Purchasing r410a in Canada
dalee
| Posted in General Questions on
I’m looking for advice on purchasing r410a in Canada.
I am planning to install two mini splits, and the line length is at the borderline of the units’ charge. So, I might need more refrigerant.
I believe I am allowed to purchase r410a locally (British Columbia), but the minimum tank size is 25 lbs. That’s nearly $1000 CAD for a tank and fill!
I’m really leery of buying from an unknown online vendor. I guess that’s my question here – how can I find a trustworthy source of a small quantity of gas?
(We have generous subsidies for new heat pump installations which drove up prices, and a shortage of labor. I don’t think I’m going to be able to hire a technician to fill these up.)
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Replies
In the US, you need a license to buy the refrigerant. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Canada has a similar requirement. Any supply house that sells the stuff will be able to tell you what you need, but I'd call a place that is NOT the one you want to buy from to ask. The reason is that if the supply house thinks you're a DIYer, they might not want to sell to you regardless of if it is legal for them to do so or not.
For small quantities, you will need someone to do it for you. The standard size 25 pound container is the smallest you will normally see. You also need to evacuate the line before charging if you've extended with additional tubing. If you don't do things right, you can really screw up the unit, and then you have to start all over, usually also replacing the dryer, so I don't normally recommend doing the refrigernant charge as a DIY job.
Bill
If I lived in the US I would write the section 608 test. And it would be easier to accept purchasing a full 25 lb. container, because it's half the price.
I am very concerned about being beholden to our broken hvac market. I'm seriously thinking of spending extra money on hydronics and using a monobloc.