from redtek.ca:
RED TEKŪ 12a, a HC-based refrigerant from Thermofluid Technologies, is a blend of environmentally safe hydrocarbon fluids designed as a direct replacement and retrofit refrigerant option for replacing R134a and R12 refrigerants in automotive air conditioning and refrigeration systems
My problems with it are:
1. It is not in wide-spread use, you will be hard-pressed to find an a/c service station that will knowlingly service your car. Most stations have only equipment for R12 and R134. They don't want to contaminate their equipment with anything else (and it is
illegal with huge fines). If you need to open your a/c system, your only choice maybe to wait until it leaks out completely.
It is very likely that it still falls at the same EPA rule as R12 which bans venting it to atmosphere ($10k fine for first offense) and requires recycling. Like R134 - yes you can buy it freely, no you cannot vent it into atmosphere.
2. It is a blend - it is not a single gas like R12 (F2Cl2CH4) or R134, it is a mix of different gases. In a lossy system (and all A/C systems are lossy) the different gases escape with different speeds - smaller molecules faster than the bigger ones. Over time the blend ratio in your system changes - this is uncontrollable, unmeasureable, there is no easy test (without a big chemical lab) to determine what is left. The only solution is probably a periodic recharge with fresh stuff - see item 1.
3. Redtek is "zeotrope" - from
http://www.macsw.org/news/pr43096.html
"Some blend refrigerants are zeotropes, which exhibit some amount of temperature glide when evaporating or condensing. Others may perform like azeotropes (glide is not noticeable in normal operation, less than 3 F). In the case of zeotropes with glides greater than 3 F, one end of the evaporator will be warmer than the other. This may affect system performance. R12 and R134a are pure component refrigerants and do not exhibit this glide effect. (Source: Elf Atochem product information.)
Since automotive A/C system evaporator designs have multiple refrigerant flow paths, hot spots may occur in some systems when blend refrigerants are used. This will cause system outlet air temperature to be warmer. During A/C system operation, such hot spots may also cause an odor problem under certain heat load and driving conditions. "
Here is an interesting link to a discussion about DURACOOL refrigerants (essentially the same stuff, hydrocarbon blend)
http://www.ackits.com/forum/messagev...&threadid=6133