United Slates Office of Air and Radiation June 1997
Environmental Protection Stratospheric Protection Division EPA-430-F-97-065
Agency 620SJ
Choosing and Using Alternative Refrigerants
for Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning
OZONE PROTECTION HOTUNE TOLL-FREE (800) 296-1996
EPA'S'MOTOR VEHICLE AIR CONDITIONING WORLD WIDE WEB SITE:
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/609/
Note: this version contains several changes from earlier versions. In particular, an explanation of the compressor cutoff
switch has been added to the discussion of the use conditions and to footnote 2 on the table of refrigerants, and GHG-X5
and Duracool (a refrigerant similar to HC-12aŽ) have been added to the table of refrigerants.
Background
Scientists worldwide have concluded that CFC-12 and other chlorofluorocarbons deplete the
ozone layer. As a result, over 150 countries have signed a treaty to protect the earth's ozone layer
called the Montreal Protocol. In the US, the Protocol is implemented by the Clean Air Act, and
regulations issued under the Act ended the production of CFC-12 for air conditioning and refrigeration
uses on December 31, 1995.
CFC-12 (also known by the trade name Freon) was widely used in air conditioners for
automobiles and trucks for over 30 years. While new vehicles no longer use CFC-12, most vehicles
built before 1994 still require its use for servicing. As a result, 30 million cars or more may need
conversions to use an alternative refrigerant should the air conditioning develop a leak after CFC-12 is
no longer available.
EPA Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP)
In 1994, EPA established the SNAP Program to review alternatives to ozone-depleting
substances like CFC-12. Under the authority of the 1990 Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA examines new
substitutes for their ozone-depleting, global warming, flammability, and toxicity characteristics. EPA
has determined that several refrigerants are acceptable for use as CFC-12 replacements in motor
vehicle air conditioning systems, subject to certain use conditions. This feet sheet lists the use
conditions in detail and provides information about the current crop of refrigerants.
It is important to understand the meaning of "acceptable subject to use conditions." EPA
believes such refrigerants, when used in accordance with the conditions, are safer for human health
arid the environment than CFC-12. This designation does not mean that the refrigerant will work in
any specific system, nor does it mean that the refrigerant is perfectly safe regardless of how it is used.
Finally, note that EPA does not approve or endorse any one refrigerant that is acceptable subject to
use conditions over others also in that category.
Note also that EPA does not test refrigerants. Rather, we review information submitted to us
by manufacturers and various independent testing laboratories. Therefore, it is important to discuss
any new refrigerant with your vehicle dealer and shop technician before deciding to use it, and in
particular to determine what effect using a new refrigerant will have on your warranty. Before
choosing a new refrigerant, you should also consider whether it is readily and widely available, and
your technician should consider the cost of buying recovery/recycling equipment for that refrigerant.
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Additional considerations about purchasing CFC-12 substitutes can be found in EPA's fact sheet titled
"Questions to Ask Before You Purchase an Alternative Refrigerant."
Misleading Use of "Drop-in" to Describe Refrigerants
Many companies use the term "drop-in" to mean that a substitute refrigerant will perform
identically to CFC-12, that no modifications need to be made to the system, and that the alternative
can be used alone or mixed with CFC-12. However, EPA believes the term confuses and obscures
several important regulatory and technical points. First, charging one refrigerant into a system before
extracting the old refrigerant is a violation of the SNAP use conditions and is, therefore, illegal.
Second, certain components may be required by law, such as hoses and compressor shutoff switches.
If these components are not present, they must be installed. See the section below on use conditions
for more information on these points. Third, it is impossible to test a refrigerant in the thousands of
air conditioning systems in existence to demonstrate identical performance. In addition, system
performance is strongly affected by outside temperature, humidity, driving conditions, etc., and it is
impossible to ensure equal performance under all of these conditions. Finally, it is very difficult to
demonstrate that system components will last as long as they would have if CFC-12 were used. For
all of these reasons, EPA does not use the term "drop-in" to describe any alternative refrigerant.
Use Conditions
Under the SNAP rule, each new refrigerant must be used in accordance with the conditions
listed below. If you choose to use an alternative, make sure the service shop meets these requirements
and that it has dedicated recovery/recycling equipment for that refrigerant.
UNIQUE FITTINGS: Each new refrigerant must be used with a unique set of fittings to
prevent the accidental mixing of different refrigerants. These fittings are attachment points on the car
itself, on all recovery/recycling equipment, on can taps and other charging equipment, and on all
refrigerant containers. If the car is being retrofitted, any service fittings not converted to the new
refrigerant must be permanently disabled. Unique fittings help protect the consumer by ensuring that
only one type of refrigerant is used in each car. They also help protect the purity of the recycled
supply of CFC-12, which will mean it will last longer, so fewer retrofits will be necessary nationwide.
LABELS- Whether a car is originally designed to use a new refrigerant or is retrofitted, the
technician must apply a detailed label giving specific information about the alternative. The label's
color is chosen by the manufacturer to be unique, and it contains:
the name and address of the technician and the company performing the retrofit;
the date of the retrofit;
the trade name, charge amount, and, when applicable, the ASHRAE numerical designation of
the refrigerant;
the type, manufacturer, and amount of lubricant used; and
if the refrigerant is or contains an ozone-depleting substance, the phrase "ozone depleter"
This label covers up information about the old refrigerant, and provides valuable details on the
alternative and how it was used. It also tells the owner who performed the retrofit.
