National retail chain update R22 air conditioning systems

Before a major cooperative in the construction industry could handover buildings to a British retail firm, it was important that all air conditioning systems containing the R22 refrigerant were identified and changed. Our customer required us to decommission all units breaching EU laws and switch them with R417A systems instead.

A plan was therefore put into place and involved a series of site surveys conducted across the client’s various properties – helping us determine the condition of all existing cooling equipment. Reports were then produced by an Andrews expert who outlined the findings along with recommendations and a scheduled plan of action.

Due to stringent F-Gas regulations we had to ensure all information pertaining to refrigerant units was logged correctly prior to being presented to the customer. This included the quantity of R22 removed, the quantity of R417A added and confirmation that pipework had passed a strength assessment.

Contractual obligations stipulated that an agreed end date would have to be adhered to while ensuring compliance with EU legislation. It was the client’s decision to apply best practice with regards to the R22 refrigerants on site. Although a short-term solution, this approach removed all R22 from their air conditioning systems and left systems operational whilst capital expenditure was sourced for future replacements.

The work was completed on time and without deviating from the original blueprint, enabling a client handover pack to be issued alongside details of the project itself.