Question: My mechanic says I have to have a refrigerant
leak fixed before he can legally recharge my air conditioner.
Is that true?
Answer: It depends. In some areas, local and state law
says professional technicians must fix known leaks before they
can legally recharge your A/C system. This is the case in Florida
and Austin, Texas.
Federal law, however, does not yet prohibit the recharging
of leaking A/C systems. But that may change.
The primary reason why they're so serious about fixing leaks
is to stop the loss of R12 into the atmosphere. R12 is an ozone-depleting
chemical that will no longer be produced after the end of 1995.
In the past, most people would simply have a few pounds of
refrigerant added to their system if it was leaking -- which was
usually enough to get them through the summer unless the leak
was really bad. Then the following summer, they'd do the same
thing again. Meanwhile, zillions of pounds of refrigerant continue
to escape into the atmosphere and work their evil against the
Earth's protective ozone layer high in the stratosphere.
By banning the sale of refrigerant to noncertified individuals,
the Environmental Protection Agency eliminated easy access to
refrigerant for most people. So now you have to take your vehicle
to a professional for service. The professional technician is
then supposed to identify any leaks and encourage you to have
them fixed before he recharges your A/C system with more refrigerant.
In practice, some individuals may tell you they can't (or won't)
recharge your A/C system unless you have a leak fixed. They might
be able to refuse you on moral grounds, but not legal ones unless
you live in an area that has such a law on the books.
RECYCLING REFRIGERANT
Since 1993, all service facilities that work on automotive
A/C systems must have two things: a technician certified in refrigerant
recovery and recycling procedures, and the proper equipment for
doing so. The EPA wants professional technicians to do this because
(1)it eliminates the unnecessary venting of refrigerant into the
atmosphere (which was a common practice before all this came about),
and (2) to extend the existing supplies of R12.
Approved recover and recycling equipment does a fine job of
cleaning the refrigerant so it can be used over again. As long
as the equipment is maintained and operated correctly, you should
have no fear of recycled refrigerant. The Society of Automotive
Engineers (SAE) has established minimum quality standards for
purity and moisture content to assure everyone that recycled refrigerant
is good refrigerant.
