"Ignoramus13653" wrote in message
.. .
I won a Sun "refrigerant recovery unit" in a military auction for
$55. I have not picked it up yet, but it looks to have been used very
lightly, if at all (I'll see, it is rated A4). As I learned after I
won it, it is for "old style R12" systems, whatever that is. So it is
not that valuable.

My issue is that I need a vacuum pump. Are vacuum pumps in these
machines any good and can they be ripped out and outfitted with
regular 1/4" NPT fittings.

Thanks

i


R12 is a refrigerant that is/was commonly used. It is gawd awful expensive
these days. Small amounts can be recovered from refrigerator freezers and
old working auto air conditioning units. But it will have contaminants in
it, and the processing equipment to clean it up can be costly. Also, you
will need a tester to identify the refrigerant you are working with to keep
from mixing them, which makes them nearly worthless. The fractional
distiller to separate mixes is very expensive. Also, you will need
licensing and accreditation to legally be messing with this stuff. I know
you need a license to buy it, but am not sure what you will need to sell it.
Perhaps you will just keep it back for your own use. Not a bad idea if you
have been to a car shop lately and priced AC work. Other common
refrigerants are less expensive, but you would have to read the manual, or
find out if you can do various refrigerants in YOUR apparatus.

HTH, and good luck.

Steve