GREENCHILL
Refrigerant Leak Prevention through Regular Maintenance
Food retail stores can save money and reduce environmental impacts by
ensuring that commercial refrigeration equipment is properly maintained. A
typical food retail store leaks an estimated 25% of refrigerant, or
approximately 1,000 pounds, annually. In addition to being costly, leaks
have significant impacts on the environment, because most refrigerants are
greenhouse gases and some are also ozone-depleting substances. This
fact sheet provides information on the benefits of performing regular
maintenance to reduce the likelihood of, and quickly remediate, refrigerant
leaks in food retail stores.
Why is Regular Preventive Maintenance Important?
Leaks are expensive
Equivalent Costs for a Typical
Refrigerant Leak
Question: How many gallons of milk do
you have to sell to pay the refrigerant
replacement cost of a 100-pound leak?
Answer: For a typical store, the answer
is more than 19,000 gallons.
GreenChill's Financial Impact
Calculator gives food retailers a
customizable tool to calculate the
amount of product they need to sell to
pay the replacement cost of the
refrigerant they leak. You can specify
the product type, profit margins, price
of refrigerant, etc. to generate store-
specific numbers. You can generate
these numbers for a specific leak
instance, a store's total annual leaks,
or all the annual leaks across your
corporation.
Leaks harm the ozone layer, contribute to climate change, or both
Performing regular preventive maintenance saves money because
preventing refrigerant leaks is always less expensive than repairing
them. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that if every
food retail store in the country reduced its refrigeration system's leak rate to
the GreenChill Partner average, the industry would save approximately
$108 million every year on reduced refrigerant costs. GreenChill's Financial
Impact Calculator gives food retailers a customizable tool to calculate the
amount of product (e.g., gallons of milk) they need to sell to pay the
replacement cost of the refrigerant they leak. See the text box for more
information.
Source:
http://vwvw.epa.gov/qreenchill/downloads/
FinanciallmpactCalculator.xls
Most commercial refrigeration systems in the United States use
hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) or hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants.
When leaked, HCFC refrigerants contribute to ozone depletion. In addition, these refrigerants are very potent
greenhouse gases. While HFC refrigerants do not contribute to ozone depletion, they often have greater impacts
on climate change than HCFCs. For reference, emitting one pound of the most commonly used HFC refrigerant
has the same climate change effects as emitting nearly 4,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.
Waiting until leaks become a problem before addressing them only makes the problem bigger
Leaks in refrigeration equipment will increase in size if left unaddressed. The larger the size of the leak, the more
refrigerant is wasted. Regular preventive maintenance measures help ensure that leaks are caught and
addressed while they are still small.
Regular preventive maintenance can help reduce other costs associated with equipment operation
Equipment wear and tear reduces energy efficiency. A system that is low on refrigerant must work harder to
control desired food temperatures. In addition, there is a greater chance of compressor burnout when equipment
is not regularly inspected. Servicing or replacing poorly maintained equipment is expensive and can result in
increased impacts on the environment (e.g., due to refrigerant leaks during system repair). Regularly cleaning
and inspecting refrigeration equipment helps reduce wear and tear and ensures energy-efficient operation.
United States
Environmental Prated
Agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation
EPA-430/F-I2-033
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/partnerships/greenchill/
September 2012
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GREENCHILL
GreenChill Leak Prevention Maintenance Checklist
This checklist identifies several maintenance measures that can help
prevent leaks in commercial refrigeration systems.
• Identify and log the refrigerant level of the receiver of each rack. A drop
in the receiver level from a previous reading may indicate a leak in the
system.
• Visually check the compressor racks, piping, and valves in the
mechanical room for any oil seepage. If oil seepage is observed, use
soap bubbles or an electronic leak detector to identify any refrigerant
leak and pinpoint the exact location.
• Check the control line temperature of all high-pressure switches at a
point that is about 12 inches from the compressor connection. If the
temperature is above the mechanical room ambient temperature, it
may indicate a leak in the control line, fitting, or control bellows.
• Check the pressure relief valves of each system for refrigerant release.
Each relief valve should have a balloon, blow-off cap, or other telltale
way to signal that a relief valve has discharged.
• Visually check all air-cooled condensers for oil seepage underneath
the unit and on finned coil surfaces.
• Check condenser fan blades for cracking or tearing of the metal,
especially at the point where the fan blade is riveted to the hub.
