A3 Refrigerant Parts Must Be Intrinsically Safe
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All right. So you guys know that A2Ls are coming hard and fast and new equipment, but what about A3s? A3s like propane, you can find it in small refrigeration units. Now I just worked on one today and I just wanted to bring this up because I felt it was important because in my mind, I'm like, I'm not fully used to the propane stuff. I've seen propane on refrigeration equipment before I've worked on it and serviced it, but not a whole ton. So in my mind,

It's not, it's not, I'm not fully aware yet because, and here's why I'll tell you the story. So I got a call that a cooler is down. It's, it's a reach in. It's like a sliding glass door cooler in a kitchen. All right. I pull the bottom cover off like where the condensing unit normally is on these.

the compressor was hot, it was cycling and trying to start but couldn't. The capacitor was good, all the starting components were good, the compressor must be locked up so we're getting them a new condensing unit. I guess that's the route we're going to take and they're good with that. But

It's propane. Okay. And the way you can notice this is a lot of the time they've got this red sleeve over the process tube. The process tube is like where you would charge and then pinch off type thing. So there's a red sleeve on there, basically like caution. This is propane in here. Now,

There's something that you need to be cautious about because I was going to go to my van and get like one of those three in one starters. You know, those three in one starters that you can use for like single phase refrigeration equipment. If you're not, if you've never used it before, it's basically like a hard start kit for a refrigeration unit. It's got three wires on it. You plug it into the compressor, basically, and it's got a.

It's got a relay. It's got a capacitor, start capacitor. And it's also got it's got like an external temperature disk. I'm not really sure what's in it, to be honest with you, but it's got a cutout temperature device included as well. So it's a three in one. So, guys, as always, these monthly HVAC tech tips are brought to you by Jabra. Jabra is a CRM tool that I am running.

to run my business, McCready HVAC Refrigeration Services. It's what I build with today. I went over to another restaurant afterwards because they want a maintenance done on their rooftop, their makeup air and exhaust fan. So I build that as well. And I keep track of all my customers with Jobber.

invoice, quoting, scheduling, if you like. They've got a pretty badass chat. So if you ever have a problem with the app or the site, you can get on the chat and get feedback really, really quickly. If you guys are interested in checking out Jobber, guys, there's a 14-day free trial. It is getjobber.com forward slash HVAC know-it-all. And there's some savings wrapped up as well. I'll put the link in the podcast notes. So going to get that three-in-one on a propane system is a big no-no.

Because all the components, all the electrical components, I should say, on a propane system, they have to be designed in a way that keeps them intrinsically safe. So there's no chance of sparks or anything like that. So going to get a three-in-one out of my van,

would have been something that I could have regretted down the road. I mean, chances are that it's going to leak and there's going to be a spark. You have to create a perfect storm for this to happen, but it can happen, right? And the liability is on you if it does. So I want you to keep this in mind. When you're working on propane, you can't just go out and get random parts and shove them in. You have to get the parts that are the correct ones from the manufacturer because they're designed to be intrinsically safe

For propane, right? Propane is an A3. It's a flammable refrigerant, unlike an A2L. A2L is mildly flammable. I've seen people hold a lighter to A2L coming out of a hose, and it doesn't light. But with the right concentration and a perfect storm, again, an A2L can ignite.

A3s are different. They are flammable. It's not mild. They are flammable. I'm sure everybody's used propane for a barbecue or a gas grill or something like that, and you know how flammable it is. So this is why the electrical components...

in an a3 system need to be intrinsically safe and you can't just put anything in there so keep this in mind guys i mean even the components for the a2ls might have the same requirements on them as well i just haven't really gotten into working with the a2ls just yet but i know the a2ls have the uh the sensors uh and the evaporators uh that they're gonna be utilizing for um for a2l systems so

When you're working on A3, make sure you know, make sure that you look at the nameplate, propane. Has it got that red sleeve on it? If it's got that red sleeve on it, that is your indication that you're working with an A3 refrigerator. Okay, this is one short and sweet, guys. Happy HVACing. I'm out.