If someone has told you your cool room is about to become illegal, they are wrong. The truth is less alarming and a good deal more useful to plan around.
Few things unsettle a business owner faster than being told the gas in their refrigeration is being discontinued. Over the past few years we have had plenty of clients ask whether their system is about to become a very expensive paperweight, or whether they are up for a bill to change the gas and oil in equipment that is working perfectly well.
The short version is that the r404a phase out is real, but it is a gradual supply change rather than a ban, and nothing forces you to act on equipment that is already installed and running. Here is what is genuinely happening, and how to decide whether a retrofit is the right call for your commercial refrigeration.
Quick summary
- R404A is not banned. Australia is gradually reducing imports of high global warming potential gases through an import quota, so R404A is becoming scarcer and more expensive rather than illegal.
- Existing equipment isn’t affected: there’s no requirement to convert it, and licensed technicians can still buy R404A to keep servicing it.
- R448A is the usual lower global warming potential replacement for R404A in commercial refrigeration.
- Most of a refrigerant retrofit is an oil change: older systems run mineral oil, and the newer gases need polyolester, known as POE oil.
- Eastland handles gas conversions and retrofits across Coffs Harbour and the Mid North Coast, ARCtick licensed and holding a Refrigerant Trading Authorisation.
Is R404A being banned in Australia?
No. R404A is not banned in Australia and there is no date on which it becomes illegal to own or operate a system running it. What is happening is a controlled reduction in how much of it can be brought into the country.
How Australia’s HFC phase-down works
R404A is a hydrofluorocarbon, or HFC. Following an international agreement under the Montreal Protocol in 2016, Australia began a gradual phase-down of HFC imports on 1 January 2018. It is managed through an annual import quota that reduces over 18 years, reaching an end point of 15 per cent of the baseline level on 1 January 2036. The full detail is on the federal department’s HFC phase-down page.
Two details matter for a business owner. The quota applies to bulk gas imported in cylinders, not to gas already sitting inside equipment. And it is a phase-down to a residual level, not a phase-out to zero.
What it means for equipment you already own
This is the part that puts most people at ease. The government’s own guidance is explicit that there is no requirement to replace the refrigerant in existing equipment, and that technicians will still be able to purchase HFCs to maintain that equipment.
So a cool room running R404A today is not on a countdown. It can keep running, it can keep being serviced, and nobody is going to make you decommission it. What changes is the economics around it.
The real-world effect is price and availability
As the quota tightens, gases with a high global warming potential get progressively harder to source and dearer to buy. That does not hit as a sudden cliff. It shows up as a service invoice that is bigger than it was three years ago, and occasionally as a wait while your technician sources gas.
The practical consequence is that a system with a significant leak, or one needing a large recharge, gradually becomes more expensive to keep on the old gas. That is the point at which a refrigerant retrofit starts to pay for itself, rather than any legal deadline.
What replaces R404A in commercial refrigeration?
R448A is the replacement used most often in commercial refrigeration, because it works across the same low and medium temperature applications with a substantially lower global warming potential.
R448A and the move to lower-GWP blends
Global warming potential, usually shortened to GWP, is a measure of how much heat a gas traps in the atmosphere compared with the same mass of carbon dioxide. R404A sits at the very high end of that scale, which is exactly why it is a priority in the phase-down. R448A does the same job at a fraction of the GWP, which is why it has become the default answer when a cool room, freezer or display case needs moving off the old gas.
Natural refrigerants and where they fit
Alongside the HFC blends there are natural refrigerants with very low or zero GWP. Ammonia is the one most commonly seen in larger commercial and industrial refrigeration, and it is a gas our technicians work with. Hydrocarbons and hydrofluoro-olefins also fall into the low GWP refrigerant category and are appearing in more new equipment each year.
These are generally a consideration for new plant rather than something you convert an existing system to. Choosing a natural refrigerant usually means choosing different equipment, not changing what is in the pipes.
What a refrigerant retrofit actually involves
A retrofit means recovering the old gas, changing the oil, replacing a few components and recharging with the new refrigerant, then rebalancing the system. The oil is the part most people do not expect.
The oil is the real job
Older systems were designed around mineral oil. The newer refrigerants need polyolester, or POE oil, to circulate and lubricate properly. The two are not interchangeable and they do not mix well, so a proper conversion means flushing the old oil out rather than simply topping up with the new gas and hoping.
This is where corners get cut by operators in a hurry, and it is the difference between a conversion that runs reliably for years and one that quietly damages a compressor.
What else gets done at the same time
Seals and gaskets are checked, because materials that were fine with the old gas and oil combination do not always suit the new one. The expansion valve and driers are usually replaced. The system gets leak tested properly before it is recharged, since putting new gas into a system that leaks is money poured into the atmosphere.
Refrigerant work of this kind has to be done by a licensed technician. The national scheme is run by the Australian Refrigeration Council, which issues the ARCtick licences and the Refrigerant Trading Authorisation that a business needs to buy and handle refrigerant.
