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R410A availability?

Are you seeing shortages and high prices for R410a? Our usual vendor said the pice doubled and they don't expect availability until mid to late July. Are you seeing same?
Ray Wohlfarth
Boiler Lessons
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Comments

  • jad3675
    jad3675 Member Posts: 127
    More than doubled. Barnett had a 25lb jug for $95 in Feb of this year. It's now listed for $259.

    John
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    I have herd that 410A will be phased out
  • RayWohlfarth
    RayWohlfarth Member Posts: 1,459
    @jad3675 Crazy times I did find some for $243
    @EBEBRATT-Ed Yeah heard that too now that everyone switched over from r22
    Ray Wohlfarth
    Boiler Lessons
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    I just ordered some this morning. Some places had only a few jugs available.
    Price was more than you talked about, but remember who actually pays for this in the end.

    The average person does not know the cost of going "green". And this gas has been around for quite some time.
    This is just the beginning, wait until it goes the way of R-22 as we continue to "save the planet".
    SuperTech
  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 5,694
    It would be great if it could go the way of R-22, it's a bad greenhouse gas. But there is no alternative at this time.
    NJ Steam Homeowner. See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,572
    Probably making manufacturers make stuff that doesn't leak under normal circumstances would go a lot further toward reducing greenhouse gasses both by allowing the refrigerant to be recovered when the appliance is retired and by reducing the energy used to make appliances to replace the appliance that failed prematurely.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    What needs to be done when the equipment leaks

    is repair it,

    replace it

    And stop all the gas and go calls

    The gas and go calls are caused by three things in my opinion.


    1. Homeowners who don't want to pay for leak testing

    2. Sloppy service techs who can't braze or leak test

    3. Manufacturers making shoddy equipment (especially evaporator and condenser coils)

    SuperTechethicalpaul
  • RayWohlfarth
    RayWohlfarth Member Posts: 1,459
    @JUGHNE Bet the price never goes back to what is was.
    @ethicalpaul I feel bad for the seniors who are on a fixed income I am a bit scared of that flammable refrigerant
    @mattmia2 @EBEBRATT-Ed I am seeing more and more units leaking after only a few years. Wondering if its due to the higher pressure of R410a or shoddy workmanship
    Ray Wohlfarth
    Boiler Lessons
    ethicalpaul
  • SuperTech
    SuperTech Member Posts: 2,137
    Around here it went from $120-$140 a jug to over $340. I have heard that it is already going to be phased out, which is great considering how its being described as the new, modern eco friendly replacement for R22 to homeowners.  I've heard that some manufacturers are going to begin selling equipment that uses the replacement for R410A very soon,  but it could be just a rumor.

    As far as leaks, I mostly see evaporator coil leaks. Its Its funny how some R22 systems are 20 plus years old and going strong without leaking coils but some of the newer units can't last 5 or 10 years before a coil leaks. It doesn't seem to matter if its copper or aluminum.  I chalk it up to poor quality control, maybe thinner tubing in an attempt to meet efficiency requirements by getting better heat exchange.
  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 5,694
    I guess Carrier says they are going to start shipping equipment that uses the new flammable refrigerant. But I see no sign of 410 being made illegal, does anyone else? It's really a nasty problem all around. It can't really be solved by the industry (they sure wouldn't stop using harmful refrigerants by themselves, and even if they did the alternatives are all harmful anyway).

    It makes sense to me that the higher pressures make the systems fail faster and leak more often. Unintended consequences are common with regulations of all kinds. But what's the alternative? There isn't one.

    I was at a resort once that had a lot of small buildings each with their own AC systems and I saw a couple guys running around the place in a golf cart loaded with pink cannisters. I know they weren't looking for and fixing leaks, they were just pumping the stuff.

    All I can do is hope that R&D people find a good replacement.

    Tell me guys, when I as a homeowner call a tech and they come and vacuum my mini-split and then charge it up, what happens to the recovered 410?
    NJ Steam Homeowner. See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583

    I guess Carrier says they are going to start shipping equipment that uses the new flammable refrigerant. But I see no sign of 410 being made illegal, does anyone else? It's really a nasty problem all around. It can't really be solved by the industry (they sure wouldn't stop using harmful refrigerants by themselves, and even if they did the alternatives are all harmful anyway).

    It makes sense to me that the higher pressures make the systems fail faster and leak more often. Unintended consequences are common with regulations of all kinds. But what's the alternative? There isn't one.

