R134A SHORT COMINGS

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R134a Short Comings When Used For Retrofitting Existing R12 Systems!
Listings By Importance:
  1. Mineral oil (R12 oil) will not mix with R134a (new refrigerant) and be circulated through the air conditioning system for lubrication!
  2. R134a refrigerant has smaller molecules and there for more prone to leakage!
  3. Air conditioning systems will run higher discharge (head) pressures when converted to R134a! This in part is due to the fact that R134a has a higher discharge pressure per discharge temperature than R12. The other reason is caused by problems with heat exchange at the condenser.
  4. An air conditioning system converted to R134a will not cool as good as it did with R12 !
    This is due to many facts:
    1. R134a refrigerant is about 10% less efficient in moving heat than R12! This refers to BTU's (heat) moved per pound of refrigerant moved.
    2. The general practice of charging the system with 15% less refrigerant adds to the thermal deficiency of R134a.
  5. R134a requires the use of synthetic oil! PAG (Polyalkylene Glycol ) oil is used by OEM (original equipment manufactures) and is harsh on seals and gaskets. Poyol Ester oil (retrofit oil) is less harsh than PAG oil and can be used with R134a or R12 refrigerant.
  6. R134a is not compatible with the desiccants in the existing filter driers and/or accumulators.

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