Transcript R-410A Refrigerant Certification

R-410A Refrigerant
Certification Course
DESIGN AIR UNIVERSITY
2008
Topics
• Links to info. sites
• Safety
• History & Names
• Rules & Regulations
• HFC phase-out
• Oils
• Properties of R-410A
• Tools
• Chemistry
• Charging
• Temp./ Pressure chart
• Recommendations
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About website links
Some slides contain links to websites where you can
access added information. These links are in light blue
text. Depending on the speed of your internet
connection, you may have to wait for the linked sites to
load and appear on screen.
After visiting a site, just close the window while leaving
your browser open. This will return you to this training
program. If you aren’t interested, just don’t click the
links.
If you don’t have a high-speed internet connection, you
have probably already learned patience.
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Who invented R-410A?
• AlliedSignal was an aerospace,
automotive and engineering company
that acquired and merged with
Honeywell for $15 billion in 1999, after
which the new group adopted the
Honeywell name.
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Allied Signal
• Products include Fram filters, Autolite
spark plugs and Prestone anti-freeze.
• Genetron refrigerants.
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Names, lots of names
• Genetron AZ-20 is Honeywell's original
name for R-410A, a Honeywell invention
that entered the scene in a test market in
1993 as a chlorine-free R-22 replacement.
With its energy efficiency and none-ozone
depletion advantages over R-22, R-410A is
now the leading replacement for R-22 in
new residential air conditioners.
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Other Names
• Carrier calls it Puron
• Dupont calls it Suva 9100
• Rheem calls it ProZone
• Lennox calls it Environ
• Sanyo calls it Cooleron
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It’s all the same stuff . . . R-410A
• In fact, if you buy a jug of “Puron”, it will
probably have Allied Signal’s or
Honeywell’s name on it.
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Bye-bye R-22!
• R-22 will disappear from the new
equipment marketplace by year 2010.
• Manufacturers have already begun to
phase out their R-22 equipment offerings.
• R-410A is the refrigerant of choice to
replace R-22.
• It has already begun to do so.
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R-22 Phase-out News Update
• Final phase-out remains year 2020.
• Previously mandated reductions were 65% of
1989 production levels by 2010.
• Revised reductions are 75% by 2010.
• China, India & Mexico will move up their R-22
equipment phase-out by 10 years.
– Source: The News; Oct. 2007
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Some advertisers may be
guilty of exaggeration.
• For an impartial, third party discussion
of the phase-out of HCFCs like R-22,
you and your customers can go to the
website of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) at:
R-22 phase-out discussion at EPA website
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Why is R-410A so desirable?
• Operates in the same temperature
ranges as R-22.
• The cooling equipment can share the
same basic design as traditional
equipment.
• For example . . .
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70
41°
F.
235
R-22
122 380
R-410A
113° F.
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R-410A
• Cylinder color: rose (pink).
• R-22 comes in a green cylinder.
• Never mix these refrigerants
together.
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Characteristics of R-410A
• Operates at pressures about
60% higher than R-22.
• Used with POE oil.
• For new, specially-designed
equipment only.
• Cannot be retrofitted into
older equipment !!!
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Other characteristics
• A 500 micron vacuum will NOT remove
all moisture from the system.
• The POE oil grabs onto water and won’t
give it up to our vacuum pumps.
• Always install a filter drier on the liquid
line whenever the system has been open
to the atmosphere; even new systems!
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Replacing Driers
• Always cut out the old drier.
• Never use your torch for removal.
• The heat will drive the captured
moisture out of the drier back into the
system.
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Basic chemistry
• CFC = chlorofluorocarbon (ie: R-12).
• HCFC = hydrochlorofluorocarbon (R-22).
• HFC = hydrofluorocarbon (R-410A).
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CFCs
• Comprised of chlorine, fluorine & carbon.
• Extremely stable and long-lived.
