Is there still much of a demand for R12? I "may" know "someone" who happened to find a 30# cylinder of allied chemical genetron 12 under the workbench in the garage that after weighed was found to still contain 28# of good old fashioned R12. This "person" may sell it if its worth doing, or may keep it if not. Any input on demand/going rate of R12?
Demand is getting low - most folks will convert to R134a. I bought 4 one pound cans for $40 a few months ago.
R12 can usually be had, in large containers, for $10-12/lb. (I just bought a sealed #30 cylinder for $280.) The 12-16oz cans bring a bit of a premium, about $20-30 per can. It's still in demand among "Car Guys" and a few others, but overall the demand for R12 is low and dropping steadily. There's very few R12 daily drivers still on the road. Of those, a lot of them have been converted. Partial or unsealed cylinders can be hard to sell. There's a lot of fraud going on with refrigerants these days, as older bottles didn't have check valves to prevent refilling. Sand, water and compresed air is a common find. So is propane. (I'm not making any sort of jab at the OP, of course. He knows where his bottle has been). I recently heard about an entire shipping container of "New" R134a cylinders filled with the incorrect substance that was traced back to an overseas manufacturer. Caveat Emptor.
No offense taken. This cylinder is virgin r12 that was purchased new (sealed) by my old man in the late 70's or early 80's. He used it once, parked it under the bench, and forgot about it having since gotten outta the hvac biz. Im just seeing if theres demand and a gage on pricing for him since when he last dealt with hvac r12 was easily had and used in almost everything.
Does the weight on the scale account for the tare weight of the bottle? I believe it is #5 on those old bottles, but it is usually marked on the bottle somewhere. If not, then there's #23 of refrigerant in the bottle. Since you can verify the history, you should be able to get $230-250 for that container. Closer to $300 if there's #28 of refrigerant in it. If I was a little closer to Dayton, I'd buy it for stock.
Id have to confirm for sure, but if my understanding is correct (im no hvac guy) that scale accounts for the bottle and it is a true 28# of freon. My only reason for posting in the first place was to establish if the demand was there and what fair market was. Then if he decided to sell i told him id like to give my fellow buick enthusiasts first crack. Disclaimer: this is by no means a "for sale" thread (dont want to upset the boards police). Just gathering some info. Thanks for all your input lsrx101!
