Is it alright to us Pro A/C in R22 system?

[RobertMacy]

Oreilly Auto sells Pro A/C for recharging auto AC. What happens if Pro A/C is put into household system designed for R22?

[HomeGuy]

Pro A/C is R-134a.

I don't know how well the Pro A/C would connect up with the port on your home system, but as a "top-up" R134a doesn't seem to work well enough to be worth the hassle.

Propane, on the other hand, works very well as a top-up replacement for R22:

Because there is no oxygen in the refrigeration circuit, propane is no more dangerous than R22 in your A/C unit. All the FUD about using propane in R22 systems came from when people wanted to use it in cars, and there are hot surfaces and a relatively closed under-hood engine compartment where a leak could possibly cause ignition. In a home R22 system with slow leak and better air circulation, it's improbable that any propane leak would be a combustion risk. In other words, in a home R22 system that has a slow leak that needs a recharge only once a year (or once every several years) propane is an excellent choice for top-up because such a slow leak would never cause a buildup of combustable concentration if the leak was inside the home - and naturally there would never be any risk if the leak was outside (say in the compressor or outside coils).

Getting back to R134, here's the best thread I've found that's similar to what you're asking about:

The guy writing that topped up his home system with R134a because he did not think he could get his hands on R22. After he learned that he could get R22, he evacuated his system and recharged with R22 and no harm done to the system because of the R22/R134 mix.

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26-05-2010, 05:49 PM

Re: Residential R-22 system. HO added 134a

I have searched the internet far and wide to see if anyone had anything to say about adding Automotive R134A to R22 Residential Split System. I know I screwed up, acted first and investigated after.

I never found anything conclusive about PAG oil contamination of my R22 system, everyone talks about the other way around. MO contamination of R134A system.

Everything I read about flushing (many problems in itself and chemicals involved), drilling hole in hermetically sealed compressor to drain oil and change oil sounded too extreme. Especially with no good data one way or the other about effects of any left over pga oil. at least not that I could find. The R134A and PGA oil has been mixed in with R22 and MO most of last season. No noticeable ill effects that I can see.

I have now evacuated at 29" for about 18 hours and recharged back to R22.

System is running perfect and superheat numbers match manufactures chart.

Outside Dry Bulb: 78F Outside suction temp at condenser unit: 59 Suction Pressure: 70 PSI (41F Sat. Temp) Liquid Pressure: 235 PSI Inside Dry Bulb @ intake of evap: 78F Inside Wet Bulb @ intake of evap: 65F Manufacturer Superheat Charging table calls for SH of 18 at these temps/press.

1989 bryant 2 1/2ton spit system 591A030

I guess I am just going to cross my fingers and hope that introduction of R134a and PGA oil were taken care of by deep vacuum and will not cause compressor failure. Hell I have already got 22 years out of this unit and it still runs like the day it was installed. If it fails, I'll bite the bullet and have entire new system installed. ===========

[jamesgangnc]

The problem with propane is not a slow leak. It's a catastrophic leak on t he inside somewhere. That's not impossible and will result in something ar ound 150 to 200 cubic feet of propane gas in your house. Propane is heavie r than air so it's likely to stay until you come home and turn on a light s witch. You can guess what happens then.

[RamRod]

Agreed

On top of that the fridge has a relay in it that could set off propane if it leaked. The relay sparks when it operates.

I worked in commercial air conditioning and refrigeration for more that 40 years and have been retired now for several years and no way would I ever replace R22 in my system with propane.

The chance of a fire or explosion is far to great with propane.