I got a recovery unit at a yard sale that is supposedly compatible with r-12 and r-134. The tank says r-12 bit it came with another refill tank that is r-134. I know r-134 is kinda greenish yellow in color. I have never actually seen r-12, what color does the liquid look like? Can I tell the difference between the two just by looking?
- Thread starter Tvertiz
- Start date
Steve@Advance
Well-known Member
I don't think any of it has color, but other than looking through a sight glass how would you know?
It probably has leak detector dye in it.
The way to tell which refrigerant it is involves taking accurate temperature and pressure readings of the container and comparing the readings to a pressure/temperature chart.
That will tell what the refrigerant is assuming it is pure and uncontaminated, which is very unlikely.
Would it be safe to use? No, you would be taking a big chance on contaminating the whole system, something that can be very destructive and hard to undo once it's done! If you do use it, be sure to run it through a filter!
Best thing would be to turn them in for recycling. (You probably need an EPA card to do that, not sure, never done it). Then start over with new/refurbished reclaim cylinders.
The recovery unit is probably OK, but I would always use a filter with anything coming out of it.
It probably has leak detector dye in it.
The way to tell which refrigerant it is involves taking accurate temperature and pressure readings of the container and comparing the readings to a pressure/temperature chart.
That will tell what the refrigerant is assuming it is pure and uncontaminated, which is very unlikely.
Would it be safe to use? No, you would be taking a big chance on contaminating the whole system, something that can be very destructive and hard to undo once it's done! If you do use it, be sure to run it through a filter!
Best thing would be to turn them in for recycling. (You probably need an EPA card to do that, not sure, never done it). Then start over with new/refurbished reclaim cylinders.
The recovery unit is probably OK, but I would always use a filter with anything coming out of it.
Tx Jim
Well-known Member
- Location
- Coyote Flats, Texas
Ditto what Steve@Advance stated. Only color I've seen in refrigerant is leak detector coloring.
Roger in Iowa
Well-known Member
R 12 is clear. Had a training aid that had sight glass in the liquid line. It was hard to tell liquid was present as had little or no color.
jimg.allentown
Well-known Member
R-12 and R-134a are both clear in their relatively pure state. The coloring comes from leak detection dye that was added. I used to use charging cylinders for charging A/C units. Those cylinders were clear, so I could see the liquid level inside.
Never trust used refrigerant. Even if you did the recovery yourself, you never know what was in the system before it came to you. There have been a host of "drop in replacements" for R-12 since the switch to R-134a. Many contained flammable gases like Butane and Propane. Some also contained other refrigerants like R-22. Most claimed to be "legal" and "drop in" replacements for R-12 as well as claimed to be compatible with R-12 systems and refrigerants. BEWARE!!!
Never trust used refrigerant. Even if you did the recovery yourself, you never know what was in the system before it came to you. There have been a host of "drop in replacements" for R-12 since the switch to R-134a. Many contained flammable gases like Butane and Propane. Some also contained other refrigerants like R-22. Most claimed to be "legal" and "drop in" replacements for R-12 as well as claimed to be compatible with R-12 systems and refrigerants. BEWARE!!!
tractorguy2
Well-known Member
neither has any color.
Chris English
Member
Back in 1980, I went to work for a then promenent co-op that did all kinds of service work. The old technician I would assit from time to time was the lead refrigeration guy. We only used r12 and r22 in the bulk tank systems. He taught me that by bleeding off a bit of refrigerant gas and tasting it, r22 was just a bit sweeter!!!!!!
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