ACtion Magazine - September/October 2012 - (Page 16)

Under the Southern Cross Ken Newton, CEO. VASA A government finally owns up – hydrocarbons are flammable dramatically increased the cost of synthetic refrigerants, including R-134a. The government, of course, had to justify its carbon tax (they call it a price) on refrigerants by saying it would encourage the recycling of gasses like R-134a, improve the servicing of existing equipment to reduce leakage, encourage manufacturing innovation to produce lower global warming refrigerants, and encourage switching to less environmentally obnoxious refrigerants – but only if they are ‘appropriate’ and meet safety and legislative standards. And while acknowledging that hydrocarbons make an efficient refrigerant, it goes on to warn that they only be used in equipment that is fit for purpose, and not used in equipment designed for a specific HFC, where to do so could introduce safety hazards. That clause alone would put paid to the whole question of whether hydrocarbons have a place in vehicle air conditioning. No mainstream car manufacturer in the world has developed a climate control system designed for hydrocarbons and there are certainly safety hazards attached to hydrocarbon use. The government has reminded the repair industry of its ‘obligations’ to inform customers considering hydrocarbons of the risks involved and even further, customers ‘may need to consider additional matters such as warranty or insurance obligations.’ Their warning says that there are safety regulations already in place in many jurisdictions, and in others, hydrocarbon refrigerant use is forbidden without authorisation from a relevant authority. A comprehensive checklist for installing and maintaining equipment is provided, along with a consumer checklist, which, we suspect, will be on the wall of every VASA workshop in the nation by now. It’s very much to the point: “If a flammable refrigerant is proposed to be used, has the consumer been made aware of the risks involved, and has the consumer given written approval to proceed with the installation?” It’s a document which could have been written by VASA twenty or more years ago. The fact that the Australian government has chosen to write it, without having their political arm twisted, gives it a ‘Ten Commandments’ status. ❆ Y our sister organisation down under, VASA, has been sued, bullied, harassed, ridiculed and pilloried for the past quarter century for having the intestinal fortitude to remind motorists that hydrocarbon refrigerant was never meant to be used in a modern passenger car as an air conditioning refrigerant and could, indeed, be risky for both passengers and components. Suggestions that switching to hydrocarbon refrigerant was a dangerous practice, that compressor warranty would be voided, that car manufacturers don’t want it in their cars and that air conditioning equipment would be compromised were scoffed at by the green and natural refrigerant lobbyists. “Millions of cars use it around the world and there has never been an incident,” they crowed. VASA, they often said, was a sponsored front for the makers of synthetic greenhouse gas. The association, which was really only the messenger and not the policy maker, was beginning to feel like the boy who cried wolf. It was the only organisation which ever really tried to steer the motoring public and the workshops towards professional practice, using the refrigerant stipulated by the car makers and the compressor makers. Not any more. No less than the Australian Government is now on our side. In a rather unexpected but highly welcomed move, an official document was recently widely distributed by the Australian government’s Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (multi-skilling is big down here). It proclaims, for the first time in words that a commoner could understand, that flammable refrigerants are risky in a car. Hidden among the references to various state legislations and regulations could also be found the message that in most jurisdictions, it would be at best unlawful and at worst, unwise, to use flammable refrigerants. The document was a breath of fresh air and is now being widely circulated by interested authorities. It has also become a very useful stick for the wholesale sector to justify not putting hydrocarbons on the shelf for automotive air conditioning use. The trigger for the release of this long awaited document was the dreaded new carbon tax, which has 16 ACTION • September/October 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - September/October 2012

ACtion Magazine - September/October 2012
Table of Contents
Outlook
In Bin
Expansion Valve
Leonard’s Law
Under The Southern Cross
Cooling Corner
Virtual View
News & Updates
Got Diesel?
Shutter Up!
Association News
Quick Check
New Products & Services
Last Watch
2013 Training Event Program

ACtion Magazine - September/October 2012