Disturbing Refrigerants!

[Outbackmanyep]

Hi guys! I thought i'd bring this to everyones attention!
As an auto elec i also do Auto Air Conditioning, and over the last couple of years as a requirement for the newly appointed Federal "Australian Refrigeration Council" laws, we have had to go through all the licensing and refresher course for A/C to obtain a Federal License to Commission and De-Commission refrigerant systems in Automotive applications, servicing of systems, buying the gas etc etc, the gas we use is R134a.

The thing is, seeing as though we already had a STATE license to handle these gases the Federal Govt stepped in as part of their commitment to control greenhouse gas emission , as some other states did not have to have licensing to handle the refrigerant gases. So we forked out more money to the Feds to get their appointed licenses. The STATE govt still want us to have our STATE licenses, even though it is pretty much made redundant now!

The issue im raising here is that R134a replaced R12 in 1994 in NSW, R12 was considered a greenhouse gas. R134a at the time was "ozone friendly" at the same time "ozone depleting"....confusion!? Bloody oath!
We are only authorised to use R134a nowadays, thats ok...but then there are UNREGULATED GASES that the Govt knows about but are unwilling to do anything about!
Recently we were made aware of a "drop-in" replacement gas you didn't need a license to obtain or buy or sell etc, not only that it is written that this particular product is Ozone Safe! We acquired a "Material Safety Data Sheet" for the product and found out it was 50% propane! No way would i use this gas, YET the GOVT have not BANNED the USE and SALE of this product for A/C systems!


A HIGHLY FLAMMABLE gas that could be used in your A/C system!

This gas is being used a drop-in replacement for older R12 systems not retrofitted for R134a AND can be used in R134a systems as a better overall cooling solution! R134a is a NON-FLAMMABLE gas, the oils associated with R134a systems are Carcinogenic though!

But something really stinks here!! The FEDERAL govt know this gas is out there, but ignore it. The reviews that led to the setting up of ARC has overlooked this tiny loophole.

What a joke!

[astroturf]

Howdy OBMY
There's a lot of people cashing in on this sort of thing
3 years back I was put thru an expensive course by Tyco for a licsense for handling/disposing of Halon gas ,which was used for specialist fire protection in computer rooms & general electronics situations where water is a no no
Halon gas was outlawed at least 20 years ago because of ozone depletion & I haven't seen any for about the same time(except on naval vessels where they seem to be exempt from using it)
during the course myself & most others couldn't help remarking on what a crock of s**t it all was. The general feeling was that these two guys running the course were justifying their jobs
They basicly talked in circles then made every one do a test, which all passed, (whether they were sleeping during the course or not!)
this all cost Tyco a day in lost pay and about $1200 per person
I don't work for Tyco any more, but I'm still expected to pay $130 a year to maintain this licsense I'm never going to use ,they've sent me about 9 final reminders to renew it & it almost sounds like they're begging me to, so they get their money, Another big rort!

Cheers
Bryan

[coldspace]

As a holder of a full RAC license this new licensing system is a bit of a joke in terms of the environment. Domestic ac's are still aloud to be imported with refrigerant in them so this has not stoped the many people out there who are not licensed to install them. We get alot of service work from fixing up leaks then re-gassing units that have not been installed properly from un-licensed people or licensed people who have no proper training. Plenty of so called experiensed people got their 'mates' up here in Queensland to get them to signed them off when the 12 month transition period was introduced and people who have a trade back ground in another trade now can sit a small course at Tafe and then with little experience apply for an AC license to work in domestic applications. No wonder we run around and fix all these leaks etc. I agree that it is just another revenue making thing for the federal government and they keep sending me those flashy news letters:lol: saying that all this is being done to help the environment. Most domestic and commercial AC'S come out in the so called environmental R410A gas and not R22, but don't worry as China just opened another massive R22 production facitlity to keep pumping their units (and the environment) with refrigerant. They release more gas to the atsmospere in 1 day than Australia does in 1 year. They manufacture over 90 million split systems a year and over 50 million are needed for domestic demand and the rest are exported to the rest of the world. They don't have the same reclaim controls as we do so can you imagine how much refrigerant is dumped to the environment when units need to be changed over especially after they only usually last a few years as quality is usually not that great.

Matt

[Outbackmanyep]

Yes, it's downright shocking, and they say WE are the biggest polluters in the world....which tool said that was the case!?
Trouble is, if you are licensed and are found to be negligent it's a $25,000 fine and a possible jail term, what happens to those who aren't licensed and get caught?? Bugger all i bet!
We use dry nitrogen to make sure our systems are gas tight before we charge them, i don't know of any other repairer that i have come across that use dry nitrogen to check leaks!

I hear what you're saying coldspace, i think its not a matter of "skills shortages" the govt. is after, its quality of work!!
Also, the mainstream public are unaware that refrigerant "top-ups" are illegal and you should see the stunned mullet look Truck drivers etc give us when we tell them we can't "squirt more gas in" to get their systems to work.....you'd be surprised how many licensed people do that though!

And how can Halon gas be imported in the first place if the govt set down strict rules and regs regarding the buying and use of a banned ozone depleting substance??

I also know for a fact that the Australian Air Force was still using R12 in their Aircraft, so if anyone's depleting the ozone its them! lol
I think R600a is being used in new European cars to replace R134a.


PS...i highly recommend the use of Lokring jointing systems!! We haven't had ANY leaks from those joints!