Why Mixing Refrigerants Is Hazardous

Due in part to recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines in the Significant New Alternatives Policy program, HVAC and refrigerant reclamation professionals are starting to see more refrigerant varieties available on the market. As more natural refrigerants like carbon dioxide and ammonia appear to replace potentially climate-impacting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the risk of cross-contamination and mixing increases.

Here are the basic reasons why mixing refrigerants is hazardous, and also how it can be avoided in the field.

The Dangers of Mixing Refrigerants

The mixing of refrigerants can occur for any number of reasons, including homeowner error, improper technician training, and inadequate system labeling. This can lead to several hazards for technicians and homeowners alike.

For example, unintentionally adding a highly flammable hydrocarbon product to a system originally designed for non-flammable refrigerants significantly increases the risk of fire, explosion, and other injuries to both homeowners and technicians. Plus, there's also always the risk of cross-contamination and mixing to cause high-toxicity situations.

Avoiding Refrigerant Mixing

In addition to the immediate dangers of mixing refrigerants, it's also impractical. As more mixed refrigerants are turned in to reclaimers, the burden of removing impurities and separating the products can make reclamation services much more complicated and costly.

One of the easiest and most obvious ways to avoid refrigerant mixing is to check a unit's labels for its intended refrigerant types prior to performing any work, as well as determining if any prior work—a compressor change, evaporator replacement, or filter renewal, for example—has been done on the system by another technician.

Another way is to work with a certified technician who can use a refrigerant identifier tool to determine if another refrigerant has been used. These check for pressure and temperature and can reliably tell if multiple possible refrigerants are present in the system.

For more information about refrigerant mixing, or to learn more about our reclamation services, contact Refrigerant Solutions today.