There was a time you simply flipped on your air conditioner in the Spring to see if the air coming from the outlets was cold. If the temperature seemed too warm, you merely brought the car in and had some refrigerant added. At one point, it was even considered normal for an air conditioning system to lose apound of refrigerant per year. Since that time, attitudes about refrigerant loss have changed drastically. That’s because
scientists have concluded that R-12 refrigerant, a Chlorinated Fluorocarbon (CFC) also known as FREON”, is partiy responsible for depletion of the earth’s ozone layer. To reduce the loss of refrigerant, car manufacturers now make their systems much more leak-resistant by using improved materials for lines, hoses and seals. Federal and state regulations also require that repair shops have the correct equipment and training for handling refrigerant.