• Drift into the highest levels of the
troposphere where they will destroy
many ozone molecules for many years.
• Phased out of production in 1996.
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HCFCs
• Comprised of hydrogen,chlorine, fluorine
& carbon.
• Less stable and long-lived.
• Break down quickly in the lower levels of
the atmosphere.
• Only 2% to 5% of the ozone depletion
potential of CFCs.
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HFCs
• Comprised of hydrogen, fluorine &
carbon.
• No chlorine atom.
• Zero ozone depletion potential.
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Some new terms:
• When two blended refrigerants separate
easily, they are called Zeotropic.
• When blended refrigerants don’t
segregate in the system, but form a
stable chemical composition they are
called Azeotropic.
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R-410A Chemistry
• 50 - 50% blend of HFC-32 and HFC-125.
• Near-azeotropic properties.
• Chemical name:
– Difluoromethane, Pentafluoroethane
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Concerns with Blends
• Fractionation
• Temperature glide
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Fractionation
• The tendency of one or more
components of a blend to leak at a
faster rate than other components.
• Changes the composition of the
remaining blend still in system.
• Loss of performance results.
• Occurs in zeotropic blends like R-407C.
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What is Temperature Glide?
• Difference in two temperatures at a
given constant pressure.
• For example . . .
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In the evaporator . . .
• The temperature at which liquid
refrigerant first begins to boil is known
as the saturated liquid temperature,
(also known as the bubble point
temperature).
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2nd Temperature
• The temperature at which the last drop
of liquid refrigerant has boiled off is
known as the saturated vapor
temperature, (also known as the dew
point temperature).
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Temperature Glide
• At a constant pressure, the difference
between the saturated vapor
temperature and the saturated liquid
temperature is referred to as the
temperature glide of the refrigerant.
• The temperature glide of a single
compound refrigerant like R-22 is zero.
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R-410A Temperature Glide
• The temperature glide of R-410A is
0.2°F or essentially zero as well.
• This is good!
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Key Attribute of R-410A
• Near-Azeotropic
properties means it acts
like a single compound
with minimal temperature
glide or fractionation
potential.
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Benefit to you is . . .
• A temperature-pressure chart can easily
be used for charging, refrigerant cycle
analysis and diagnosis.
• Advance to the temperature pressure
chart for R-410A
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Temp. °F Press.
Temp. °F Press.
Temp. °F Press.
Temp. °F Press.
26.3°
90
54.7°
155
75.7°
220
100.7°
320
28.9°
95
56.5°
160
77.1°
225
105°
340
31.4°
100
58.3°
165
78.5°
230
109.1°
360
33.8°
105
60°
170
79.9°
235
113.1°
380
36.2°
110
61.7°
175
81.3°
240
116.9°
400
38.5°
115
63.4°
180
82.6°
245
120.5°
420
40.7°
120
65°
185
83.9°
250
124.1°
440
42.8°
125
66.6°
190
86.5°
260
127.5°
460
44.9°
130
68.2°
195
89°
270
130.8°
480
47°
135
69.8°
200
91.5°
280
134°
500
49°
140
71.3°
205
93.9°
290
137.2°
520
50.9°
145
72.8°
210
96.3°
300
140.2°
540
52.8°
150
74.2°
215
98.5°
310
143.2°
560
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Tech Tip
• You never want to see a suction
pressure below 100 psi with R-410A air
conditioning systems.
• Why?
• Look it up on the previous slide.
• At 100 psi, the evaporator will begin to
frost over.
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Refrigerant Comparison
• Refrigerant
R-12
R-22
R-410A
1
0.055
0
• GWP°
8500
1700
1975
• Type
CFC
HCFC
HFC
• Developed
1931
1936
1991
• ODP*
– * ODP = ozone depletion potential
– ° GWP = global warming potential. Source: IPCC Climate Change 2001
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Automotive Refrigerants
• Refrigerant
R-134A
R-744 (CO2)
0
0
• GWP°
1300
1
• Type
HFC
natural element
1990s
1850s
• ODP*
• Developed
– * ODP = ozone depletion potential
– ° GWP = global warming potential.