    I was at a resort once that had a lot of small buildings each with their own AC systems and I saw a couple guys running around the place in a golf cart loaded with pink cannisters. I know they weren't looking for and fixing leaks, they were just pumping the stuff.

    All I can do is hope that R&D people find a good replacement.

    Tell me guys, when I as a homeowner call a tech and they come and vacuum my mini-split and then charge it up, what happens to the recovered 410?

    It gets turned into a reclaimer and I believe is supposed to be recycled.

    Not all refrigerants are harmful to the environment.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    SuperTech
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,572
    edited June 2021
    I think it usually gets burned after it is recovered. Maybe the super scarce ones like freon 12 get reprocessed.
    SuperTech said:


    As far as leaks, I mostly see evaporator coil leaks. Its Its funny how some R22 systems are 20 plus years old and going strong without leaking coils but some of the newer units can't last 5 or 10 years before a coil leaks. It doesn't seem to matter if its copper or aluminum.  I chalk it up to poor quality control, maybe thinner tubing in an attempt to meet efficiency requirements by getting better heat exchange.

    I think it is thinner because metals are much more expensive than they were 20 years ago. The leaks I have seen don't seem to be at joints but within the wall of the tubing.

    Also possible that we have just forgotten how to draw tubing in the same way we forgot how to make capacitors.
    SuperTech
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583
    edited June 2021
    mattmia2 said:

    I think it usually gets burned after it is recovered. Maybe the super scarce ones like freon 12 get reprocessed.

    SuperTech said:


    As far as leaks, I mostly see evaporator coil leaks. Its Its funny how some R22 systems are 20 plus years old and going strong without leaking coils but some of the newer units can't last 5 or 10 years before a coil leaks. It doesn't seem to matter if its copper or aluminum.  I chalk it up to poor quality control, maybe thinner tubing in an attempt to meet efficiency requirements by getting better heat exchange.

    I think it is thinner because metals are much more expensive than they were 20 years ago. The leaks I have seen don't seem to be at joints but within the wall of the tubing.

    Also possible that we have just forgotten how to draw tubing in the same way we forgot how to make capacitors.
    Both the new way of making capacitors and evaporators is much more efficient at moving product.

    Similar can be said for many of the modern boilers.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    SuperTech
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    I have seen plenty of old R-22 units still running after 30-40- years , but then again I am in the north east. I don't think R410A is the cause of the leaks, even with the higher pressure.

    I think it is poorly made coils, microchannels & regular coils and sloppy workmanship.


    The equipment manufacturers don't wan't the equipment to last 30-40 years. Planned obsolesence.

    You see it with AC equipment, MOD Con boiler and cast iron boilers

    It's all made to fail

    They know how to build stuff to last, it was done for years. Now the MFGs hide behind the "High

    Efficiency" banner.

    They know how to build it better, can't or won't
    SuperTech
  • ratio
    ratio Member Posts: 3,615
    I got a notion that people won't pay for stuff that's built to last. It's hard enough getting people to pay for cheap junk.
    ethicalpaul
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583
    ratio said:

    I got a notion that people won't pay for stuff that's built to last. It's hard enough getting people to pay for cheap junk.


    It's certainly not cheaper to pay for the labor and refrigerant (especially now) on getting an evaporator replaced 1-2 times in 10 years even if the evaporator is covered under warranty.

    Imagine if companies sold oil tanks that were so thin they rusted out and dumped the load in 5-10 years just so they could sell them easier? That's literally what's going on here with refrigeration equipment.

    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • ratio
    ratio Member Posts: 3,615
    I think 'planned obsolescence' is a red herring, as an intended goal. The state of things can be easily explained by cost cutting & 'efficiency' goals—early failure is merely a side benefit.

    As long as 'efficiency' is the metric & life expectancy is excluded from consideration, well, here we are.

    mattmia2ethicalpaul
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,572
    And dealing with all that from management drives the people who know how to do it right to go find a job elsewhere.
  • RayWohlfarth
    RayWohlfarth Member Posts: 1,459
    It seems like the industry has adopted a 15 year life expectancy for everything. Guess it make sense financially to them. The days of a system lasting 20-30 years is gone
    Ray Wohlfarth
    Boiler Lessons
  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 4,691
    Once in a while I make a brilliant move, I bought 50 jugs a while back at about 70 bucks. I’m set for life with the pink stuff 
    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
    ChrisJratioSuperTechwmgeorge
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583

    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    GWMaxMercy
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    Anyone know what is going to replace R410a? Maybe R290 LOL. Not sure the zoom lockers will like that! LOL :):):):) Think all of those systems are brazed
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583
    Is there a specific reason you're afraid of flammable refrigerants?



