Air con refrigerant availability

[The T Boy]

Hello Kiwis

I'm emigrating to NZ in the next few months and am busy getting everything sorted.

I'm bringing a car with me and am getting all the little jobs done and buying any parts that look as though they may need replacing within the next year or so before shipping it out as the Law of Sod dictates that any part I need once I'm in NZ will require delivery from the UK.

The aircon needs a re-gas with RS24, the replacement for the now banned R12. I was going to do this now but Googling for aircon in NZ suggests that RS24 is not available over there and all cars that were running on R12 need converting to R134. I'm not keen on getting a conversion to R134 so if RS24 isn't available there then I won't bother getting it fixed before I come out as when it needs recharging again I'll be stuck and there is a risk that I'll have to have it emptied at Customs anyway if they think it's got R12 in it or if they don't accept RS24.

Does anyone know whether RS24 is readily available in NZ?

Looking forward to driving on some empty roads again!

[powerstroke]

The T Boy said:

Hello Kiwis

I'm emigrating to NZ in the next few months and am busy getting everything sorted.

I'm bringing a car with me and am getting all the little jobs done and buying any parts that look as though they may need replacing within the next year or so before shipping it out as the Law of Sod dictates that any part I need once I'm in NZ will require delivery from the UK.

The aircon needs a re-gas with RS24, the replacement for the now banned R12. I was going to do this now but Googling for aircon in NZ suggests that RS24 is not available over there and all cars that were running on R12 need converting to R134. I'm not keen on getting a conversion to R134 so if RS24 isn't available there then I won't bother getting it fixed before I come out as when it needs recharging again I'll be stuck and there is a risk that I'll have to have it emptied at Customs anyway if they think it's got R12 in it or if they don't accept RS24.

Does anyone know whether RS24 is readily available in NZ?

Looking forward to driving on some empty roads again!

Why would converting to 134a be a issue???? sounds like the person that filled your system with that rs24 crap has been giving you some smelly bovine poo about 134a
I have succefully converted 100s of systems from r12 to 134a since about 1994 when 12 was phased out (a/c repair and instaler est 1990)

[The T Boy]

I didn't say it would be a problem to change to R134, I'm just not sure I want to go changing bits out if I don't need to. RS24 is easy to get here and if it's available in NZ then that would be the way forward.

Is RS24 that much worse than R134?

[powerstroke]

The T Boy said:

I didn't say it would be a problem to change to R134, I'm just not sure I want to go changing bits out if I don't need to. RS24 is easy to get here and if it's available in NZ then that would be the way forward.

Is RS24 that much worse than R134?

Its a drop in blend that works with mineral oil that was used in the old r12 systems,it was quite expensive, ive never used it as I found just adding ester oil to a R12 system and fitting a new dryer worked just fine and saved carrying differnt gases , it also saves problems when working on systems when recovering gas for repairs and because the drop in replacement gases are a blend of gases if you have a leak what is left in the system is a bit of an unknown ..

[The T Boy]

Is all that is needed to convert to r134 a new drier then? There is a lot of conflicting advice as I read somewhere that the hoses and seals on an r12 system can be porous to r134 and so need changing too. Or is that a load of rubbish too?

[powerstroke]

The T Boy said:

Is all that is needed to convert to r134 a new drier then? There is a lot of conflicting advice as I read somewhere that the hoses and seals on an r12 system can be porous to r134 and so need changing too. Or is that a load of rubbish too?

sort of true, the old hoses were just two layer the newer hoses have a lining (barrier) ri2 seeped out to but because oil seeped out with it the oil tended to seal the hose, that was one reason systems lost some gas without obvious signs of leakage, if any conections are disturbed then the o rings need replaced otherwise they seem to do ok I doubt the leakage rate would be much different if you could fill it with R12 instead of 134a if there are long runs of old hose then you
will likely lose gas faster than if it has mostly metal pipes, dont worry about getting your A/C fixed over there they have a lot of experiance with older systems as they have imported 1000s of used cars from japan with r12 systems over the years ...yes just the dryer and oil... It'l be right mate !!!!!

[The T Boy]

Thanks.

Might need to take some new hoses with me though as there are rubber pipes running from the engine in the back, forward to the condenser and then all the way back again via the evaporator.

[Bull1t]

Now that the main issue appears to have been solved...why would anyone want air conditioning in New Zealand anyway. At best you'd use it a couple of days a year.

[GravelBen]

Bull1t said:

Now that the main issue appears to have been solved...why would anyone want air conditioning in New Zealand anyway. At best you'd use it a couple of days a year.

Maybe where you live! OK and where I live at the moment too, but there are plenty of places where you get properly baked over summer.

[mark387mw]

Properly baked here.

[lestag]

mark387mw said:

Properly baked here.

and here in northland.. Sit in a Stag, top down with black vinyl at traffic lights in full sun and not just baked , but melted. Was over the east cape a few years and had to resort to the top up with the back window unzipped, windows down just trying to keep cool. I now understand why you would have air conditioning in a convertible.....

[The T Boy]

Bull1t said:

Now that the main issue appears to have been solved...why would anyone want air conditioning in New Zealand anyway. At best you'd use it a couple of days a year.

A fair point I guess.

In my defence my car has an almost flat windscreen and a glass roof so even over here it gets a bit on the warm side. I'm moving to Auckland and when I was there last month it was definitely hot enough to need air con.

Also bear in mind that in used to crappy English temperatures so anything is going to feel hot.