Promote using propane as a refrigerant safely. It's not like if you get into a front end collision the condenser is going to blow up

I believe propane is better than 134a, so I would evacuate it. I don't remember ever reading a report that said it could be mixed? I know it's compatible with both and several different types of oils. So the oil doesn't have to be flushed.

 

I took a long spin yesterday and was very pleased with the cooling. I dislike excessive cooling but this was just about right for me. BTW the sight glass shows a kind of flow turbulence with the AC running; oh and my engine temperature came up quicker than normal so I was running my electric rad fan in stop-and-go traffic. I'm certain that SWMBO will be most impressed as we 5th wheel trailer tour across the American mid-west later this month.

 

Don't go by the sight glass anymore

Engine temp increase must be from the condenser transferring heat to the radiator.

 

I forgot where I found it but 134 with the proper amount of oil has the same flash point as propane. Also 134 if it leaks on to a hot manifold/ or is burned as in a car fire, will produce phosphene gas. 4 parts per million is lethal.

For those who are using or planning to use propane, hardware store propane is not that pure. r-290 is refridgerant propane, and has a higher flash point.

 

Interesting, Here is the msds for 134a...says non flammable.Here is the msds for propane. 'Nuff said Guess we should ignore the industry material safety data sheet. I remembered where I found it...Mark

 

Here is an interesting article about propane in a commercial system...It blew up. Scroll down to article entitled "accident waiting to happen". There are more examples of this, so we each make decisions in life, we should be stand up enough to take the consequences of our actions. Unfortunately, that seems to be a near extinct human quality...Mark

 

At the risk of putting my foot in my mouth again I have to say that there are a number of interesting subtexts to the article though. The site appears to have been an industrial accident waiting to happen. A fire in progress at a site crammed with flammable dairy products and polystyrene. Inadequate water and fire suppression on hand, etc.

The propane did definitely explode and cause real damage. BUT... interestingly the propane was present as part of a commercially available refrigerant "Hychill Minus 50". I'm focusing on this because of the amount of alarmists pushing brand name products over straight propane when many of these same products contain propane and butane already.

Ironically this commercial brand name refrigerant doesn't have an odor added as most straight propanes do. The site would have actually been safer had they been using propane instead of Hychill as there would have been a gas smell.

It's definitely an impassioned debate. I'll sit out the rest of it as I think everyone knows my position. Personally I just enjoyed driving home with 35 degree AC in the Phoenix summer and so far would definitely do it again.

But the flip side is, I'm not comfortable enough yet with my tinkering where I would do it to my wife's car and send her on her way without a second thought.

I do think that in the next 5-10 years we'll see most drop in replacements with high propane and butane percentages but assigned custom brand names and patented blended amounts that have to be fully recovered to precent fractioning so that Dupont can make their money. (This last however is merely my conspiracy theorist anti-lobby side run wild.)