... AFTER the r12 has been properly evacuated, THEN freeze 12 can be put in without having to change oils, etc adnauseum. meaning that freeze 12 will absorb r12 mineral oil and circulate it through the system

What they fail to mention is that if you or the person you ever sell the truck to ever try to get the system worked on at a real AC shop, they have these real expensive refrigerant identifier machines that they test what is in your system ,. before they will run it through their recovery equipment to work on your system. If you have one of those oddball refrigerants, you will be sent packing, because they will not contaminate their $5000 machine and recyclable refrigerant with your gumby brand refrigerant.

In a few of the larger cities in the heat belt there are shops that install the stuff and will service it , but the vehicle is tied to it.

Another thing they fail to mention, aside from it being lighter, those lighter molecules will find their way through pores in hoses that r134a couldn't dream of getting through.
Yes, the stuff does get very cold, there are other non trade names for it and a friend of mine with an ice machine company and I played with it a few years ago. couldn't get it to stay in a vehicle ....ones that held R134a with no modifications.

 

[icanfixall]

Freeze 12 is methane gas... I was looking at using it till I asked what it was and was told... Cow farts and its safe. Yeah sure.... I'll bet that will make a butt burn really nice... Propane is a much better heat exchanger too but do you want that bomb up front and in the passenger compartment.....

 

[RLDSL]

Freeze 12 is methane gas... I was looking at using it till I asked what it was and was told... Cow farts and its safe. Yeah sure.... I'll bet that will make a butt burn really nice... Propane is a much better heat exchanger too but do you want that bomb up front and in the passenger compartment.....

Yeah, I've heard a few folks who swear by propane in the ac system. Propane under high pressure in the passenger compartment in an accident, an possible ignition... No thanks.

Of course the r134a is going to be a moot issue before long because as I guessed way back when , It is on the short list to be soon outlawed and soon to be replaced by the new R744 Co2 refrigerant technology

 

[Greg Pettit]

I have been running Freeze 12 in my BMW, it mixed in with the R12 just fine and cools great.

On the F350, I charged it with Freeze 12 from scratch, and it worked awesome.

After replacing a hose recently, I went back with r134a, and it doesn't cool nearly as well as the Freeze 12 did.

And yes, I have a 609 certification too.

Greg

 

[f350flatbed]

I just got Section 609 certified and Freeze-12 is listed in the table as SNAP certified for use in motor vehicle vapor-compression systems. Freeze-12 is listed as blend of R-134a (80%) and HCFC-142b (20%). No flammable mixtures are allowed for use in motor vehicle systems. You must retrofit the system with the proper valves and affix a label on the compressor indicating the date, name of technician and address, name of refrigerant, charge amount and the ASHRAE designation of the refrigerant, and the type and amount of oil used. You also might have to put the words "ozone depleter" depending on the composition of the refrigerant.

Paul B

 

[HammerDown]

I have been running Freeze 12 in my BMW, it mixed in with the R12 just fine and cools great...

And it's going in my Truck and 81 Vette.
My mechanic got me two cans as he use to add it to vehicles w/R12 that needed a little charge. I hope to put it in tomorrow or a few days.

 

[RLDSL]

And it's going in my Truck and 81 Vette.
My mechanic got me two cans as he use to add it to vehicles w/R12 that needed a little charge. I hope to put it in tomorrow or a few days.

If your mechanic wants to be stupid and risk a massive fine from the EPA, that's his business. Personally, I wouldn't Mix the stuff in as it's a violation of federal law , I'd get slapped with that big nasty fine , and probably loose my license.

If you want to do it right, it's not that hard. you can take the test here to buy R12 legally and it's an open book test, Kind of a no brainer. THey just want people to be made aware of the realities of refrigerants before cutting everyone loose with them, they really aren't being unreasonable about it. Heck, I had worked in an auto AC shop years and years ago ( way before r134a ) so just for fun, i took the practice test without even reading the book first and passed it , Aced the actual test .

If you keep it R12, you system will not be contaminated , and your vehicle will be able to be serviced by any shop that works on R12 systems. That is a valuable thing.
If you put freeze 12 in it and then If you BSd someone into servicing your system some years down the line by not telling them, or if you sell the truck and the next owner doesn't think it's important, that would be seriously uncool, because if their detector didn't catch it, their recycler would, because all the r12 they pull goes into a tank and then when done with a vehicle they re charge the vehicle from it after it gets filtered, but gas gets mixed in the tank, it should be all r12, but if somehow freeze 12 gets mixed in there by mistake, that poor shop owner has a bottle of toxic waste on his hands, instead of a bottle of recycleable r12 that can be cleaned and put back into circulation. seriously uncool. the recycler sends the man a big fat bill for having to deal with his toxic waste which adds up to more than what he made on the job fixing your ac system.

 

[69dieselfreak]

its not that hard to switch to 134a 2 fitting change the oil and ur done 134a doesnt cool that well at idle but going down the road i freeze my ass off and like others are saying dont mix refergerants
i also have my 609 cert.

 

[Mr_Roboto]

I believe the cost of R12 has come down some - simply because nobody is using it anymore and people bought pallets full of the stuff back in 93 before they quit selling it to the public.

I'm R12 certified but I don't fool with the stuff anymore.

 

[Darrin Tosh]

About 5 years ago my AC was empty, no R12 at all. I went and bought a R134A retrofit kit that came with oil, fittings and 3 cans of R134A. I screwed the new caps, put a can of retro fit oil and the R134A. I have had cold ac ever since. I may have put in a couple of cans over the years, but no complaints here and it cost me about $40.00.

Put it and run it.

 

[RLDSL]

I'm R12 certified but I don't fool with the stuff anymore.

same here
I've figured out ways to make R134a systems blow just as cold out the ducts as r12 so I have no need to bother with it unless someone just insists on it. Personally, for my own vehicles it's just not worth bothering with.