    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    @ChrisJ

    I am not afraid of them at all. But with all the leaking systems out their if R290 is installed with the same sloppy workmanship and leaking coils it could be an issue.

    Maybe if the industry is forced to use flammable refrigerants things will tighten up
  • RayWohlfarth
    RayWohlfarth Member Posts: 1,459
    @ChrisJ what frightens me is that flammable refrigerants have pressures higher than R410a and when I read the MSDS sheet, it says it is highly flammable. I am afraid that a leak could cause a catastrophe in a building or home. I trust what the msda sheet says rather than the salesperson
    Ray Wohlfarth
    Boiler Lessons
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583

    @ChrisJ

    I am not afraid of them at all. But with all the leaking systems out their if R290 is installed with the same sloppy workmanship and leaking coils it could be an issue.

    Maybe if the industry is forced to use flammable refrigerants things will tighten up

    For whatever reason Isobutane has taken over the small appliance market.
    Not sure why vs R290.


    Any idea if the leaky evaporators could be due to bad installs I.E. moisture in the systems? Have you had any fail?
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583

    @ChrisJ what frightens me is that flammable refrigerants have pressures higher than R410a and when I read the MSDS sheet, it says it is highly flammable. I am afraid that a leak could cause a catastrophe in a building or home. I trust what the msda sheet says rather than the salesperson

    It's only flammable if there's oxygen. The pressure is moot in a properly designed system.

    I would never trust a salesperson.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • RayWohlfarth
    RayWohlfarth Member Posts: 1,459
    @ChrisJ Liked the comment about salespersons. Found this article about dangers of flammable refrigerant
    https://racplus.com/uncategorized/refcom-warns-that-african-refrigerant-deaths-could-be-tip-of-the-iceberg-02-06-2021/
    Ray Wohlfarth
    Boiler Lessons
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583

    @ChrisJ Liked the comment about salespersons. Found this article about dangers of flammable refrigerant
    https://racplus.com/uncategorized/refcom-warns-that-african-refrigerant-deaths-could-be-tip-of-the-iceberg-02-06-2021/

    That article literally says nothing about the dangers of flammable refrigerant.
    It doesn't say who died, or why.

    It does mention someone venting R290 in a kitchen. That's certainly not the refrigerants fault, would you vent a BBQ tank next to a stove in an enclosed space?


    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,572
    I'm not sure what volume of air you need to dilute a couple pounds of propane with to get below the LEL. The chances that it will collect somewhere are pretty good given that it is heavier than air. Isobutane is even more so heavier than air. It seems that a small explosion that would not in itself damage anything but would set something else on fire would be easy to accomplish.
  • WMno57
    WMno57 Member Posts: 1,249
    "In August 2012, Mercedes-Benz showed that the substance ignited when researchers sprayed it and A/C compressor oil onto a car's hot engine. A senior Daimler engineer who ran the tests, stated "We were frozen in shock, I am not going to deny it. We needed a day to comprehend what we had just seen." Combustion occurred in more than two thirds of their simulated head-on collisions. The engineers also noticed etching on the windshield caused by the corrosive gases.[27] On September 25, 2012, Daimler issued a press release[10] and proposed a recall of cars using the refrigerant. The German automakers argued for development of carbon dioxide refrigerants, which they argued would be safer."

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene#Flammability

    We consumers are too stupid to make our own decisions. Politicians should make all our decisions for us.

    Politicians are smarter and un-biased (they could never be bought).

    NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    How many people reading this have their families in a newer car containing R-1234yf?
    I DIY.
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583
    edited June 2021
    WMno57 said:

    "In August 2012, Mercedes-Benz showed that the substance ignited when researchers sprayed it and A/C compressor oil onto a car's hot engine. A senior Daimler engineer who ran the tests, stated "We were frozen in shock, I am not going to deny it. We needed a day to comprehend what we had just seen." Combustion occurred in more than two thirds of their simulated head-on collisions. The engineers also noticed etching on the windshield caused by the corrosive gases.[27] On September 25, 2012, Daimler issued a press release[10] and proposed a recall of cars using the refrigerant. The German automakers argued for development of carbon dioxide refrigerants, which they argued would be safer."