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HFCs in Europe
• In 2011, the current HFC R-134A will be
forbidden for use in air conditioning of new
vehicle types throughout the European
Community.
• The German car manufacturers have agreed
on the use of R-744 (carbon dioxide).
• Toyota will reportedly follow suit.
• The global warming potential of R-744 is less
by a factor of 1,300 than that of R134A.
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Is R-410A a “Perfect Refrigerant”?
• No. There is no “perfect refrigerant.”
• It has a slightly higher Global Warming
Potential than R-22.
• However, this is somewhat offset
because R-410A has a 5 - 6% higher
Energy Efficiency Rating than R-22.
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Don’t vent R-410A !
• R-410A is covered by the same rules of
the Clean Air Act as all other
refrigerants.
• Just because it doesn’t deplete the
ozone layer, doesn’t mean you can
release it.
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Myths
• For a somewhat dated discussion of a
few of the common myths related to
R-410A, click the link below to go to the
Honeywell website:
• Common R-410A Myths
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Safety
• Most of the safety precautions are the
same for R-410A as R-22.
• For example, never expose cylinders of
either refrigerant to temperatures above
125° F.
• Use the same storage rules for both.
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Safety
• R-410A has been confirmed to be in the
low toxicity range.
• ASHRAE Safety Group: A1/A1.
• UL Class: Practically Non-flammable.
• DOT Green Label: Non-flammable.
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Safety
• Ingestion:
– Don’t drink it!
– Don’t induce vomiting if someone else does.
– Seek immediate medical attention.
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Safety
• Skin or Eye Contact:
– Same as other refrigerants; causes frostbite.
– Flush with lukewarm water.
– Seek immediate medical attention.
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Safety
• Avoid exposing it to high temperatures.
– Watch your torch!
– Exposure to flame can produce toxic
compounds.
– Contact with red hot metals like abraded
aluminum can result in exothermic or
explosive reactions.
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Safety
• Inhalation:
– Same as other refrigerants.
– Attacks central nervous system.
– Causes dizziness & then unconsciousness.
– Slurred speech; loss of muscle coordination.
– Can cause cardiac irregularities & ultimately, death.
– Get to fresh air & seek immediate medical attention.
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Safety
• R-410A is heavier than air.
• It will displace oxygen.
• If a leak has occurred in a confined area,
ventilate with fresh air before entering.
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Material Safety Data Sheet
Click the link below to access and print your own copy
• MSDS for Genetron AZ-20
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Oils
• R-22 uses alkylbenzene oil.
• R-410A uses polyol ester (POE) oil.
• Oils must be miscible with refrigerant.
– miscible = able to mix together.
• Oils must be matched with the proper
refrigerant.
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Advantages of POE Oil
• Better oil return properties.
• Better heat transfer characteristics.
• Better lubrication ability.
• Wax free.
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Oil Characteristics
• Great lubricant.
– But !
• It’s “hygroscopic”: strong attraction to
moisture.
• Will absorb water vapor right into the oil.
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Oil Handling Procedures
• Keep POE oil sealed in metal containers.
• Keep condensing unit and compressors
sealed until right before brazing.
• Always install a liquid line drier whenever
R-410A systems have been exposed to
the atmosphere.
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POE Oil Warning!
• POE oil is manufactured by combining
alcohol and acid which then gives off
water. The water is then removed.
• Allowing moisture to enter the system
can reverse this process and turn the
POE oil to a combination of acid and
organic salts!
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Oil Disposal
• It’s against the law to just dump waste
oil.
• EPA does not classify refrigeration oils
as hazardous waste, but . . .
• Do not mix oils with other wastes.
• Do not mix refrigeration oils with waste
oils from other sources.
