ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 29, 1996 TAG: 9605290101
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: MARKETPLACE
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL
It hasn't felt much like summer for the past week or so, but this might be the perfect time to make sure your car's air conditioner is in working order.
The recent ban on the production of CFC-12, commonly know by its trade name, Freon, has raised plenty of questions about air conditioner upkeep: Can we still use Freon? Why is it so expensive? What happens when the supply of Freon runs out?
The debate surrounding CFCs - chlorofluorocarbons - actually has been simmering for years. A 1987 international treaty phased out CFCs because of evidence that its compounds damage the upper atmosphere's ozone layer, which shields us from most of the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency began requiring all service stations to recapture CFCs when doing work on auto air conditioners. And in January, the government banned further production of CFCs for domestic use.
But don't break a sweat. The EPA has approved three alternative coolants - HFC-134a, FRIGC and R-401C. The auto industry has selected HFC-134a, so that's what you're likely to see most often.
Under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP), the EPA established a set of requirements that service technicians must follow when using any of these alternative coolants:
nEach new coolant must be used with a unique set of fittings - attachment points on the car, recovery equipment, containers - to prevent the accidental mixing of different refrigerants. This both assures purity in your car's system and maintains the purity of the supply of recaptured CFC-12.
nThe technician must apply a label that includes his name and address, the date of the retrofit and the trade name of the refrigerant.
nThe original Freon must be removed from the system before charging your car with a new coolant.
The EPA estimates some 30 million cars still use Freon. To check whether your car uses CFC-12, look under the hood for a label that identifies the coolant. The switch from CFC-12 to HFC-134a in new cars began in 1992 and was completed in 1994.
American manufacturers can no longer produce CFC-12, but you can continue to use the Freon that's in your car now, and mechanics can continue to put it in your vehicle as long as supplies are available. The CFC-12 that's used today can't be vented into the atmosphere, so service stations recapture and recycle it, further extending the supply of Freon on the market.
But the supply of Freon will run out eventually. If you drive a car with a Freon system, the auto industry recommends you continue to use Freon as long as it's available, said Simon Oulouhojian, president of the Mobile Air Conditioning Society, a trade group. If, however, you need to have a major overhaul of your air conditioning system - if your compressor fails, for instance - it may make sense to have the system converted while you're at it.
Switching to the new coolant isn't just a matter of draining out the old and replacing it with the new, said Tom Bradshaw, owner of Bradshaw's Radiator and Air Conditioning Service Inc. in Roanoke. Your car's entire A/C system will have to be retrofitted, at a cost of $100 to $800, depending on the make and model.
Once you get past the initial conversion cost, switching to the new coolant actually will be cheaper than using Freon. That's because the government has imposed sizeable taxes on CFC-laden products - the tax on Freon is $5.85 per pound - in an attempt to encourage Americans to convert to the new chemicals. The new coolant sells for about a third the cost of Freon.
Freon prices continue to rise. Last Friday, a canister of CFC-12 was selling for $17, Bradshaw said. By Tuesday, it had risen to $20. Ten years ago, Oulouhojian said, he could have gotten a truckload of Freon for $15,000. Today, he said, he'd pay closer to $350,000.
Unfortunately, Bradshaw said, the cost is passed on to consumers. Expect to spend $100 or more to have your system recharged and refilled. The price is likely to rise as the cost of Freon goes up; last week, he said, he was charging $86 to $100 for a recharge.
The good news is, you don't necessarily need to have your A/C serviced every year. If it's keeping you cool enough, it's probably working fine. If you aren't sure, use a thermometer to check the temperature of the air coming out of the vents. The air sometimes will be plenty cold, he said, but the heat of the sun coming through the windows will heat up the inside of the car faster than the A/C can cool it down.
You may want to have it checked every year, to make sure you aren't losing too much Freon. A checkup will run you $20 to $40, plus a charge for any Freon the technician has to add. Almost every A/C system leaks at least a little; an annual checkup may catch a larger leak before it gets out of hand.
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Converting Car Coolers. (chart) color.by CNB