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene#Flammability

    We consumers are too stupid to make our own decisions. Politicians should make all our decisions for us.

    Politicians are smarter and un-biased (they could never be bought).

    NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    How many people reading this have their families in a newer car containing R-1234yf?


    Did you know these cars run on gasoline and typically have 12 to 20 gallons in a tank?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline







    I can't speak for everyone, but since there's 12 gallons of gasoline under the backseat I'm not too concerned with the quart of R1234YF.


    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    ethicalpaul
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,572
    There is a whole lot less opportunity for a gas to collect and ignite in a car than in a house or refrigerator.
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583
    edited June 2021
    mattmia2 said:

    There is a whole lot less opportunity for a gas to collect and ignite in a car than in a house or refrigerator.


    Gas ranges in the kitchen have valves the user can open and close. You can also leave them open with no flame lit and they are often connected to an infinite supply of fuel.


    A refrigerator has no valves, no gaskets etc. If properly made it should never leak.


    But, you are 100% correct.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • ratio
    ratio Member Posts: 3,615
    I watch the news when I want to find out if something's dangerous. If it makes the news, it's a rare occurrence that I don't worry about. If it's so common that is not newsworthy, I start looking for ways to remediate the danger.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    Back to ammonia a real refrigerant!!!! Everything would have to be steel so that's out
  • WMno57
    WMno57 Member Posts: 1,249
    WMno57 said:


    Did you know these cars run on gasoline and typically have 12 to 20 gallons in a tank?

    Gasoline bad, Lithium-Ion batteries completely safe. (not really, just ask the family of Omar Awan)

    https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a29576096/tesla-model-s-lawsuit-door-handles-fire/

    Ask a First Responder how they feel about cutting into 300 volts DC to get someone out of a wreck.

    The electric Car-B-Ques have only just begun.

    All forms of travel and transportation involve risk. Life is dangerous. Corruption and incompetence don't help.

    True story about six children who died in a gasoline powered minivan crash, because a corrupt former Governor and now Felon sold Commercial Driver's Licenses to unqualified drivers when he was Illinois Secretary of State.

    "The corruption scandal leading to Ryan's downfall began more than a decade earlier during a federal investigation into a deadly crash in Wisconsin. Six children from the Willis family of Chicago, Illinois, were killed; their parents, Rev. Duane and Janet Willis, were severely burned.[30] The investigation revealed a scheme inside Ryan's Secretary of State's office in which unqualified truck drivers obtained licenses through bribes. "

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Ryan#Scandals,_trial,_and_conviction

    Some of you may remember the theory of "Peak-Oil". There was also a Peak-TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). Perhaps Trough-TCO would be a better description.

    TCO is rising on many consumer products because of shortened product lifespans and increased maintenance cost. (I want to SCREAM every time I read an article written by a 20-somthing hipster journalist that claims e-cars won't need maintenance).

    Here's something under reported by the 20-somthing hipster journalist media: Due to the Chip Shortage, for a very limited time you can purchase a new GM 1/2 ton truck without Active Fuel Management and Start/Stop. Disclaimer: I own GM stock. I may consume even more fossil fuels if enough of you buy lobotomized 2021 1/2 Silverados.

    There is a cost all of us pay when Politicians, and their un-elected rule-making Bureaucrats cause under tested version 1.0 products to be rushed to market. They may appease their "Green" base, but will they reverse or even slow down Climate Change?

    How much are you willing to pay to be Green? You may save some energy but at what cost to your TCO? Will it make any difference? There are Billions of people on this planet who will continue to consume fossil fuels to survive and increase their standard of living. Did those terrible CFL light bulbs make a difference? How much additional mercury is now in our water as a result?

    More Fission and Carbon Sequestration. Electric freight rail lines coast to coast.
    I DIY.
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583

    Back to ammonia a real refrigerant!!!! Everything would have to be steel so that's out

    Mmmm.. Stainless steel evaporator and condenser................

    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • Big Ed_4
    Big Ed_4 Member Posts: 2,761
    I always wonder who makes the prices ??
    I have enough experience to know , that I dont know it all
  • RayWohlfarth
    RayWohlfarth Member Posts: 1,459
    I am so tired of hearing about increased prices and lack of material due to covid. It seem that everyone is trying to cash in on the pandemic and create shortages and raise prices.
    Ray Wohlfarth
    Boiler Lessons