Do I need a license for R134a in CH? Import possible?

Transportation, Travel and Trips
1
I'm a shade tree mechanic back in the US, and have been reading through the forum threads about it. There is a lot of good information about where to find parts, dispose of oil, etc.

One of the things I worked on back in the US was the A/C, and I have a set of gages, vacuum pump, etc. I also have a partially full 30lb cylinder of R134a.

So the question is: Can I get R134a in CH without any sort of license, and can I import what I currently have along with all of my household goods?

2
It would help if you can describe what R134a is. I believe it is a refrigerant gas. Is it the nasty one or the EU accepted one?

3
You got it, R134a is the refrigerant commonly used in automotive air conditioning systems. This is the "new" refrigerant that doesn't deplete the ozone layer. The old refrigerant is R12, and has had production and importation into the US banned for quite sometime. (1994 according to wikipedia)

In the US, most refrigerants require a professional license to purchase. R134a is a notable exception being available in small cans and 30lb cylinders from your corner auto parts store or even Sam's Club.

Searching for R134a and Switzerland gets me a few hits about a planned ban in the past, (including the R134a wikipedia page) but nothing concrete or whether it is/was available to non-licensed professionals.

Here are some wikipedia links:

R12 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichlorodifluoromethane

R134a - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R134a

4
If anybody visits an auto parts store, either in CH or a neighboring country (France, Germany, etc..) and finds R134a, I'd love to hear about it.

For reference, this is a link to a small can of R134a at AutoZone in the US, $14.99 http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...fier=3275_0_0_

Anyway, I've got a small update:

I found this web site selling some sort of substitute, but I can't tell exactly what. They seem to only sell the small cans and say they ship to CH. http://www.easyklima.com/ac-aircondi...2/online-shop/

I'd rather not use any substitute as it is just looking for trouble. I certainly don't want to use anything that I don't know what it is. Their website seems to be aimed at people who know absolutely nothing about refrigeration systems.

I also found this website which says that R12 became illegal to work with in CH in 2004, and R22 (and many others) will be illegal in 2014. No mention of R134a other than you have to switch to it. http://www.schindler-ag.ch/new_e.html

5
I can't help you at all, even though I have owned cars with a/c since 1979. I lived in Munich 12 years, and I have lived here over 22 years, and I have never seen a can of refrigerant on sale. I know roughly the theory to replenish the air conditioning on a car, but I really shouldn't be trusted to do it.

Swiss people seldom even open the hood and check the oil. The car is given to the garage for a service, and the a/c will be topped up as required.

So any expertise here with R134a is at the garage workshops or specialist companies like Danfoss or Linde.

6
They have tried to make is less dangerous over the years by doing things like making the high and low side connectors different sizes, but you probably shouldn't be messing with it if you don't understand how it works.

My main question is really whether or not I am allowed to have the refrigerant here. I understand that getting more of it will probably be an issue, but what is left in my current tank should last me decades. I just don't know if I am allowed to posses and import it.

You generally don't need to "top up" the refrigerant unless there is a leak. (in which case you should fix the leak) I had a car from the early '80s which had cold A/C with the factory charge of R12 until around '00, almost 20 years.

7
Looks like you need a license if you will do it comercially.

Law: SR 814.81 Verordnung zur Reduktion von Risiken beim Umgang mit bestimmten besonders gefährlichen Stoffen, Zubereitungen und Gegenständen

Import is regulated in Anhang 1.5 and Anhang 2.10

Better ask the guys in charge about the import:

http://www.bafu.admin.ch/index.html?lang=en

Also think about the shipping problem. Are you allowed to ship it?

8
Thanks for the link, I found and email address and will send an email asking about import of R134a specifically if I can't find anything specific in the regs. I'll post back here when I have any updates for everybody else.

I had thought about it. But if I am not allowed to possess it in CH, it is a moot point whether or not they will ship compressed gas.

9
I have a bit of an update, though I am not sure what it means. I found out through my shipping company that my 30lb cylinder will not get through Swiss customs.

I also found out that it is legal to posses R-134a as evidenced by this can of compressed air sold by Distrilec. If you look at the MSDS linked from that page you'll see that it is 60-100% tetrafluoroethane (R-134a)

Dépoussiéreur à air comprimé 340 ml , Kontakt Chemie: https://www.distrelec.ch/d%C3%A9pous...ruck/950114/fr

MSDS: https://www.distrelec.ch/ishop/Datas...F_eng_MSDS.pdf

What makes my can illegal and the Distrelec can legal, I can't say. I have posed the question to my shipping company. For reference, my can is similar to this: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...oductId=156595