It seems that all and sundry in the industry know exactly how to deal with the refrigerants that we come into contact with on a daily basis.
We are hearing horror stories on how workshops and individuals are dealing with the charging and disposing of gas.
A few basic tips when charging refrigerant:
- Keep the refrigerant away from children
- Don’t keep the refrigerant near fire, exposed to sun or in a space where the temperature rises (such as a vehicle)
- The cylinders shouldn’t be in direct heat or soaked in hot water (40deg C or higher)
- Connect the hoses correctly
- Use a properly ventilated place for the recharging work
- Charge the specified quantity of the refrigerant in the system
- Avoid entering anything else other than previously tested refrigerant gas (such as air or moisture) into the refrigerating cycle
- While charging the refrigerant to the system, carefully observe the high pressure side of the manifold gauge, refrigerant flow condition that can be seen through the sight glass.
- Ensure that the storage of you refrigerant gas is supervised by a qualified, responsible member of staff
- Invest in a RRR (Recovery, Recycle and Recharge) unit such as the Robinair machines
- Also investigate in Refrigerant identifiers to ensure that you equipments and your customers’ vehicles aren’t contaminated.
- Only buy gas from reputable wholesalers in the industry!
Global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer is a reality and we should be handling refrigerants in a responsible manner.