As the temperature rises, air conditioners usher in a peak season for sales and installation. The reporter of the main station received feedback from consumers that the second-hand air conditioners they purchased in the market have high noise, high energy consumption, poor refrigeration effect, and a pungent smell when used, but the labels and energy efficiency indicators of the air conditioners look like they are produced by regular manufacturers. What's going on here?
A few cents a set of labels are casually attached
More than ten years old air conditioner spraying liquid to pretend to be a new machine
Some time ago, consumer Xiaoxia purchased two dual-purpose air conditioners on the second-hand idle items online trading platform. Judging from the photos, the machine is relatively new, and the seller said that it has only been used for more than two years.
However, when the master delivered the goods to the door, Xiao Xia found that this air conditioner looked more dilapidated than the previous merchant pictures from the outside. Xiao Xia started to "retreat" in his heart, but the installer promised that the machine would be no problem to use, and it would be guaranteed for one year.
What Xiao Xia didn't expect was that that night, just a few minutes after the air conditioner was turned on, the air purifier in the room had exploded. "The whole room smelled of decoration dust. contacted the seller, and at first said that the master would repair it, but then he couldn't contact him at all. ”
Not only is it an air quality problem, Xiaoxia also found that the second-hand air conditioner she bought back was noisy and the refrigeration effect was not ideal, and at the end of the month, the electricity bill was amazing.
Why do used air conditioners bought online have these problems? What is hidden in such a second-hand air conditioner? In response to the clues reflected by Xiaoxia, the reporter launched an in-depth investigation into the second-hand household air conditioners on the market.
Nanjing Huayuan Road thrift market used to be the largest second-hand home appliance trading market in Nanjing. Here, the price of second-hand household wall-mounted air conditioners is mostly more than 1,000 yuan, compared with the price of two or three thousand yuan, three or four thousand yuan for new air conditioners on the market, the price advantage is obvious.
Not only that, but there are also merchants who sell reporters a cheaper second-hand air conditioner - a "drifted" air conditioner.
The merchant told reporters that the so-called "bleaching" is to clean the old air conditioner with various chemical detergents, which can bleach the yellowed old air conditioner to the extent that it looks like a new machine.
In fact, even if the fuselage is bleached, the properties of the material cannot be changed, and depending on the number of bleaching, the fuselage will turn yellow again after three to six months.
As the investigation deepened, the reporter reached out to wholesalers upstream of retailers, and these wholesalers shipped more. They revealed to reporters that this kind of "drifting" air conditioner has actually been used for more than ten years, and some are even old machines that have been used for nearly 20 years.
The reporter also learned that most of the air conditioners produced more than ten or even twenty years ago used polypropylene materials as shells. This plastic material will gradually turn yellow due to ultraviolet radiation, high temperature, oxidation and other factors during long-term use. The yellowing of the old machine is "bleached" after cleaning, which is the so-called "refurbished machine" of the merchant.
In order to make the "refurbished machine" look newer and sell better, it is also necessary to label, that is, to affix the energy efficiency label of the indoor unit, the machine power label of the outdoor unit, the production date and other product information labels. Household appliances are labeled after a strict quality inspection process when they first leave the factory, and they are arbitrarily pasted here.
Where do these logos and labels come from? According to the clues provided by the merchant, the reporter opened the online shopping platform to search for "air conditioning standard", in addition to the typical two-piece set of internal and external units, there are also five-piece sets and six-piece sets including brand logo, separate production date, fuselage code, etc.
Some online merchants also pointed out in the purchase tips that these labels are suitable for the use of second-hand air conditioners, and the default energy efficiency label level is level 1, with a QR code, and information such as date and energy efficiency level can be customized.
On the online shopping platform, there are special sellers for the models of air conditioners and the labels of the external units, and the price of a set of labels is only a few cents. Serial number, date bar, QR code...... All information labels related to air conditioners are readily available.
It is with such a full set of information logos that businesses are particularly confident when selling, and it is even more difficult for consumers to distinguish the real situation of air conditioners.
In the mouth of this second-hand air conditioner wholesaler, it is not difficult for customers to want low prices, good condition and even designated brands, and they can meet the requirements of downstream retailers. One of the "Meige" brand air conditioners because the fuselage is similar to a "Midea" air conditioner, after a makeover, can be transformed into a "Midea" air conditioner, and it can be sold in a grand manner. It's also one of the models they're most happy to "refurbish" the counterfeit.
Abuse of cleaning agents and yellowing agents
The second-hand recycling market needs to be rectified urgently
On both sides of the Ningwu Highway in Nanjing's Yuhuatai District, there are hundreds of stores of all sizes engaged in the recycling and reuse of second-hand household appliances, most of which are stores specializing in the "renovation" of second-hand air conditioners. To remove yellowing from second-hand air conditioners, a yellowing agent will be mainly used.
After spraying the surface of the machine with yellowing agent, it needs to be covered with plastic wrap and then exposed to the sun to turn white in one day.
According to the data, the main ingredients of common yellowing agents on the market usually include light stabilizers, penetrants, oxidants, dispersants, thickeners, reducing agents and other compounds. These components absorb ultraviolet rays and prevent photodegradation, thus maintaining the clarity and whiteness of plastic products. In addition, some yellowing agent products contain surfactants, organic acids, sodium hydroxide, etc., which can be used to dissolve stubborn yellow stains.
According to industry insiders, a yellowing agent with the best yellowing effect contains a large amount of titanium dioxide. In the list of carcinogens published by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, titanium dioxide is classified as a Group 2B carcinogen.
A merchant told reporters that the reason why these machines are yellowed is not only because of the time factor, but also because of the material. On the market, different manufacturers use different plastic materials, and the yellowing time is also different, and some machines will turn yellow in less than ten years.
In addition to using yellowing agents, there is also a cleaning agent to be used to deal with stubborn stains - dust cleaner, which is very irritating. The reporter learned that the cleaning agent has a strong dissolving and cleaning effect on dust and oil, but it has a stimulating effect on the skin and mucous membranes, and has an anesthetic effect on the central nervous system. In severe cases, severe symptoms such as agitation, convulsions, and coma may also occur.
In addition, long-term exposure to detergents can lead to chronic poisoning, neurasthenic syndrome, hepatomegaly, and menstrual abnormalities in women.
Zhang Ziqi of the China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute told reporters that there are many hidden dangers in second-hand air conditioners that are out of service. Although after cleaning and "refurbishment", it looks clean on the surface, most of these businesses engaged in the recycling and "refurbishment" of second-hand air conditioners will not disassemble and clean the air ducts, wind wheels and evaporators in the air conditioners. These places are breeding grounds for legionella, mold and other pathogenic bacteria. In the process of "renovation", the abuse of various cleaning agents and yellowing agents will also bring secondary pollution in the use of air conditioners.
The mainland is the world's largest producer and consumer of refrigeration equipment, and we call on the relevant market supervision and management departments to strike quickly and seriously to crack down on all kinds of chaos in the second-hand air conditioning market, so that consumers can have more peace of mind and protection when buying second-hand air conditioners; Relevant government departments, industry associations, and home appliance companies should also take practical action to fill the lack of standards in the field of air conditioning recycling as soon as possible, so that waste and second-hand air conditioners can be truly recycled and "turn waste into treasure".