07/10/2026
We are coming into the summer air conditioning season. Here are a few things you should know. The topping up of your auto ac with a substitute refrigerant or refrigerant with stop leak is a very bad idea. All refrigerant substitutes are based on Propane and Butane which are highly flammable. Stop leaks are chemicals that solidify when they come in contact with air and moisture. If the system containing stop leak is opened for any reason the chances are you will be replacing the following to get it working again-every part the refrigerant touches ( compressor, condenser, evaporator, all lines/hoses, accumulator/drier, expansion valves and or***ce tube). Only use pure refrigerants, it's far cheaper in the long run.
Next we come to servicing. Do it yourself-possible but dangerous and potentially expensive. Having certified technicians do it; slightly more expensive but it is done safely and done right. That's for the old R12 and R134a refrigerants. When it comes to the newer R1234YF we are talking another level of equipment and training needed. This refrigerant has an almost zero level of ozone depleting rating and almost zero green house gas rating. Very good for environment. However it is slightly flammable. Not a petroleum product but still flammable. To protect you there are new protocols and procedures that must be followed. The machines made to service these units have built in refrigerant identifiers and vacuum leak detectors an pressure leak detectors. The old machines only checked for vacuum leaks. Most leaks are pressure leaks not vacuum leaks. What this means while servicing is that the machine stops the process if contaminated refrigerant is found or a vacuum leak or pressure leak is found. The machines will not function out of sequence. This is for your safety. But it means a process at least 3 times longer than normal to do a service. You don't want that flammable gas entering the passenger compartment through a leaking evaporator core. The refrigerant is slightly flammable remember. Not flammable like gasoline but it will burn. Speaking of the refrigerant it is very much more expensive than the older refrigerants. Old refrigerant R134a is selling for around 3-4 dollars an ounce and the system holds from 1 lbs. to 2.5 lbs. (about a KG). The new refrigerant contains far less but still very expensive at around 14 dollars an ounce with average system holding less than an 16 ounces (.455 KG).
To be safe and get it done right I urge you to have it done professionally. Remember it is slightly flammable and with the new allowable leakage if you are down on refrigerant and the vehicle is less than 10 years old you have a leak!
Have a safe and happy auto AC season.
