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Europe is using lots of refrigerants like r600 (isobutane) and r290 (propane). They work really well, with the downside they are very explosive. However st

Europe is using lots of refrigerants like r600 (isobutane) and r290 (propane). They work really well, with the downside they are very explosive. However stories of airconditioners blowing up are really rare - it seems the risk is probably worth it for the environment.

Teknomadix 22d ago
I've been recharging the AC system on my vintage daily driver — a late 1960s Mercedes-Benz sedan — with common off the shelf campstove propane for 30 years. Keeps me cool regardless of outside Los Angeles heat. Requires a bit of care while doing a recharge, but it's nothing too crazy. My grandfather ran a dairy farm in Connecticut, he showed me this trick in the 80s. We used propane to keep all the cooling equipment in the milk houses running smooth back then. I'm curious about isobutane now.
- londons_explore 22d ago
  Isobutane doesn't work well unless a system is designed for it - things like different diameters for the pistons in the compressors etc. Nearly all refrigerators/freezers in Europe are isobutane, and have been for 20 years.
sidewndr46 22d ago
Propane, butane, etc. are not explosives. They are not going to just energetically decompose. They are combustible, but it turns out most things worth having on earth are combustible
- londons_explore 22d ago
  Indeed - it is only explosive when it leaks out and mixes with air in the correct quantities. Unfortunately this happens occasionally - with the common case being someone trying to use a knife to get ice out of a freezer or AC which is frozen up and accidentally cutting into a pipe.
- vel0city 22d ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzdnUZReoLM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzdnUZReoLM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJJvG10tUAw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJJvG10tUAw They're pretty explosive when they have the right mix with air. This can easily happen in, say, a utility closet with a water heater or air handler, or a fridge in a kitchen, etc. A small leak on the outside unit probably isn't going to be a big risk. A small leak on a unit in a closet with stuff that sometimes makes small sparks...

Teknomadix 22d ago

I've been recharging the AC system on my vintage daily driver — a late 1960s Mercedes-Benz sedan — with common off the shelf campstove propane for 30 years. Keeps me cool regardless of outside Los Angeles heat. Requires a bit of care while doing a recharge, but it's nothing too crazy. My grandfather ran a dairy farm in Connecticut, he showed me this trick in the 80s. We used propane to keep all the cooling equipment in the milk houses running smooth back then. I'm curious about isobutane now.

londons_explore 22d ago
Isobutane doesn't work well unless a system is designed for it - things like different diameters for the pistons in the compressors etc. Nearly all refrigerators/freezers in Europe are isobutane, and have been for 20 years.

sidewndr46 22d ago

Propane, butane, etc. are not explosives. They are not going to just energetically decompose. They are combustible, but it turns out most things worth having on earth are combustible

londons_explore 22d ago
Indeed - it is only explosive when it leaks out and mixes with air in the correct quantities. Unfortunately this happens occasionally - with the common case being someone trying to use a knife to get ice out of a freezer or AC which is frozen up and accidentally cutting into a pipe.
vel0city 22d ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzdnUZReoLM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzdnUZReoLM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJJvG10tUAw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJJvG10tUAw They're pretty explosive when they have the right mix with air. This can easily happen in, say, a utility closet with a water heater or air handler, or a fridge in a kitchen, etc. A small leak on the outside unit probably isn't going to be a big risk. A small leak on a unit in a closet with stuff that sometimes makes small sparks...