Refrigerant: Service Precautions

1. REFRIGERANT
Do not put CFC-12 refrigerant into a HFC-134a air conditioning system. Also, do not put HFC-134a refrigerant into a CFC-12 air conditioning system. If the wrong refrigerant is used, poor lubrication will result and the compressor itself may be destroyed.




2. HANDLING OF REFRIGERANT
Because refrigerant boils at approx. -30 °C (-22 °F) at sea level, it is cold enough to give you severe frostbite. Always wear goggles to protect your eyes and gloves to protect your hands. Also, even under the pressures normally found in CFC-12 containers, refrigerant will boil with the addition of heat. This could raise the pressure inside the container to a dangerous level.

Never expose a can of HFC-134a to direct sunlight, or to temperatures over 40 °C (104 °F). One more thing to remember about HFC-134a is that when it is exposed to an open flame or to hot metal, it forms phosgene, a deadly gas. Do not discharge HFC-134a into the atmosphere on purpose. Always read and follow the precautions on the HFC-134a bottle.