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Oil Disposal
• Waste oil is your responsibility.
• Legally you own it . . . for life!
• Recycle it.
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POE Oil Safety
• POE oil irritates the skin.
• Wash affected skin with soap & water.
• POE oil has been known to damage
some rubber roofs!
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Leak repair regulations
• EPA 608 requires technicians to find &
repair leaks that are over 15% of the
total system charge annually.
• R-410A is covered by this rule as well.
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Leak Testing
• Electronic leak detectors designed for
HFCs work well.
• So do mixtures of dry nitrogen & R-410A.
• “Bubbles” and Ultrasonic leak detectors
can also be used.
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Leak Testing Caution!
• Do not use halide leak detectors
designed for R-22.
• Never use a mixture of compressed air
and R-410A to check for leaks as this
mixture is flammable above one
atmosphere (ie: 14.7 psi.).
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A Word About Driers
• Driers must be rated for R-410A.
• Most new driers can be used for all
refrigerants.
• Pressure rating of drier’s shell must be
higher.
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Replacing old R-22 Systems
• The condensing unit and evaporator coil
must be replaced with new matched
components engineered for the higher
pressures of R-410A.
• Expansion valves (TXVs) must be
specific to R-410A.
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Reusing existing line sets?
• Properly-sized, copper line sets in good
condition w brazed connections can be
reused with new R-410A equipment.
• They should be cleaned to remove all
traces of the old mineral oil.
• Here is one possible flushing agent:
Click here to research
Rx11 Flush
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Special Tools
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Recovery Units
• Must be rated for R-410A.
• Oil-less design is best.
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Gauges & Hoses
• High side range to 800 psi.
• Low side range to 250 psi. with a 550
psi retard.
• Hoses must be rated to 800 psi.
• Do NOT mix refrigerants in your tools.
– Dissimilar oils will become contaminated.
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Recovery Cylinders
• Rated for 400 psi.
– NOT 300 psi like standard cylinders.
• Color: Gray with yellow top.
• DOT 4BA400 or 4BW400
• Do NOT recover different
refrigerants into the same
cylinders!
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Recovery Cylinders
• Must be replaced or tested
(w date stamp) every 5 years.
• Do not mix refrigerants in
the same recovery tank!
• Never fill above 80% full.
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Charging R-410A Systems
• Most new equipment will employ
thermostatic expansion valves (TXVs)
to meter refrigerant into the evaporator.
• This is a highly desirable feature which
allows improved comfort control by
maintaining a fully active evaporator
under a wide array of operating
conditions.
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Charging Procedure
• Charge as a liquid
– Invert cylinder
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When charging with liquid . . .
• Use a charging valve
– Such as Ritchie # 41123
– This will flash the refrigerant
to the vapor state so that it
can safely be put into the
suction line of the system.
– 5/16” for most mini-splits.
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Charging by Sub-cooling
• Charging is often done by sub-cooling.
• You may already be familiar with this
method if the R-22 systems you were
installing had TXVs.
• We’ll review it now:
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Charging by Sub-cooling
1. Operate the system to stabilize temperatures
& pressures.
2. If the outdoor temperature is less than
65°F., restrict the air flow across the
condenser until the high side pressure on
your red gauge reaches 350 psig.
3. If over 65°F., simply measure the liquid line
pressure.
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Charging by Sub-cooling
4. Determine the saturation temperature that
corresponds to that pressure. You can read
this off your red gauge or use a chart for
R410A.
5. Measure the liquid line temperature at the
service valve on the condensing unit using
a fast-acting digital thermometer clamped to
the liquid line and insulated from ambient
temperatures.
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Charging by Sub-cooling
6. Subtract the liquid line temperature
from the saturation temperature to get
the sub-cooling.
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Adjusting the Charge
• If sub-cooling is too low, add refrigerant.
• If sub-cooling is too high, recover
refrigerant.