When a retrofit makes sense, and when it does not
A retrofit suits a system with life left in it: sound mechanically, reasonably efficient, and worth investing in. It makes much less sense on plant that is already near the end of its working life, where the sensible money goes towards replacement equipment designed around a modern refrigerant from the start.
| Your situation | What usually makes sense |
|---|---|
| System running well, no leaks, plenty of life left | Leave it. Service as normal and plan a retrofit for later |
| Recurring leaks or repeated large recharges | Retrofit is likely to pay for itself in gas costs |
| Major component failure on an ageing system | Price replacement alongside the repair before deciding |
| Planning new refrigeration anyway | Specify modern low-GWP equipment from the outset |
If you are unsure which of those describes your site, have someone look at the equipment before you budget for anything. Talk to our team and we can tell you which category you are in.
Four distinct pieces of work, and most businesses need all of them at some point.
How Eastland handles refrigerant work across the Mid North Coast
Gas conversions and retrofits are specialist work, and they are the kind of job where the quality of the decision matters as much as the quality of the labour.
Licensed, authorised and accountable
Our technicians hold ARCtick refrigerant handling licences, and Eastland holds the Refrigerant Trading Authorisation that comes with them. Recovered gas is handled properly rather than vented, which matters both legally and environmentally.
We will tell you when the answer is to do nothing
The most useful thing we can do on a phase-down question is often to advise against spending. Plenty of the sites we look at need no work at all for several years, and we say so, because a conversion sold on a manufactured deadline is the fastest way to lose a client we would rather keep for a decade. Assessment first, recommendation second, and no pressure attached to either.
All leading refrigeration brands
Unlike our air conditioning side, our refrigeration work covers all the leading brands, from cool rooms and freezers through to display cases, condensing units, blast chillers and glycol systems. That matters on a retrofit, because the right approach depends on the equipment in front of us rather than on what one manufacturer recommends. Ongoing servicing can be rolled into a maintenance plan so the system is monitored rather than forgotten.
Why air conditioning is not retrofitted the same way
This catches people out, because the two sound like the same problem. They are not.
Commercial air conditioning gas is generally not retrofitted. The working life of an air conditioning system tends to run roughly 10 to 15 years, which lines up reasonably closely with the pace at which refrigerants change over. By the time the gas in a unit is genuinely dated, the unit itself is usually near replacement anyway, so the sensible path is a new system rather than a conversion.
There is a safety dimension too. Many newer air conditioners run on R32, which is a mildly flammable refrigerant and carries handling requirements that older gases did not. It is not a gas you convert an existing system to on a whim, and it is another reason air conditioning tends to be replaced rather than converted.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out which refrigerant my system uses?
Check the nameplate or data label on the condensing unit, usually on the outdoor or plant-room side of the system. It will list the refrigerant type, most commonly as an R number, along with the charge weight. If the label has weathered off, which is common on coastal sites, a technician can identify the gas during a service.
How much does a refrigerant retrofit cost?
There is no standard price, because it depends on the size of the system, how much gas it holds, how accessible the plant is and what components need replacing alongside the oil and gas. A small single cool room is a very different job to a multi-deck display system. We quote upfront so you can weigh the cost against simply continuing to service the system as it is.
My system has a slow leak. Can I just keep topping it up?
Topping up without finding the leak is the most expensive way to run refrigeration. You pay for gas repeatedly at a price that is trending upward, the system runs poorly on a low charge in the meantime, and the underlying fault gets worse. Finding and repairing the leak is almost always cheaper over even a single season, and on a system with a recurring leak it is often the trigger for deciding to convert.
Will a retrofit change how much my refrigeration costs to run?
It can, and generally in a good direction, though the effect depends on the system and how well the conversion is done. A properly executed retrofit with the correct oil, a clean leak-free system and a rebalanced charge usually runs at least as efficiently as before. A rushed one with the wrong oil can do the opposite, which is the main argument for having it done properly rather than cheaply.
How long will my refrigeration be out of action during a retrofit?
On a single cool room or freezer, a straightforward conversion is usually a same-day job, though the system needs time to pull down to temperature afterwards. Larger or multi-system sites take longer and are better staged. The practical answer for most food businesses is to plan around it: schedule the work for a quieter trading period, run stock down beforehand, or hire in temporary refrigeration for the changeover so nothing is at risk. We work that timing out with you before the day rather than leaving you to improvise.
Talk to us before you budget for a refrigerant retrofit
The refrigerant phase out is a genuine shift, but it is a slow one, and the worst outcome is spending money on a conversion you did not need or delaying one that would have saved you a fortune in gas.
For a straight answer on where your system sits, call Eastland on 0488 549 288 or request a quote through our contact page, and we will assess the equipment before recommending anything.
We look after commercial refrigeration and air conditioning in Coffs Harbour and across the Mid North Coast, from cafes and seafood processors through to retail, hospitality and industrial sites. Fully licensed, ARCtick certified and insured, with after-hours emergency breakdown cover when you need it. And when you deal with Eastland, you deal with the owner, not a call centre.
You can also read what other Coffs Harbour and Mid North Coast businesses say about us on our Google Business Profile.
This article is general information only and does not account for the specific conditions of your site or equipment. For advice specific to your refrigeration, book an on-site assessment with Eastland.
References
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Australia’s HFC phase-down, how the phase-down is implemented under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989.
- DCCEEW: HFC phase-down factsheet, the quota timeline to 2036 and confirmation that existing equipment does not need its refrigerant replaced.
- Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC), the national ARCtick licensing scheme for refrigerant handling and Refrigerant Trading Authorisations.