REMOVE ORIGINAL REFRIGERANT: The original CFC-12 must be removed from the
system prior to charging with the new refrigerant. This procedure will prevent the contamination of
one refrigerant with another. Refrigerants mixed within a system probably won't work and could
damage the system. As mentioned above, this requirement means that no alternative can be used as a
"drop-in."
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BARRIER HOSES: HCFC-22, a component in some blends, can seep out through traditional
hoses. Therefore, when using these blends, the technician must replace the old hoses with new, less
permeable hoses. The table notes this additional requirement where appropriate.
COMPRESSOR SHUTOFF SWITCH: Some systems have a device that automatically releases
refrigerant to the atmosphere to prevent extremely high pressures. When retrofitting any system with
such a device to use a new refrigerant, the technician must also install a high-pressure shutoff switch.
This switch will prevent the compressor from increasing the pressure to the point where the refrigerant
is vented.
Alternative Refrigerants
The table below summarizes the following information about refrigerants reviewed under
EPA's SNAP program for use in motor vehicle air conditioning systems. Note that "air conditioning"
means cooling vehicle passenger compartments, not cargo areas, so refrigeration units on trucks and
rail cars are not considered air conditioners.
Name: Many refrigerants are sold under various names. All known trade names are listed,
separated by slashes.
Status:
- acceptable subject to use conditions: May be used in any car or truck air conditioning
system, provided the technician meets the conditions described above. Note that EPA
cannot guarantee that any refrigerant will work in a specific system.
- unacceptable: Illegal to use as substitutes for CFC-12 in car or truck air conditioners.
- proposed acceptable subject to use conditions: May be used legally. EPA will accept
public comment on these refrigerants and then make a final ruling. There is no formal
EPA position until then, and it is inappropriate for advertising to imply that EPA has
found the product acceptable.
- not submitted: Illegal to use or sell for use in motor vehicle air conditioning systems.
Date of ruling: The date either a final rule or a proposed listing was published in the Federal
Register. Note that proposed listings are not final and may change because of public comment.
Manufacturer name and contact phone number: Call for more information on testing,
performance, system compatibility, etc.
Composition: Every refrigerant other than HFC-134a is a blend of several components.
For More Information
EPA's Stratospheric Ozone Protection Hotline (800-296-1996) distributes numerous fact
sheets and brochures. In addition, this information is available on EPA's World Wide Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/609/). Each of the following explains one issue related to motor
vehicle air conditioning and ozone depletion:
Qs & As on Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning: What Consumers & Service Technicians Want to
Know
Qs & As on HC-12a, OZ-12, and Other Flammable Refrigerants
Questions to Ask Before You Purchase an Alternative Refrigerant
The Facts Behind the Phaseout (ozone depletion science; found at
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/sc_fact.html)
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Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning Substitutes for CFC-12
Reviewed Under EPA's SNAP Program as of June 3,1997
Name (1)
HFC-134a
PRIGC
FR-12
Free Zone/
RB-276
(4)
lkon-12
R-406A/
GHG/
McCool (5)
GHG-X4/
Autofrost/
Chill-It (5)
Hot Shot/
Kar Kool (5)
GHG-HP (5)
FREEZE
12
GHG-X5 (5)
OZ-12
R-176
HC-12aĢ
Duraeool
12a
R-405A
Sta-
tus
(2)
ASU
ASU
ASU
ASU
ASU
ASU
ASU
ASU
ASU
ASU
UNA
UNA
UNA
UNA
UNA
Date
3/18/94
6/13/95
5/22/96
5/22/96
10/16/96
10/16/96
10/16/96
10/16/96
10/16/96
6/3/97
3/18/94
3/18/94
6/13/95
6/13/95
6/13/95
Manufacturer
Several
Irrtermagnetics
General
800-555-1442
Freezone
888-373-3066
Ikon Corp.
601-868-0755
People's
Welding
800-382-9006
People's
Welding
800-382-9006
ICOR
800-357-4062
People's
Welding
800-382-9006
Technical
Chemical
800-527-0885
People's
Welding
800-382-9006
OZ Technology
Arctic Chill
OZ Technology
Duraeool Limited
Green cool
Components / Reason Unacceptable
HCFC-
22
HCFC-
124
39
HCFC-
142b
19
HFC-
134a
100
59
79
Butane
(R-600)
2
Iso-
butan
HFC-
227ea
Composition claimed as confidential business information
55
51
50
65
41
28.5
39
41
16.5
9.5
31
20
15
80
4
4
1.5
4
4 .
40
Flammable blend of hydrocarbons; insufficient data to demonstrate safety
Contains CFC-12, which is inappropriate in a CFC-12 substitute
Flammable blend of hydrocarbons; insufficient data to demonstrate safety
This blend is identical to HC-12aĢ
Perfluorocarbon component; extremely high global warming potential and
lifetime
(1) R-401A (made by OuPont), R-401B (DuPont), R-409A (Elf Atochem), Care 30 (Calor Gas), Adak-29/Adak-12
(TACIP Int'l), MT-31 (Millenia Tech), and ES-12R (Irrtervest) have not been submitted for review in motor vehicle
air conditioning, and it is therefore illegal to use these refrigerants in such systems.
(2) See text for details on legality of use according to status.
ASU = acceptable subject to fittings, labeling, no drop-in, and compressor shutoff switch use conditions
UNA = unacceptable; illegal for use as a CFC-12 substitute in motor vehicle air conditioners
(3) Although some blends contain hydrocarbons, all blends that are ASU are nonflammable as blended.
(4) Freezone contains 2% of a lubricant.
(5) HCFC-22 content results in an additional use condition: must be used with barrier hoses.
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