• If the equipment manufacturer does not
state a target sub-cooling, use 10°15°F.
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Charging Rheem units:
• It’s even easier!
• Compare the high side pressure on the
chart attached to the unit’s access door
with your gauge pressure for any given
outdoor temperature and adjust
accordingly.
• Add refrigerant to raise pressure.
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Sample Charging Chart
Outdoor
Temp.
Liquid
Press.
Suction Pressure
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Using charging charts
Outdoor
Temp. =
80° F.
Liquid
Press.
should
be
306
psig
Suction Pressure = 125 psig
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Of course . . .
• Airflow must be correct;
• Refrigerant line sizing must be correct;
• Let the system run for 10-15 minutes to
stabilize temperatures & pressures.
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Charging by weight
• The preferred method.
• Use the manufacturer’s data
to determine how many
ounces of refrigerant to add
or recover.
• Based on factory charge
plus length and diameter of
liquid line.
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More charging tips: Sight Glass
• Most systems will not have a sight glass.
• Do NOT try to clear the sight glass when
charging. You risk an overcharge.
• It is normal for part of the blend to flash
to a vapor in the sight glass.
• This will reform into 100% liquid later.
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Fast Facts
• R-410A will replace R-22 in new
equipment by 2010.
• R-410A can only be used in equipment
designed specifically for it.
• R-410A operates at pressures 60%
higher than R-22.
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Fast Facts 2
• The saturation temperatures of R-410A
are similar to those of R-22.
• Technicians need special tools to work
on R-410A systems.
• R-410A comes in pink cylinders.
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Fast Facts 3
• R-410A was invented by Allied Signal
(now called Honeywell).
• R-410A is non-flammable.
• Do not expose cylinders of R-410A to
temperatures above 125° F.*
* The same is true of cylinders of R-22.
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Fast Facts 4
• R-410A uses POE oil which is highly
hygroscopic (attracts water).
• Always evacuate systems to 500
microns.
• All R-410A systems must have a drier
installed in the liquid line.
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Fast Facts 5
• Cylinders of R-410A must be inverted
when adding refrigerant to a system.
• R-410A must leave the cylinder as a
liquid with a charging valve used to
flash the liquid to a vapor before being
added to a system.
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Fast Facts 6
• R-410A does not deplete the ozone
layer, but it can never be vented to the
atmosphere.
• It must be treated like all other
refrigerants covered by the Clean Air
Act.
• It is not classified as Hazardous Waste.
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Fast Facts 7
• Recovery cylinders are
gray with yellow tops.
• Recovery cylinders should
only be filled to 80% of
their capacity by weight.
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Fast Facts 8
• The old line set can be reused when
replacing R-22 systems with R-410A
equipment.
• Clean the old line set to remove all
traces of mineral oil.
• Refrigerants & oils should not be crossmixed.
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Frequently asked questions:
• There is a good discussion of R-410A
questions at the Emerson Climate
Technologies website. They make the
Copeland Scroll compressor that many OEMs
use in their equipment.
• Click here for FAQs
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Prediction
• It is likely that many manufacturers of
air conditioning equipment will convert
all of their products to R-410A before
the January 2010 deadline.
• Don’t procrastinate!
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In Conclusion
• DESIGN AIR has been selling air
conditioning equipment using R-410A
for over 5 years.
• These are highly-reliable, efficient and
“Green” systems.
• Consumers find them highly-desirable.
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The Future is Now!
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About the exam
• The exam is written in a pdf-type file
which requires software called Acrobat
Reader from Adobe Systems Inc.
• Most computers already have Acrobat
Reader installed, but if yours doesn’t,
you can download it for free here:
• Get Acrobat Reader here
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Time to get certified.
• Go to the Certification Exam
• Fax it to 414-276-5569 for grading and to
complete the certification process.
• Include your return fax number to receive
your score. Note: no certificate or diploma
will be sent.
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