There are 3 main solutions to the phase-out issue, which are described below. The appropriate solution will largely depend on the age and condition of your equipment, but we recommend that you contact your supplier or contractor to discuss these options in greater detail.

1. Retrofit

• Most efficient and cost-effective solution
• Only requires changing of elastomeric seals
• Oil kept and in some cases replaced
• Minimal effect on operational continuity
• To be considered for equipment in good condition

2. Refit

• Adaptation of system to work with HFC-blends, legally permitted
• Major parts of system are kept in some cases, in others they are changed
• But, all valves and elastomeric seals are changed + a few other parts
• System must be flushed entirely, often with a special flushing fluid and refilled with synthetic oil (polyolester) and new refrigerant
• To be considered for equipment in need of maintenance
• Also relatively expensive and cumbersome and requires a number of days of downtime

3. Replace or significantly upgrade equipment

• To work with refrigerants, such as ammonia, CO2, hydrocarbons and/or HFC gases
• To be considered if equipment is very old and/or in bad condition
• But, it is relatively expensive and cumbersome and involves a long downtime (several weeks)