• Check for imbalance in the condenser fan blades and wear in the
motor mounts/bolts. Excess vibration in the blades can result in motor
mount failure. This can cause the spinning motor to drop and tear the
tube sheet, resulting in a high-pressure leak.
• Visually check piping and fittings to ensure that there is no pipe chafing
and no excessive stress on piping or fittings from thermal or
mechanical pipe movement during operation.
• Work with equipment suppliers to verify that equipment is leak-tight
when it leaves the factory, and provide feedback to suppliers if leaks
are found in factory-built equipment or subsystems.
• If permanent leak detectors are installed, ensure their proper function.
• Using an electronic leak detector at its most sensitive setting:
o Slowly move the probe over all mechanical room components.
Walk through the sales area of the store and the entire length of the
discharge air stream of each refrigerated case.
Check each walk-in cooler, freezer, and refrigerated prep area in the
store.
Check subsurface refrigeration access pits, starting with riser pits.
Check accessible overhead refrigeration lines by following the path of the lines.
GreenChill Resources
Leak Prevention and Repair
Guideline
This guideline provides food retailers
with information on best practices for
reducing refrigerant leaks from
commercial refrigeration systems.
http://www.epa.qov/qreenchill/downloads/
leakpreventionrepairquidelines.pdf
Best Practices for Ensuring
Leak-Tight Installations
This guideline describes a process for
testing a refrigeration system for leaks
immediately after installation.
http://www.epa.qov/qreenchill/downloads/
LeakGuidelines.pdf
Best Practices Guideline for
Commercial Refrigeration
Retrofits
This guideline provides information on
best practices—including leak
tightness improvements—for
retrofitting HCFC-22 refrigeration
systems to use HFC substitutes.
http://www.epa.gov/qreenchill/downloads/
RetrofitGuidelines.pdf
Financial Impact Calculator
The Financial Impact Calculator gives
food retailers a customizable tool to
calculate the amount of product (e.g.,
gallons of milk) they need to sell to
pay the replacement cost of the
refrigerant they leak.
http://www.epa.gov/qreenchill/downloads/
FinanciallmpactCalculator.xls
This checklist is based on a more detailed list of preventive maintenance measures presented in the GreenChill
Leak Prevention and Repair Guideline and input from GreenChill Partners.
United States
Environmental Prated
Agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation
EPA-430/F-I2-033
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/partnerships/greenchill/
September 2012
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Other Maintenance Measures Can Help Reduce Impacts on the Environment
This checklist identifies several other maintenance measures that supermarkets can take to help ensure that
refrigeration systems are operating efficiently and to reduce wear and tear overtime. Efficient refrigeration
systems help reduce impacts on the environment by reducing the amount of energy they need to operate.
Combining these measures with the leak prevention measures identified above can result in greater
environmental and cost-saving benefits overall.
• Clean evaporator and condensing coils regularly to avoid dust and dirt accumulation.
• Clean motor and fan blades with a soft cloth.
• Check the amperage of motors and compressors.
• Review thermostat settings and calibrate if needed.
• Clear away weeds and debris from outdoor condensing units.
• Check motor oil levels in compressors monthly.
• Lubricate motor bearings annually.
• Check relays and contactors quarterly.
• Test controls and safety switches to ensure proper functioning.
• Check refrigerant lines for insulation decay, especially from the condensing unit and the evaporator coils;
replace as needed.
• Hire a professional to inspect electrical connections annually.
This checklist is based on a list of preventive maintenance measures developed by GreenChill Partner
Kysor/Warren.
EPA's GreenChill Partnership
The GreenChill Partnership is made up of industry leaders in green refrigeration technology and environmental
stewardship. GreenChill is a cooperative alliance with the supermarket industry to support and promote green
technologies and environmental best practices that protect the ozone layer, reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
and save money. GreenChill Partners in the food retail industry have refrigerant emissions rates nearly 50%
lower than the EPA-estimated industry average.
The GreenChill Partnership researches advanced technology and servicing practices, and provides Partners with
tools that can be used to attain corporate environmental goals. Partners also benefit from the opportunity to
share information on environmental best practices and increased publicity for their environmental commitments
and achievements.
For additional information on the GreenChill Partnership, please contact Keilly Witman at witman.keilly@epa.gov
Web site: www.epa.gov/greenchill
United States
Environmental Prated
Agency
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/partnerships/greenchill/
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation
EPA-430/F-I2-033
September 2012
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