why would you stock r134a it sucks. I can see that for r12 but 134?
Probably because it will only go up in price and it's what is used in every car built since about 1993. R12 cannot be used in anything sold in recent years. If you want the best price on 134a you can get 30lb container with free shipping and no tax for $147 or $3.67 per 12 oz. You may be able to buy 134a without EPA AC certification but its legal use is not assured. It cannot be legally released in to the atmosphere and breaking a system to even add or service the equipment is not legal unless you have EPA 609 certification.
THE EPA REGULATIONS
"Since January 1, 1993, any person, repairing or servicing motor vehicle air conditioners shall certify, to the EPA that such person has acquired, and is properly using, approved equipment, and that each individual authorized to use the equipment is properly trained and certified under Section 609 of the Clean Air Act. In addition, only Section 609 Certified Motor Vehicle A/C technicians can purchase refrigerants in any size container from an auto supply house for use in cooling the passenger compartment of vehicles, including containers of 20 pounds or less."
Even though it says you cannot purchase unless you are certified this does not seem to be enforced as 134a is often sold to anyone in auto supply houses and Wal-Mart but most AC suppliers will not sell anything to anyone without certification. They do not want the liability resulting from injury or the threat of fines.
The fine for doing so is $10,000 but I don't know if any individual has ever been prosecuted. Business' certainly have.
Just adding refrigerant to a system because it is not cooling properly is not a good idea at all. There are many reasons a system is not performing correctly other than low refrigerant. Adding refrigerant to a fully charged system will make it worse. Also, if it is low, it has a leak. refrigerant is not consumed. The only way to determine proper refrigerant charge, which is very critical in a 134a system, is to evacuate the system capturing the refrigerant, and recharging using the removed gas along with any additional to achieve the exact charge weight the system requires. There are no "sight glasses" any more and using pressure /temperature/humidity charts and gauges are no longer accurate enough for systems using multi component gasses such as 134a, 410a and others.
It can cost a lot of money to undo some "repairs" and there is also considerable danger handling refrigerants and the pressures involved for the unaware. As an ER MD I have seen many injuries including blindness to individuals resulting from AC repairs gone wrong. Both to professionals and DIY'ers. Probably more than anyone wanted to know and for information only.
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