Refrigeration equipment replacement procedures are quite unlike any other mechanical renovation project. The new system installs without issue, so that’s not the problem. No, it’s the obsolete refrigeration equipment that hinders the cleanup stage, because these discarded parts can’t just be tossed on a scrap heap. Don’t worry, there are services for the demolition of obsolete refrigeration equipment, but why do we need this provision?
Environmental Hazards
Cooling systems are efficient appliances today, although there was a time when this wasn’t the case. Back before the mid-90s, all of our air conditioners and refrigeration units were built on relatively lax manufacturing standards. We’re referring, of course, to the ozone-depleting refrigerants employed within the tubes and coils of this older mechanical generation. Now, although they were phased out of the market quite a few years ago, CFC (Chlorofluorocarbon) fueled refrigeration devices do occasionally crop up. Fortunately, there are special demolition practices in place for these environmentally hazardous units.
Greenhouse Gas Remediation Strategies
Obsolete refrigeration equipment functions like a greenhouse gas engine. The freon, or CFCs, or greenhouse gasses enter the atmosphere as the apparatus deteriorates. That’s a bad enough image, but imagine how much worse things become when the redundant equipment is just cast aside, thrown on the dump. Obviously, a professional refrigeration engineer would never take this course. Instead, before closing the books on the job, the gas-filled equipment has to be neutralized. This is done carefully, of course, and by using an EPA approved refrigerant recovery program (www.epa.vic.gov.au). The goal is to safely discharge these chemical soups without releasing the ozone-damaging stuff into the atmosphere.
An Active Refrigeration Disposal Solution
The compression vessel is a head-scratching component, with its strange chemicals and potentially ozone-harmful gasses. Not to worry, though, there are vapour and liquid recovery methods that empty the compressor. Next, some metal and plastic parts can be salvaged and recycled. Ferrous parts and copper conduits are typically recycled, especially if the unit uses a large steel housing. Finally, before the permanent demolition takes place, insulating material has to be removed from the housing, as these foam-based materials may also contain ODS (Ozone-Depleting Substances) that are environmentally unsound.
Obsolete refrigeration equipment poses a risk to our environment. Arguably, even some of the appliances manufactured post-1995 could have been produced by a nation that hadn’t yet adopted the EPA-approved regulations concerning this topic. That’s why a sound demolition and disposal method must be part of a conscientious refrigeration services’ work repertoire, for it definitively deals with the job remnants after the new equipment has been installed.