Is this true ?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

"Only in America"...saw this online some years back, then saw it ourselves in Walmart...
image

Illegal here of course...can't have the public simply and cheaply doing stuff themselves at home now can we...

Industry is heavily regulated for environmental reasons, one of the reasons we switched from R12 was it damages the Ozone layer, and even r134a, its replacement is a super greenhouse gas, which has a 1500x greater greenhouse potential than what carbon dioxide does. Which was why the price of it went up through the roof when the carbon tax was implemented.

All you need is a Cert II in Automotive Mechanical (Air Conditioning) and apply for the license, but you have to be employed at a place registered for A/C work with the ARC before you can get the trainee license, to enrol and complete the course, then you can apply for the full license after its done.

[XR Martin]

Funny you say that.
I the US they dispose of old fridges/freezers in sealed warehouses where all the refridgerant is sucked out of the building.

In Australia you just dump the fridge at the tip where it gets crushed.

[Franco Cozzo]

With cars its a lot more regulated, well the body is there whether or not they enforce anything is anyones guess, I've never seen an auditor from the authority.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Funny you say that.
I the US they dispose of old fridges/freezers in sealed warehouses where all the refridgerant is sucked out of the building.

In Australia you just dump the fridge at the tip where it gets crushed.

Not around here, our local Tip...sorry, Waste Management Centre, will not take any fridges unless they have had the gas removed professionally.

So, it costs money to get it degassed, then more money at the tip. And the council wonders why so many are getting dumped in the bush !

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

Not around here, our local Tip...sorry, Waste Management Centre, will not take any fridges unless they have had the gas removed professionally.

So, it costs money to get it degassed, then more money at the tip. And the council wonders why so many are getting dumped in the bush !

I have a solution:

• Buy new fridge
• Have someone fix the old one
• Put old one in garage
• Fill old fridge full of beer/soft drink/chocolate milk/what ever you enjoy

[olfella]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Funny you say that.
I the US they dispose of old fridges/freezers in sealed warehouses where all the refridgerant is sucked out of the building.

In Australia you just dump the fridge at the tip where it gets crushed.

Not so. A said previously, it must have the gas removed and of course, you must have a licence to remove/recycle it.

[olfella]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

With cars its a lot more regulated, well the body is there whether or not they enforce anything is anyones guess, I've never seen an auditor from the authority.

They do do the audits Damo, but usually with big users. And it is one thing to have a licence to use but you need another one to purchase refrigerant.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by olfella

They do do the audits Damo, but usually with big users. And it is one thing to have a licence to use but you need another one to purchase refrigerant.

I've got the refrigeration handling license, but I'm pretty sure thats just to be able to legally work on the systems (automotive only for me). I don't have the other one to be able to purchase it, I'm guessing it needs to be registered to my own ABN or something to be able to get that particular license?

Can't buy r134a but I can buy hydrocarbon refrigerants like Hychill Minus 30

What would the legalities be with my own reclaim bottle? I could technically recover r134a into my own bottle, but not be able to actually buy it? What about disposal?

EDIT:

What is the difference between a Refrigerant Trading Authorisation and a Refrigerant Handling Licence?

A Refrigerant Trading Authorisation is a business level permit that allows a business to acquire, possess and dispose of refrigerants.

A Refrigerant Handling Licence is a technician level permit that allows the holder (the technician) to do certain types of work on RAC equipment.

Since the amendments to the regulations, a new class of authorisation has been made available for businesses that have no need to purchase refrigerant. The Restricted Refrigerant Trading Authorisation (RRTA) allows the holder to acquire, possess and dispose of refrigerant provided that the refrigerant is only acquired by being recovered from equipment at the end of its useful life and it is only disposed of by being provided to the operator of a refrigerant destruction facility.

https://www.arctick.org/faq_main.php

I guess technically I'm not allowed to possess/dispose of it myself either.

[olfella]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I've got the refrigeration handling license, but I'm pretty sure thats just to be able to legally work on the systems (automotive only for me). I don't have the other one to be able to purchase it, I'm guessing it needs to be registered to my own ABN or something to be able to get that particular license?

Can't buy r134a but I can buy hydrocarbon refrigerants like Hychill Minus 30

What would the legalities be with my own reclaim bottle? I could technically recover r134a into my own bottle, but not be able to actually buy it? What about disposal?

EDIT:





https://www.arctick.org/faq_main.php

I guess technically I'm not allowed to possess/dispose of it myself either.

Let the boss worry about that our just use it. I think the audits will look at a paper trail of what you recovered and then used to make sure you did not let it go into the atmosphere.
ps. What reclaim bottle? I can't see one.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by olfella

Not so. A said previously, it must have the gas removed and of course, you must have a licence to remove/recycle it.

I had a 40 year old fridge that I tried to properly dispose of, couldnt find anyone. Took it to the tip and even mentioned it had CFC gas and they didnt care, just told me to dump it in the general waste area where it was picked up by the digger and put into the scrap pile.

[SPArKy_Dave]

Since the patent has run out on Dupont's R134a, (as it did for R12 before that) they've come up with a new patented refrigerant blend - R1234yf.
It's supposed to be more environmentally friendly.

The catch is, it turns out they couldn't achieve the environmental goal and product performance, without incorporating 'natural' refrigerants, which just so happen to be flammable.....

So now the whole industry is gearing up for a training campaign on how to handle the new 'safe' 'flammable' 'patented' refrigerant which they want everyone to purchase.
R1234yf is now being used in European automotive A/C systems. (and maybe elsewhere too)

It also costs about $1,000/kg atm.
(so don't go front-ending your new Merc or Beemer, without good insurance :P)

[mik]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Funny you say that.
I the US they dispose of old fridges/freezers in sealed warehouses where all the refridgerant is sucked out of the building.

In Australia you just dump the fridge at the tip where it gets crushed.

nah, the local transfer stations (in my neck of the woods), just chuck them in the big scrap bins, the fridge has minimal gas in it so they dont worry about it, the council gets a few bucks for the scrap metal and they charge you 18 bucks for the privilege of leaving it there .

[cram_it_frog]

My good friend and neighbor in wagga was a washing machine and fridge mechanic and owns his own business in wagga

He gave me a new fridge and we took our old one to the tip sorry it has to be de gassed and correct paper work

I went to his work he checked it no ga s and he wrote in red pen

no gas fridge is safe but no one from the shire had ever gone to him and told him what is needed

there is only one or two register fridge mechanics in wagga and they all had no idea on what to do

what A joke great comunication skills from the shire

[cram_it_frog]

Ok back on subject car air con

So I am really pleased with our car air con the past few days we have had some 40 pluss and the car air con has worked a treat

we do mostly short trips and it cooled the car down very quick unlike the last one

I may look at a air con serivce some time in the future the auto trans is next job on the list

[LoudPipes]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

I had a 40 year old fridge that I tried to properly dispose of, couldnt find anyone. Took it to the tip and even mentioned it had CFC gas and they didnt care, just told me to dump it in the general waste area where it was picked up by the digger and put into the scrap pile.

Mine was picked up by arrangement with the local Council under the fridge buyback scheme.

The fridge and freezer buyback provides residents with free collection by professional removalists and a $5 rebate. When we had one picked up a couple of years back the rebate was $25 and has now been reduced.

The fridges and freezers collected are professionally degassed and the metals recycled or at least that's what the Council says