SeaTac, Wash.-Mary and Nancy Fulford said they have more than 60 years of combined experience in selling A/C and climate-control parts to the Northwest trade from their family-owned business Northwest Air Conditioning.
The firm sells stock and custom parts, provides A/C machine repair service, and offers regular A/C training programs for technicians, they said.
On a recent Parts & People visit, the Fulfords discussed various refrigerants available in today’s marketplace, including the new refrigerant HFO-1234yf, with low global warming potential. According to an SAE report (CRP 1234), the HFO is being supported by 70 percent of the world’s vehicle manufacturers.
“While there are several refrigerants on the market, R-12 and R-134a are the only refrigerants that are able to be recycled properly in A/C service machines,” said Mary Fulford, adding that there are other EPA-approved refrigerants on the market, including various blends.
“While there is existing R-12 inventory available, it is getting more difficult to find,” she said. “R-134a is readily available and the pricing for 30-pound containers is stable and reasonable at this point.”
Nancy Fulford, who recently celebrated her 20th anniversary at Northwest Air Conditioning, said A/C parts manufacturers are clear about using only R-12 and R-134a refrigerants when it applies to warranties.
“There are lots of blends on the market that sound like ‘drop-in’ replacements, but service machines cannot recycle blends, and parts like compressors cannot be warrantied if blends are used,” she said.
The Fulfords said that R-744 refrigerant appears to be moving away from the market and noted that the SAE report said R-744 has an atmospheric lifetime of 100 years and is less effective in hot climates. Also according to the report, the proposed HFO-1234yf has an atmospheric lifetime of 11 days and has a “superior performance” in all climates, they said.
“The HFO makes sense if it produces lower greenhouse gases and remains in the atmosphere for only 11 days,” Nancy Fulford said.
While the HFO information reviewed in the SAE report indicates an improvement on environmental impact and is safe for automotive air conditioning systems, the Fulfords said that for now, the best way to service vehicles and protect parts is by using R-134a until the HFO-1234yf is fully approved and on the market.
