Just a few days ago, on April 13th, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that they will be delaying the SNAP Rule 20 HFC phase downs that were announced back in the summer of 2015. This announcement may not come to a surprise to a lot of you, that is if you have been following the … Read more
Spring is beautiful. Trees are blooming, birds are chirping, and we rarely have to wear winter coats. It’s nice outside! Finally, there are days when you don’t have to run your HVAC system. If you have another type of space heater you’re probably not using that either. Soon, however, you’ll need to consider your cooling … Read more
Anyone who has ever dealt with an air conditioning system, even in the smallest of manners, has most likely heard of the TXV. It’s one of those things like Superheat and Subcool that are essential to understand when working on a unit. But what is the TXV? How does it affect the system? When did … Read more
Being able to measure refrigerant Subcool and Superheat are essential for diagnosing and correcting an air conditioning or refrigeration unit. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misunderstanding as to what exactly Superheat and Subcool actually are and even less understanding on how to measure it. There are so many novice technicians that get ‘stumped’ on … Read more
Summer is quickly approaching. And Kansas can get hot! Temperatures in the three digits are not uncommon. Therefore, we have to be ready before those days arrive. You need to make sure your cooling systems work well before it’s too late. Otherwise, hot days will be uncomfortable for you and your family. One way to … Read more
There are few modern technologies used so widely in today’s world that have had such an impact then refrigerants and refrigeration. I say this but most people do not even think about refrigeration. It was just something that was always there. You go to the grocery store and buy some ice cream without a second … Read more
Being able to measure refrigerant Subcool and Superheat are essential for diagnosing and correcting an air conditioning or refrigeration unit. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misunderstanding as to what exactly Superheat and Subcool actually are and even less understanding on how to measure it. There are so many novice technicians that get ‘stumped’ on … Read more
I can imagine that if you are reading this then it is in the dead of summer and it is ninety degrees outside or maybe even hotter. I can also imagine that you turned on your car the other day, cranked on the air conditioning, and then groaned in frustration when you realized that it … Read more
Earlier today I was reading a very interesting article on a new App that was created for the refrigerant industry. This App that was developed and designed for the Australia market is built to collect, store, and send data. This is how most Apps work, but here’s the difference. This App focuses on refrigerants. The … Read more
Everyone in the industry knows of Chemours and their former parent company DuPont. Chemours was known as the ‘billion dollar startup,’ back in 2015 when they split from DuPont and formed an entirely new company. Ever since then they have grown and have become an aggressive competitor. Along with Honeywell, Chemours is one of the … Read more
When I first started writing articles about R-717 Ammonia being used in ice rinks and in industrial refrigeration I tried to keep an open mind. However, over the past year or so I have become less and less confident with R-717 systems. I try to make my articles unbiased and to show the Pros and … Read more
First and foremost let me state right now that the word ‘Freon’ is not a generic name for all refrigerants on the market today. In fact Freon refers to a specific type of refrigerant and is a specific brand of refrigerant. Confused? Well let me explain it this way. Using the name Freon to refer … Read more
Good morning folks and welcome to RefrigerantHQ! As I write this article it’s a nice cold March Sunday morning. Things haven’t begun to warm up yet for the upcoming refrigerant season but everyone knows that it is just around the corner. In fact April is really the beginning. It is the point where we begin … Read more
The F-Gas regulation is a set of rules and guidelines that is now in place throughout the European Union. It can be traced all the way back to a 2006 legislation called the ‘F-Gas Regulation.’ The initial goal of this legislation was to stabilize levels of the European Union’s F-Gas emissions to that of 2010 … Read more
This will be a short post but I had it bouncing around in my head for a few days and I wanted to share it with my audience. One of the most common questions I get asked over and over again is about refrigerant pricing. This could be posed from a home-owner who doesn’t know … Read more
On October 24th the state of California will hold a public workshop to discuss a proposal for reducing and ultimately phasing out HFC refrigerants from the state. The forum will be held from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon in Sacramento, CA. It can also be followed online through a live webcast … Read more
Most of you know that I got my start and interest in the industry about ten years ago when I worked as a purchaser for a larger automotive dealer group. Part of my responsibilities were to negotiate, purchase, and co-ordinate refrigerant R-134a purchasing. Occasionally, we would do some 404A for the refrigerated trucks but most … Read more
Something that can be confusing to a lot of technicians rather they are a residential tech, commercial tech, or a mechanic is refrigerant oil. The goal of a refrigerant lubricant is to lubricate the compressor and to also have the appropriate miscibility and solubility characteristics to interact with the refrigerant accordingly. There are many different … Read more
Refrigerant and refrigeration is used across the world and every day in your daily life, but how does it work? This is a question that gets asked a lot by outsiders of the industry and it seems like most of the time it is hard to get an answer. Well folks, there’s a reason for … Read more
This is a topic that I see a lot and to be honest I don’t fully understand. In an effort to educate myself and to show others I am going to take the time today to fully understand exactly how new and old refrigerants get their name. Let’s take a look. Basics Let’s start out … Read more