Refrigerant Certification – Which do I Need?

How does it work?

There are two main types of refrigeration certifications in the United States 608 and 609. I will cover both in this post as well as explain what each one is and when it is necessary. 609 Certification I am going to start with 609 certification as it is the ‘simpler’ one.  609 comes into play … Read more

R-410A’s Replacement?

r-404a 25 pound cylinder

Earlier this year the Environmental Protection Agency announced that they were approving five new refrigerants for use in various applications across the United States. One of these refrigerants, HFC-32 (R-32), is a front runner for an alternative for R-410A. For a full description of the new approved refrigerants click here. Why is R-410A being Replaced? … Read more

EPA’s SNAP Approves New Alternative Refrigerants

EPA's Refrigeration SNAP Program

The Environmental Protection Agency’s SNAP program  approved five new alternative refrigerants at the end of February 2015. These newly approved chemicals will provide alternatives to the high global warming potential HFCs that are currently on the market today. Before I get too far into what refrigerants are now available for use I’d first like to … Read more

The Big Three Refrigerant Manufacturers

Top 3 Refrigerant Changes in 2015

Chances are you have heard of most of these companies, but I thought I would do a quick overview on where the majority of your refrigerants are being manufactured. The big three are DuPont, HoneyWell, and MexiChem. Of course there are other manufacturers out there as well as hundreds of import product available but if … Read more

Fact Sheet on DuPont’s Opteon YF HFO

I came across this link today from DuPont’s website and thought I would share. It provides a fact sheet on DuPont’s newly announced Opteon brand for automotive applications. This is the new HFO 1234YF refrigerant that has a very low Global Warming Potential. As it stands today 1234YF will be the refrigerant of the future … Read more

Counterfeit Refrigerants – What You Need to Know.

Counterfeit Refrigerant is a growing problem throughout the world.

“Manufacturers, importers, and distributors of legal refrigerants, as well as industry trade associations, have stressed the regulatory and safety dangers surrounding counterfeit and illegally imported refrigerants for years. They’re quick to point out that HVACR contractors who have such refrigerants are as guilty as those involved in the creation of such products.” – The prior … Read more

How do Refrigerants Impact the Environment?

How do Refrigerants Impact Today's Environment?

Before I can answer that question there is the need to point out that there are a variety of different classes of refrigerants that are on the market today throughout the world. I will be going over the top three classes at this point in time. One thing to note is that yes, refrigerants do … Read more

HFO Refrigerants – What You Need to Know

HFO refrigerants, or Hydrofluro-Olefins, are a new class of refrigerants that have a much lessened global warming potential than it’s HFC alternatives. One example being the 134a alternative, 1234YF, which is 335 times lower on the global warming potential scale and only four times higher than standard carbon dioxide. HFOs are the refrigerant of the … Read more

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Buy Refrigerant in Bulk

How many of you are buying your refrigerant 410a or R-22 cylinders one, two, or three at a time? Well, I have news for you. STOP! You’re throwing money down the drain! 1) Competitive Pricing Available Well, this is an obvious one, but you will end up saving quite a bit per cylinder when you … Read more

MexiChem Appeals Trade Commission on R-134a Tariffs

I can’t say that I am surprised by this. Most people saw this coming when the international trade commission ruled against MexiChem in the anti-dumping lawsuit on Chinese R-134a in November of 2014.  The reader’s digest version of the lawsuit is that MexiChem is claiming that the Chinese R-134a Refrigerant that is being imported to … Read more

Refrigerant Changes, Opportunity or Headache?

I’ll be the first to tell you that all of these new regulations and phaseouts in refrigeration have caused major headaches and pains across the air conditioning industry. It seems that about every five to ten years there is a new regulation coming out on Refrigerant either in the United States or abroad. Just a … Read more

DuPont & HoneyWell Preparing for the Rise of 1234YF

HoneyWell & DuPont Teamup on 1234YF

1234YF‘s time has finally come. In 2014 an estimated three million cars on the road are now taking 1234YF refrigerant. In 2015 that number is predicted to climb to seven million. All but one auto manufacturer have switched over from R-134a. R134a has not been banned in the United States, but it’s only a mater … Read more

Sneaking HFC Refrigerants into the Montreal Protocol

HFC Refrigerant being added to Montreal Protocol

The Montreal Protocol was a treaty signed way back in 1989 by numerous countries in an attempt to slow down and eventually stop the hole that was forming in the O-Zone layer. It’s main objective was to eliminate the amount of Chlorine and Bromine being released into the atmosphere. This was done by coordinating world … Read more

R-404A Is on the Way Out

ThermoKing Phasing out 404A.

I was reading an article earlier this week that detailed how ThermoKing, a global transport refrigerant manufacturer, was looking for an alternative to the HFC R-404A. The reasoning is the same as for the other HFCs 410A and 134a. It been known for a while that the HFCs have a very high global warming potential … Read more

North America’s Amendment on HFCs

North America Refrigerant Phase Out

In May of 2014 Mexico, Canada, and North America submitted an amendment request on the Montreal Protocol.  The amendment suggested the phase down and eventual phase out of HFC refrigerants for all nations that had signed the Montreal Protocol. The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty that went into effect in January 1st, 1989. The … Read more