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Car Forum / Volvo Cars / June 2007Duracool for your A/C...
I have a 1999 S70 which has been a great car so far. This spring I noticed that the A/C was a bit weak and it seemed to be getting worse. It got so bad that the compressor would cycle on for 1-2 secs and then go off. Must be either very low on or out of R134a. So when I was in to the dealer for some brake work I asked them to check the A/C. Sure enough they told me that the condenser was toast. So I did some research and found out about Duracool. Essentially an environmentally friendly replacement for R134a which is available to the average Joe. Even in Canada! So I contacted a dealer and bought some. Lo and behold my A/C is working now! Even with the supposed hole in the condenser. Even more troubling is the fact that there was a charge in the system when I went to add Duracool to it. The dealer told me that they had evacuated the system... So I learned a few things. Don't trust everything the dealer says; do lots of research before plunking down cash for work at the dealer and explore all options. Hopefully the charge will last the summer. If not I bought a few extra cans of Duracool just in case. Jordan B. 1999 S70 Loaded and now cool! >I have a 1999 S70 which has been a great car so far. This spring I > noticed that the A/C was a bit weak and it seemed to be getting worse. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Jordan B. 1999 S70 Loaded and now cool! R134a is already environmentally friendly and can be purchased by anyone anywhere that sells car stuff, even Wal Mart and Target have it. I'm not sure what Duracool is but if the condenser is leaking, you'll be adding more of it sooner or later. It's possible and in fact likely that the dealer evacuated the system, then charged it with enough R134a to use a leak detector on it, located a leak in the condenser and informed you of such. www.duracool.com >>I have a 1999 S70 which has been a great car so far. This spring I >> noticed that the A/C was a bit weak and it seemed to be getting worse. [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > leak detector on it, located a leak in the condenser and informed you of > such. >>I have a 1999 S70 which has been a great car so far. This spring I >>noticed that the A/C was a bit weak and it seemed to be getting worse. [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > evacuated the system, then charged it with enough R134a to use a leak > detector on it, located a leak in the condenser and informed you of such. R134a isn't as environmentally friendly as was supposed. That doesn't mean I'm blindly endorsing any alternatives, just that we shouldn't think that this particular problem is already solved. > R134a isn't as environmentally friendly as was supposed. That doesn't > mean I'm blindly endorsing any alternatives, just that we shouldn't think > that this particular problem is already solved. Well it doesn't deplete ozone. Yes, it's a greenhouse gas, but so is CO2, everything is a tradeoff. The thing that gets me is it's perfectly legal to use R134a to blow dust out of your computer keyboard, but a federal crime to vent it from a refrigeration system. Same stuff, but if used as a refrigerant it falls under different regulations. And R134a was just recently found to be carcinogenic and apparently will be replaced in the coming years. It's very hard to get any refrigerants in Canada or Ontario at least. So Duracool appeared to me to be the only solution. I will wait until this weekend to take a gauge reading to see if any "gas" has escaped. When I left the dealer I specifically asked to have the system evacuated so I am leary of the "enough gas to detect a leak" explanation. Still working perfectly today when it's 30 degrees and humid as hell. Toronto is in a fog.... Jordan B 1999 S70 Loaded! > > R134a isn't as environmentally friendly as was supposed. That doesn't > > mean I'm blindly endorsing any alternatives, just that we shouldn't think [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > refrigeration system. Same stuff, but if used as a refrigerant it falls > under different regulations. > And R134a was just recently found to be carcinogenic Could you please cite the scientific source of that statement? Regards Viktor The e-mail address in the header is never read For private e-mail please use vikwei at gmx dot at > And R134a was just recently found to be carcinogenic Rubbish, rubbish, and more rubbish. Here's what the IARC, NTP, OSHA, and ACGIH have to say about R-134a. "Carcinogenicity Information None of the components present in this material at concentrations equal to or greater than 0.1% are listed by IARC, NTP, OSHA or ACGIH as a carcinogen." Finally, to the best of my knowledge, here in the US, the EPA doesn't permit the use of HC-12a or Duracool 12a for mobile applications. AC  SignatureEmail: echo 36434455860060025978157675027927670979097959886449930P | dc I did my home work on durakool as you call it and it seems the compressor needs less of the gas than it does with r134a so much so it uses 1\3 the amount of gas .So it means the compressor is working less the battery is getting it easy and all is fine .Its called hychill here in Australia .Some cab companies use it for it uses less energy & less fuel sounds good so far .As well with less pressure the compressor should last longer .IF any one knows other wise please tell us .P\s after seeing so many ripped off with air con I like to make sure of any thing I hear . >I have a 1999 S70 which has been a great car so far. This spring I > noticed that the A/C was a bit weak and it seemed to be getting worse. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Jordan B. 1999 S70 Loaded and now cool! > So I did some > research and found out about Duracool. Essentially an environmentally > friendly replacement for R134a which is available to the average Joe. The environmental claims on Duracool's website are bull-sh.t. Duracool is a hydrocarbon gas, and as such, it is just as likely to contribute to the greenhouse effect as R134a. There's detailed information on Duracool here: <http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/refrigerants/hc12alng.html> AC SignatureEmail: echo 36434455860060025978157675027927670979097959886449930P | dc |
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