Knowledge/Refrigerants/Refrigerant recovery, and the tools A2L won't share
Refrigerant recovery, and the tools A2L won't share
Recovery at end of life is mandatory, and venting unlawfully is an offence. Get the whole charge out, vapour as well as liquid, into labelled cylinders with the right pressure rating, never a flexible bag. Use separate recovery gear for each refrigerant type. And A1 (non-flammable) recovery gear generally isn't compatible with A2L, the mildly flammable class R32 is in.
- Recover
- The entire chargevapour and liquid
- Recovery gear to
- AS 4211.3or ISO 11650 or AHRI 740
- Cylinder fill
- AS 2030.5fill ratio × water capacity
- Disposable cylinders
- Illegalto import or store in Australia
What are the recovery rules?
- Recovering and disposing of refrigerant properly at end of life, with the right equipment, is mandatory. Venting it unlawfully is an offence
- When a system is emptied, the entire charge comes out, vapour as well as liquid
- Recover into properly labelled cylinders with the right pressure rating. Never into a flexible bag
- Recovery equipment has to meet AS 4211.3, ISO 11650 or AHRI 740
- Use separate recovery equipment for each refrigerant type. Cross-contaminated gas can't be reclaimed
- Never vent a refrigerant you can't identify. Treat an unknown system as if it held a flammable and toxic refrigerant
- Don't overfill. Under AS 2030.5, the safe fill is the fill ratio times the cylinder's water capacity
- Reclaimed refrigerant must meet the AHRI 700 purity standard
Disposable, non-refillable cylinders are illegal to import or store in Australia. They're banned under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 too. If you've seen them used overseas, that doesn't carry over here.
Old gas is destroyed through Refrigerant Reclaim Australia, which is funded by a levy on imported refrigerant. So disposal is already paid for when the gas comes into the country. Remember that when somebody says it's cheaper to vent.
What if you can't tell what's in it?
Assume the worst. The rule treats the system as if it contained a flammable and toxic refrigerant, and nothing gets vented.
That's the right instinct on old or imported equipment, especially anything worked on by somebody you can't ask. Go by the label, and if there's no label, assume the worst case.
Clause
12.2.2
Your A1 tools aren't A2L tools
Word for word: A2L and A2 refrigerants are generally not compatible with the following servicing tools used to work with A1 refrigerants, due to the flammable nature of the refrigerant: vacuum pumps, recovery units, refrigerant cylinders.
So the move to R32 isn't only a product change, and the same goes for R454B, which is commonly classed A2L too. It's a kit change - three specific items, not a vague push to upgrade.
Budget for it on purpose rather than finding out on your first A2L recovery job. And be straight with any apprentice. The old recovery unit in the back of the van isn't the tool for that gas.
Working out what the transition means for you?
There's a lot of noise about what's banned and when, and most of it is either early or wrong. What matters is what you buy and stock this year.
Kevin will give you the straight version.
Who this is for: small and medium HVAC contractors in Victoria. If you're a homeowner after a rebate or a repair, you need a licensed contractor, not us, and yours can point you the right way.
Related
- Identify refrigerant by the label, never by the colourAustralia doesn't use the American whole-body colour system. Cylinders are white or galvanised with a coloured band, and four common gases aren't charted.
- Glide, and why blends can only be charged as liquidPure refrigerants can go in as vapour or liquid. Under the Australian code, every blend goes in as liquid, glide or not. R513A is where people get caught.
- R744 CO2 is a different world: 63 bar at 25 degreesAbove 31°C, CO2 won't condense, so transcritical is normal running for a CO2 heat pump water heater here. Ordinary HVAC gauges aren't rated anywhere near it.
- R410A: what's actually banned, and what isn'tThe phase-down limits bulk gas, not equipment. The equipment ban is narrow and ducted is exempt, the opposite of what a lot of contractors have been told.
Review date: 1 April 2027. Figures in this area change without much notice and this page carries some that will go stale. Every number above is dated and sourced so you can check it yourself. If you find something out of date here, tell us and we will fix it.