Heatcraft now supplying R32 cylinders

AUSTRALIA: Heatcraft Australia now have refrigerant cylinders and accessories available for the new R32 refrigerant which is being adopted by most of the leading air conditioning manufacturers in small splits.

Australia is one of the countries at the forefront of the importation of the new R32 units with both Daikin and Fujitsu selling air conditioners containing the new low GWP refrigerant.

While supply of the units started last year, contractors have been waiting for suitable R32 cylinders for both service and recovery. R32 is a higher pressure gas compared to other refrigerants such as R22, R410A and requires a higher pressure 6200kPa cylinder.

One of the largest refrigeration and air conditioning wholesalers in the country, Heatcraft Australia supplies refrigerants under its Gas2Go brand.

As well as being high pressure, R32 is also flammable, albeit classed as A2L or “mildly flammable”.

“R32 is classified as a flammable refrigerant and it is important that distributors and technicians are aware of its properties and how to handle it safely,” commented Gavin Tory, director of marketing at Heatcraft.

“Heatcraft will supply all R32 refrigerant and dedicated reclaim in these higher pressure cylinders. The reclaim cylinders will be identifiable by a yellow shoulder with a black stripe,” he explained.

Heatcraft Australia has also been working closely with equipment manufacturers to offer R32 compatible tools and componentry to conduct installation, service and warranty work.

“Due to the flammability and higher operating pressures of R32, equipment compatibility (eg manifolds, gauges, recovery units) must be checked and all electrical equipment must not have any potential sources of ignition,” warned Gavin Tory.

Heatcraft has recommended that contractors always check with the equipment manufacturer before using existing equipment with R32. All R32 cylinders contain a left hand thread and valve adapters are available from Heatcraft to connect cylinders to hose lines.

In addition to the left hand thread adapter, the range of R32 compatible tools include electronic leak detectors, manifold and gauge sets, vacuum pumps and copper fittings.