Retrofitting a window AC unit for R134a
 

This is possible for automotive AC systems, but is there something about window units that won't allow me to do so? I definitely would need to evacuate/drain the system, install a low side tap-valve to charge it/add the R134a oil, and fix the leak it has now, but is there something about R22 designs that won't work with R134a?

Edit- I found this, which indicates that R134a would have a higher COP but lower "relative capacity", which presumably means that I would require more R134a to get the low side pressure up to spec compared to some other refrigerant because at some temperature the pressure of an equal amount of R134a is about half of that of R22. Unfortunately it doesn't mention anything about mechanical compatibility of R134a with R22 parts.

This thread has some information about changing refrigerants. Try searching through the thread for the info you want.

-AC_Hacker

Thanks! I found this post the most informative. You may also want to add that an AC unit with a leak will tend to "walk" up in terms of power consumption when measured with something like a killawatt.

The entire thread is long and sometimes wanders a bit, but the feedback I have gotten from those brave souls who read the whole thing was that it was packed with lots of valuable, hard to find information.

Glad you found what you were looking for.

Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker