Say Good Bye to R134a Auto AC Refrigerant and Hello to R-1234yf!
Beginning in 2021 all vehicles manufactured will be required to use the new R1234yf or Tetrafluoropropene refrigerant in their vehicles air conditioning systems. This new class of refrigerant was created in an effort to lessen the effects of leaking A/C systems to our environment.
In the 1930's the refrigerant R12 or Dichlorodifluoromethane was used in vehicles until the mid 1990's when concerns about its large impact to the ozone layer led to the creation of R134A or Tetrafluoroethane. This gas is in most of the vehicles we drive since it has been around since the mid 1990's. What has been realized about this gas is that while it is slightly less destructive than its predecessors, this gas stays in the atmosphere for 14 years possible contributing to climate change. In fact, The European Union banned R134a in cars manufacturered in Europe starting in 2011. 50% of all vehicle manufacturers switched to the new gas in 2018 and most recently, all were required to do so.
This new refrigerant shows to be much less damaging to our environment that its two predecessors. Here's how much less:
R12 GWP of 2400
R134A GWP of 1300
R1234yf GWP of -4
GWP stands for Global Warming Potential. A unit of GWP equals one unit of carbon dioxide. As you can see with the new refrigerant, the effect on our environment is much less than air conditioning refrigerants that have come before. Equipment used by repair shops to service and recharge this refrigerant in vehicles has also changed. No longer can you "add refrigerant" to a system that is known to have a leak. Even a small one. Our new unit will not allow refrigerant into the vehicle system until there is no leak detected. Older R134a systems CANNOT be converted to R1234yf refrigerant. R134a and R12 systems were not designed to handle the new R134yf gas.
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