Refrigerant Converter
The gas on the plate → what is documented to go in instead, and whether that means the same machine or a new one. Every line says where it comes from; nothing is from memory.
On the plate
R404A · A1 · GWP 3922
GWP ≥ 2,500. Under retained Regulation (EU) 517/2014 Art. 13(3), VIRGIN R404A may not be used to service or maintain equipment with a charge of 40 t CO₂e or more (≈10.2 kg of R404A) since 1 Jan 2020; recycled/reclaimed R404A permitted for that until 1 Jan 2030. Below 40 t CO₂e the service ban does not apply, but the gas is expensive and scarce.
Retrofit — same machine, after recovery, drier and oil per the guide
- R448A (Solstice N40)A1 · GWP 1387 · glide ≈ 6 K
Oil: POE — the same oil R404A plant already runs.
The mainstream R404A retrofit for supermarket and cold-room plant. Discharge temperatures run higher than R404A — check the manufacturer's guidance on low-temperature duty. Glide ~6 K: dew for superheat, bubble for subcooling. Relabel.
Source: Honeywell Solstice N40 (R-448A) retrofit guidelines
- R449A (Opteon XP40)A1 · GWP 1397 · glide ≈ 6 K
Oil: POE — as R404A.
Chemours' equivalent to R448A; same considerations (higher discharge, ~6 K glide, relabel). Both cut GWP by roughly two-thirds versus R404A.
Source: Chemours Opteon XP40 (R-449A) retrofit guidelines
- R452A (Opteon XP44)A1 · GWP 2140 · glide ≈ 4 K
Oil: POE — as R404A.
Chosen where discharge temperature is the limit — transport refrigeration especially — because it stays closer to R404A there. GWP is under 2,500 but only just; not the biggest saving.
Source: Chemours Opteon XP44 (R-452A) technical information
A retrofit is still: recover and weigh, change the drier, follow the retrofit guide on oil and seals, charge by weight, relabel the machine, record it. Never a top-up of a different gas. Glides are approximate — the blend's own P-T data is what this app's tables use for superheat (dew) and subcooling (bubble).
The guide: “replacement refrigerant” — three different things