JBuckley Posted August 6, 2005 Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 Saw this site, and I have always heard that you should never put sealant in an AC system, but of course on their site it looks like good stuff. I always go by the if it seems to good... http://www.duracool.com/ Has anyone used it, or know of anyone who has and their experience. John John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davedog Posted August 6, 2005 Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 I've got it in my system right now. Blows nice and COLD....mine doen't have the sealant additive though... -dave Crystal Red Tintcoat Exterior | Shale/Brownstone Interior | 32k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted August 6, 2005 Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 Saw this site, and I have always heard that you should never put sealant in an AC system, but of course on their site it looks like good stuff. I always go by the if it seems to good... http://www.duracool.com/ Has anyone used it, or know of anyone who has and their experience. John Well, the site is quite impressive but then you wouldn't expect anything else, would you? Like you John, I am very leary. I did notice in reading further that is basicaly propane, though as they say a "refined refrigerant grade" whatever that is. I don't know. I'll stick with R134a and reserve judgement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDK Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 Well, The DuraCool site downplays the flammability issues a little too much (no mention until the end of the FAQ's). Granted, there may not be a significant risk increase in going to propane, but they dance around a little too much. There is not much info on the subject of "propane refrigerant", but what does exist is fascinating. For example, most of the fancy sites are "pseudo-science sites" boo-hooing the propane concept and promoting CFC's and CHFC's etc. There is one site for 1994-era text files that has a wealth of A/C banter when the systems were being changed over from R12 to R or whatever. Wow, those guys were brutal bitching about the changes etc. It got way too political for me, but some of the technological arguments were... technical and logical. What they ranted about low-budget shops sucking out old freon and re injecting without reprocessing to remove water could be very true. Moisture breaks down the freon refrigerant over time to HF (hydrofluoric acid) which immediately chews into the system piping etc and sludges it up over several months. Kinda like flushing transmission fluids. Anybody want to try this concept with a total blood transfusion? Surely, propane is a "natural refrigerant" like ammonia (which stinks a bit but would have virtually no flammability issues, but forget it with copper). I have not looked into propane's thermodynamic properties compared to the various chlorinated hydrocarbons. Assuming DuraCool's claims are not total BS, I do not doubt that it could work just fine. However, aside from the ever-present "car manufacturer conspiracies", it must be some kind of safety/marketing thing that is preventing wider usage of propane or even ammonia as refrigerants in cars, home and appliances. Going the other way, I just can not figure why anyone would want to make the CFC's - if they wer not required for operability, cost etc. Then again, propane could have been illegal some time ago for some complicated, environmental BS (possible refrigerant stockpile contamination, yada-yada). This subject bears more investigation... Davedog, did you say your car was converted over to DuraCool (propane)? In any case, thanks for an interesting thread Add power to leave problems behind. Most braking is just - poor planning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjayzway Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 I HAVE DELT WITH DURACOOL IN THE PAST, AND I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING BAD FROM USERS. I have seen it put into a lot of cars, as we use to sell it, at the parts supply I worked at for a few years. Although I have never used it in any of my Cadillacs, only cause R134 is so cheap, if I ever needed it. Big Jay Life is too short to grow up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinW Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 Pure propane will work in place of R-22 (chlorodifluoromethane). If it's mixed with 40-50% (by weight) isobutane, it'll function in place of R-12 or R-134a, since it would be miscible with mineral oil, glycols, or esters. Performance will increase, as blends make more effective use of the heat exchangers, and energy consumption will decrease (proven in various studies of stationary refrigeration equipment). The recipe for making your own HC refrigerant has been circulating on the Net from the early '90s. Also consider the length of time they have been marketed by commercial outfits, as well as the risk assessment studies performed and general usage outside of North America. If you're still worried about 10-16 oz of HC that can dissipate quickly (decreasing the chance of localised, ignitable concentrations), what about the 100+ pounds of gasoline under the rear seat, and the 40+ psi of operating pressure that almost assures a leak path involving a fine mist, with a low enough volatility that ensures it will linger, increasing the ignition potential? ___________________________________________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 I don't have anything against Duracool but why would anyone want to retrofit a R-134a system to Duracool? All factory R-134a systems in vehicles I've ridden in perform just fine. The real reason that Duracool exists is for retrofitting R-12 systems yet it is illegal in many states... Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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