Do we need to upgrade our aircon to use HFC?

[RafRaf]

MACoys.... HFC ba ang atin or CFC?


LTO to suspend registration of cars with CFC air cons
beginning 2006

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will not register vehicles manufactured from 1999 to the present if these have air conditioning systems using chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) starting next year.

Authorities consider CFC or ‘freon’ an ozone-depleting substance because, they said, each chlorine atom which breaks off from this compound when already in the stratosphere destroys up to 100,000 ozone molecules which form the ozone layer.

This layer blocks the sun’s ultraviolet rays from reaching the earth, preventing bad environmental and health consequences.

“These are among measures we will undertake to ensure phase-out in the country of CFC by 2010,” explained Elvira Pausing, head of the National CFC Phase-out Plan (NCPP) Project Management Unit under the Philippine Ozone Desk of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB).

NCPP is a strategy involving policy and regulatory interventions, investment and non-investment activities as well as technical assistance, to eliminate CFC consumption nationwide.

Pausing noted this move is in line with the Montreal Protocol’s objective of curbing the damage CFC is wrecking on the ozone layer.

“So vehicle owners must switch to air conditioning system using hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) instead for LTO to register their vehicles,” she said, noting this alternative component does not destroy the ozone layer.

Pausing said EMB and LTO are linking to promote HFC-based aircon systems because even if vehicle manufacturers already switched to this substance as early as 1994, many vehicle owners chose to convert their mobile aircon systems to CFC-based ones.

“This is mainly because CFC material service shops use when repairing such systems is over three times cheaper than HFC,” she explained.

Pausing added the DENR’s chemical control order already disallows such back conversion so vehicle owners should use HFC-based aircon systems by having their vehicles retrofitted in service shops.

By 2010, however, LTO shall already begin imposing fines on vehicles owners still using CFC for their mobile aircon, she said.

Pausing clarified, however, vehicles manufactured before 1999 shall still be accepted for registration until a designated period between 2012 and 2016.

“Afterwards, vehicles owners shall also have to comply with the HFC-only aircon requirement,” she said.

Authorities are looking forward to compliance of the Philippines to the Montreal Protocol’s total CFC phase-out schedule in 2010.

Pausing said the country already complied last year with the 50-percent reduction target for 2005.

[BlueBimmer]

from R12 to R134A, dpat palit compressor, filter/drier, expansion valve, condenser and sometimes pati na rin evaporator. pero depende pa rin sa sasakyan..

[Dieseler]

From what I know, compliant na ang Aircon ng Adventure, mine is a 1999 model, and HFC134a na siya, more so the later models.

[theveed]

AFAIK, most post 93 models are R134a already. You don't need to change compressors, you need to change hoses, valves lang.