On Wed, 01 Aug 2007 15:40:35 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


Until today, whenever I've hear someone say that an HVAC tech came out
and added some refigerant to their central air system my immediate
reaction was to ask them, "You know, that's supposed to be a completely
sealed system, did the tech look for, find and repair a leak before
he/she added refrigerent?

This morning I was watching the Fox News channel and their medical
consultant Dr. Manny Alvarez started talking about how teen agers have
taken to filling plastic bags with what he just called "freon" from the
service ports on outdoor AC compressors. Then they go off and breath in
the gas to "get high".

Thinking about that it'd take little more than a pair of pliers to
remove a service port cap and something to push the valve down with,
leaving no sign of what they's done until they've taken enough so your
AC starts working poorly.

Dr. Alvarez warned of the serious medical dangers of breathing freon and
mentioned that in some cases it can cause death. He also said frostbite
to kid's faces has resulted from their releasing the refrigerant
directly (without a plastic bag) and trying and suck it in as its
spraying out.

I've been hearing lots of stories about the copper parts of AC equipment
being stolen for their scrap metal value, but this is the first I've
heard about this freon breathing thing.

Dr. Alvarez mentioned that locking service port protectors are available
for "about $30.00". Those might be good enough to make the kids want to
go away and look for someone else's AC system without locks.

What next I ask?

Jeff

Why is it a sick teenager who won't take a prescription pill that will
make them well, will happily consume an unknown concoction from
someone they don't know? And pay for the privilege?

--Andy Asberry--
------Texas-----