Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine January 2024

HVACR NewsMagazine January 2024

Tech News

As virgin refrigerant becomes costlier and harder to come by, recovered and reclaimed refrigerant will be available to bridge the gap between supply and demand. That also means that there will be value in submitting refrigerant for reclamation. A2L Leak Protocols and Leak Detection Sensors When A2L equipment comes with a leak detection sensor, you can expect that to come with the system factory-installed. You may need to change the position of the sensor on the coil depending on the airflow direction (such as in a heat pump or furnace). Most likely, the sensor will be a plug that goes into the main board and energizes G when it detects a preset PPM of refrigerant (depending on the OEM). Energizing G turns the blower on to clear out the concentration of leaked refrigerant. Then, Y will be de-energized, shutting the system down at the contactor. The entire cycle lasts for about 5 minutes before monitoring the area around the sensor again. It will take multiple of these cycles to cause the unit to shut down indefinitely. Many of these sensors will use infrared sensing technology. The sensors will keep shutting the system down if you recharge the system and walk away, so they’ll require you to fix evaporator coil leaks. ASHRAE Standard 15.2 Informative Appendix B: B4 – B4.2.1 also recommends that you record the date of service on the equipment label anytime you open the refrigerant circuit of a piece of A2L equipment. Needing to charge a system more than once per three years indicates

Work Area Clearances for A2L Systems The recommended working area clearance for residential A2L systems is 10 feet. That number could be as high as 25 feet for some larger systems. You will work on (or install) some air handlers in closets that don’t have a clearance of 10 feet, which may worry some technicians. The good news is that the work area clearance isn’t enforceable; it’s a recommendation. The real purpose of the work area clearance is to keep other people away from the unit while you’re working on it. This guideline reduces the risk of ignition sources, like a homeowner’s lit cigarette, from entering the work area. When working in a tight space, you will always want to make sure you have adequate ventilation. This advice is true of all refrigerants, not just A2Ls. Any refrigerant, including A1s, can pose an asphyxiation risk in a tight area without any form of ventilation. (Refrigerant is heavier than air and can fill a room from the bottom up.) However, there are no special PPE requirements just for A2Ls. Recovering and Reclaiming R-410A Reclamation will become a lot more important as the phase-down continues. The law only ramps down the production of new R-410A, not existing R-410A. Personal Protection