aircon pump removal?

hiya lads,i,m ripping all serpentine parts off my disco 3.9 for a fellow lzone member,question is how do you get the aircon pump off.i don,t mean boltwise-its off i mean gas wise.im under the impression you should,nt disturb aircon lines,the liquids dangerous?or it haynes talking s**t

Hi Bart, Mr Haynes is just being green as its only bad for the ozone! and the amount of gas in an air con system isn't anything to worry about. You give off more dangerous gasses from your deodarant lol

cheers matey,its off now there was foook all in it,not even an isssss.no wonder i was sweatin me b**ls off last summer.

do you know what the **** you are on about!!!!!!!!!
on contact with the skin it freezes instantly!
on contact with your lungs causes permant damage possible death!
opening the gas to the atmosphere is a criminal offence
if you are unlucky enough to have the old system and have an accident and a fire the air con gas when burning becomes mustard gas quality

e4yob said:

Hi Bart, Mr Haynes is just being green as its only bad for the ozone! and the amount of gas in an air con system isn't anything to worry about. You give off more dangerous gasses from your deodarant lol

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You also need to be a certified MAC enginner to evacuate air con systems, otherwise you are open to charges.
The only thing yu can do is top up the system with one of those cans, providing you dont knowingly release gases, you are OK.

r12 + fire = phosgene gas , the british equivilant of mustard gas for ww1. thats whay the changed it , well plus the greenies lol

Get a life!!!
I was mearly offering FREE advice
It maybe illegal but I suppose you've never broken the law in your life and I bet every single scrap yard in the country obey the law when breaking there cars, I think not!
Only cars made pre 1992 came with R12 refrigerent Since 1992 they came with R134a which is not poisonous, harmful to health or explosive and is environmentally friendly.
Cars older than 1992 unless converted to use R134a will use RS24 if they've had a service or refill since 1992. which is the R12 replacement AKA R426a and has no ODP has a low toxicity and is non flamable under all conditions of fractionation. I doubt that there are many cars out there with there original R12 gas left in them.
R134a used in cars since 1992/1993 is a hydroflurocarbon compound and has no chlorine content No ODP and a modest GWP. and is also a propellent agent which is found in your every day deodrant cans.
ALL gasses are dangeous to some extent.
As for skin burns If you drain the gas on the low pressure side then you wont get the liquid come out which is what causes the frost bite effect, the gas could cause an irritation which is a result from a defatting action on tissue.
As for lung damage you would need to constantly need to breath it in for many years for it to give you long term permant damage and not a mear wiff from a car system.
As for fires I wouldn't excpect some one to work on a gas system with a fag hagging out of there mouth like some utter numpty.
I was mearly giving free advice and not trying to sell my services. Its C**T'S like you that spoil these forums for ordinary people who are mearly after friendly tips and advise and genarally not looking for a paid service.
So to answer your question
YES I do know what the **** i'm talking about.

vougese39 said:

do you know what the **** you are on about!!!!!!!!!
on contact with the skin it freezes instantly!
on contact with your lungs causes permant damage possible death!
opening the gas to the atmosphere is a criminal offence
if you are unlucky enough to have the old system and have an accident and a fire the air con gas when burning becomes mustard gas quality

Click to expand...

e4yob said:

Only cars made pre 1992 came with R12 refrigerent Since 1992 they came with R134a which is not poisonous, harmful to health or explosive and is environmentally friendly.

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since when has Tetrafluorethane been safe or environmentaly friendly?

even the HSE states....
"
The main risks to health and safety associated with R12 or R134a occur if they are released into the atmosphere. The risks include:

• [FONT=Arial,Helvetica][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]
  [*]FROSTBITE [/FONT][/FONT]- caused by skin or eye contact with the refrigerant liquid or gas; [FONT=Arial,Helvetica][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]
  [*]ASPHYXIATION [/FONT][/FONT]- if the heavier-than-air gas escapes in sufficient quantities into a vehicle inspection pit or similar confined space where someone is working; [FONT=Arial,Helvetica][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]
  [*]HARMFUL GASES [/FONT][/FONT]- resulting from thermal decomposition of the refrigerant in contact with a naked flame or exposure to high temperatures, for example the highly toxic gas phosgene from R12.

There is also a risk of explosion if hot work, such as welding or burning, is carried out on or near air-conditioning systems, as high temperatures could cause the system pressure to increase significantly.
Though the deliberate release of R12 and R134a into the atmosphere has been prohibited since 1991 some activities could cause accidental release. "

and BOC states in their safety data sheet....

"1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (R134a) {EINECS No. 212-377-0}

HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION​

Hazards identification Contact with product may cause cold burns or frostbite.
In high concentrations may cause asphyxiation.
Liquefied gas​

4 FIRST AID MEASURES​

Inhalation In low concentrations may cause narcotic effects. Symptoms may include dizziness, headache,
nausea and loss of co-ordination.
In high concentrations may cause asphyxiation. Symptoms may include loss of
mobility/consciousness. Victim may not be aware of asphyxiation.
Remove victim to uncontaminated area wearing self contained breathing apparatus. Keep
victim warm and rested. Call a doctor. Apply artificial respiration if breathing stopped.
Skin/eye contact In case of frostbite spray with water for at least 15 minutes. Apply a sterile dressing.
Immediately flush eyes thoroughly with water for at least 15 minutes.
Obtain medical assistance​

Ingestion Ingestion is not considered a potential route of exposure."

As for Environmentaly friendly , The Gas regulations V1.1 (May 2009) state that....
"This EC directive aims to control the rate of leakage of HFC R-134a and to phase out its use....... with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) higher than 150. Hydroflurocarbon HFC R-134a has a GWP of 1300"

So please excuse me if I am slightly sceptical of your comments. ​

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firstly I didn't state that the r134a was safe mearly environmentally friendly. Ok i should have elaborated to the fact that it is more environmentally friendly than the old R12 gas. Sorry my mistake. also Aerosol cans contain 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane which you vent to atmosphere every day whithout risk to health. Like r134a if you put an aerosole can on a fire it will explode but you don't do it, and if you inhale the gas will cause the same resperitory symptoms as r134a and even death but you don't do it,
we could argue and dispute facts and data sheets over and over but lets not forget what we are talking about here and that is draining a cars aircon system. 1.5kg's of gas at most.
Although leagally and morrally wrong. if done in a vetalated area and you don't stand over it breathing it in and welding your car at the same time or smoking a fag, it's not going to do a great deal of harm.
I'm not disputing the risks to health or hazards but perhaps you would like to elaborate on the sheer quantaties of gas we are actualy talking about and not the odd kg or so that a car system holds.
The hazardous data sheets are more aimed at the more frequent or contstant user. ie your refrigeration or air con engineer.
as for fires yes any pressurised gas is explosive but if your venting a gas you are highly unlikely to be welding or burning. Common sense.

Ah fink hes got a point

lets agree to disagree. Tiz both illegal and irresponsible to evacuate a MAC system without using the proper equipment. Just get it evacuated by a professional - wont cost much - £60 tops.