Dust-Off vs freeze spray

[Oppie]

Not quite 'Hints from Heloise' but someone in the lab had run out of
Dust-Off (canned air). I offered my can of freeze spray and told him to just
hold it upside down, give a quick spray to clear out the liquid from the
pickup tube, and then it would just be gas.
AFIK, it's the same HC134 fill used in both products. Only difference is
that freeze spray has an internal pickup tube that dispenses liquid from the
bottom of the can while Dust Off takes gas from the top of the can.
Conversely, if you need circuit chiller and have only dust off, turn the can
upside down...

Oppie

 

[tm]

Not quite 'Hints from Heloise' but someone in the lab had run out of
Dust-Off (canned air). I offered my can of freeze spray and told him to
just
hold it upside down, give a quick spray to clear out the liquid from the
pickup tube, and then it would just be gas.
AFIK, it's the same HC134 fill used in both products. Only difference is
that freeze spray has an internal pickup tube that dispenses liquid from
the
bottom of the can while Dust Off takes gas from the top of the can.
Conversely, if you need circuit chiller and have only dust off, turn the
can
upside down...

Oppie

yeh it is r134a, same as in your fridge or aircon, but for some reason
there it has
all kinds of regulations

considering is has global warming potential of 1300 it is strange that
you can
still get it for applications where it is just let out in the
atmosphere

-Lasse

_________________

You mean that if I buy a bunch of it and spray it all around, it will be a
warmer winter?

Cool!

 

[Oppie]

yeh it is r134a, same as in your fridge or aircon, but for some reason
there it has
all kinds of regulations

considering is has global warming potential of 1300 it is strange that
you can
still get it for applications where it is just let out in the
atmosphere

-Lasse

R12 was far worse in terms of ozone damaging. R22 was not as bad and was
still used long after R12 was banned.
I can get HC134A tor my car A/C from the auto parts store no problem. Go to
a refrigeration supply store and they can't sell it to you unless you
produce an EPA license to handle refrigerants.

Be that as it may, freeze spray for circuit testing beats using butane or
propane liquids.

 

[ehsjr]

Not quite 'Hints from Heloise' but someone in the lab had run out of
Dust-Off (canned air). I offered my can of freeze spray and told him to
just hold it upside down, give a quick spray to clear out the liquid
from the pickup tube, and then it would just be gas.
AFIK, it's the same HC134 fill used in both products. Only difference
is that freeze spray has an internal pickup tube that dispenses liquid
from the bottom of the can while Dust Off takes gas from the top of the
can. Conversely, if you need circuit chiller and have only dust off,
turn the can upside down...

Oppie

Good one! Do we have to call you Heloise from now on?

Ed

 

[Oppie]

A small CO2 fire extinguisher costs about the same as a bottle of freeze
spray, and it's way, way colder. Plus it brings back memories of high
school.

How Sublime <pun intended>

Gee, my school had only the pressurized water extinguishers that you had to
turn upside down and shake. I believe that there was baking soda (or another
alkali) dissolved in the water and a cup of acid below the top that would
mix and create the pressurizing CO2 when upended.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Childs_soda-acid.JPG

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_extinguisher

Speaking of CO2, went by Whole Foods in White Plains, NY the other day and
saw a tank truck unloading liquid CO2 to a pipe connection by the street.
Wonder what they use it for?

 

[Oppie]

...Conversely, if you need circuit chiller and have only dust off,

Good one! Do we have to call you Heloise from now on?

Ed

How about "Oddities from Oppie"? Has a ring to it, would you say.

 

[Oppie]

Speaking of CO2, went by Whole Foods in White Plains, NY the other day and
saw a tank truck unloading liquid CO2 to a pipe connection by the street.
Wonder what they use it for?

Possibly decaffeinating coffee beans
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decaffeination

Pest elimination?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide

 

[[email protected]]

Possibly decaffeinating coffee beans
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decaffeination

Pest elimination?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide

Flash-freezing meat?

 

[Oppie]

Then there was that day of boredom when I was using one of those propane
weed burners that runs from a 20lb barbecue tank. After taking care of the
weeds coming through my gravel driveway, I had the dumb idea to leave the
burner on low pilot and INVERT the tank... Hit the lever and shot a flame
of liquid propane 20 feet. Did it just once for effect. It scared the crap
out of me!

 

[[email protected]]

Not quite 'Hints from Heloise' but someone in the lab had run out of

Dust-Off (canned air). I offered my can of freeze spray and told him to just

hold it upside down, give a quick spray to clear out the liquid from the

pickup tube, and then it would just be gas.

AFIK, it's the same HC134 fill used in both products. Only difference is

that freeze spray has an internal pickup tube that dispenses liquid from the

bottom of the can while Dust Off takes gas from the top of the can.

Conversely, if you need circuit chiller and have only dust off, turn the can

upside down...



Oppie

It is extremely stupid that they will sell 134a to vent to the atmosphere, but put restrictions on it to charge your air conditioner. I heard that California may put restrictions on R134A sales at auto parts stores, yet you can still buy a can of freeze spray. It's OK to blast it out in the atmosphere, but it's NOT OK to put it into a sealed system where it MIGHT leak out, or if you do it right it can be recovered and recycled?

GM is actually testing out a new refrigerant, HFO-1,2,3,4-YF, and put it inmost 2013 Chevy's. However, they are still ironing things out because they did a test where a fireball shot out during an accident test! (probably the oil aspirated that caused this).

For a while they made this stuff called HC-12a, which is isobutane, butane,propane, etc. Great stuff, colder than R12, can be put in R12 systems w/oany retrofitting, more energy efficient, very "green" and a great refrigerant. However it was banned for use in refrigeration for obvious reasons (put it in your car, you get in an accident where the evaporator cracks and it burns your face off for instance).

Dust off is actually difluoroethane, (R152A), and R134a is 1,1,1,2 tetrafluoroethane. I heard of someone charging their car w dust-off, and it workedgreat, however I am a little worried about putting it in my car as it has this bitterant in it, to keep kids from huffing it.

I live in Washington, and I have to say global warming has made the weatherparadise here in the summer (great summer, 72 degrees average temp in Seattle, sunny). Was always rainy and cloudy growing up. Destroying the rest of the world, but great weather here. No wonder they're building so many apartments, condos, and town houses as everyone want's to live here now