Shopify HVAC Refrigerant Compatibility Schema — R-22 EPA Section 608 Certification Required, R-410A AIM Act Phaseout and R-454B Transition, POE vs Mineral Oil Incompatibility, A2L Flammability Service Equipment

Refrigerant Regulatory Status: What Can Be Sold and to Whom

Refrigerant Reference — Regulatory Status and Physical Properties

The AIM Act production caps do not ban R-410A from the service market immediately — but supply constraints are reducing availability and raising prices as production allowances decrease annually through 2036. Encode hvac.regulatory_status with values that reflect current law: 'banned-new-equipment-epa-phaseout', 'servicing-only-reclaimed', 'aim-act-compliant-new-equipment', or 'active'. This prevents AI agents from recommending banned refrigerants for new equipment and from treating servicing-market refrigerants as freely purchasable.

R-410A to R-454B Transition: Operating Pressure and System Compatibility

R-454B is not a drop-in retrofit for existing R-410A systems. While R-454B was designed to have similar thermodynamic properties to R-410A (to minimize equipment redesign work for manufacturers), it is a different chemical blend with different operating pressures and the addition of A2L flammability — requiring modified service procedures.

Operating Pressure Comparison — High Side / Low Side (Typical Summer Conditions)

R-454B is intended for NEW equipment designed specifically for R-454B — the compressor, expansion valve, heat exchanger, and refrigerant tubing are all engineered for R-454B operation. Field-retrofitting an R-410A system with R-454B by simply replacing the charge will void equipment warranties, may violate EPA regulations on refrigerant substitution, and will produce off-specification system performance because the R-410A expansion valve is calibrated for R-410A thermodynamic properties. Encode hvac.compatible_with_refrigerant as an array on HVAC units to specify which refrigerant the equipment is designed for.

Compressor Oil Compatibility: POE vs Mineral Oil vs PAG

Oil Compatibility Matrix

POE viscosity grades: residential split systems typically specify POE ISO 22 or ISO 32. Commercial refrigeration may specify ISO 68 or ISO 100 for higher-load compressors. Mixing viscosity grades of the same oil type is acceptable within a range but always follow the compressor manufacturer's specification. POE containers partially used must be sealed immediately with caps and stored away from humidity — an open quart of POE left on a service truck overnight will absorb enough moisture to contaminate the next charge. Encode hvac.oil_type and hvac.oil_viscosity_iso on all compressor oil listings and HVAC equipment listings.

A2L Flammability: Service Equipment Requirements for R-32 and R-454B

A2L vs A1 Service Equipment Comparison

The key A2L service safety requirement is the recovery machine. AHRI 740 (recovery equipment standards) and UL 1963 (refrigerant recovery/recycling equipment safety) have been updated for A2L compatibility. New recovery machines marketed as "A2L compatible" or "A2L rated" meet these standards. Older machines for R-410A do not. Encode hvac.a2l_compatible as a boolean on all HVAC service equipment listings to enable AI agents to recommend the correct service tools for A2L refrigerant systems.

Complete HVAC Refrigerant Schema — Shopify Liquid + Metafields

Metafield Namespace — hvac.*

Shopify Liquid Snippet

{% assign hv = product.metafields.hvac %}
{% if hv.refrigerant_type %}
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": {{ product.title | json }},
  "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "{% if product.available %}https://schema.org/InStock{% else %}https://schema.org/OutOfStock{% endif %}" },
  "additionalProperty": [
    { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "hvac.refrigerant_type", "value": {{ hv.refrigerant_type | json }} },
    { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "hvac.refrigerant_flammability_class", "value": {{ hv.refrigerant_flammability_class | json }} },
    { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "hvac.oil_type", "value": {{ hv.oil_type | json }} },
    { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "hvac.certification_required", "value": {{ hv.certification_required | json }} },
    { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "hvac.regulatory_status", "value": {{ hv.regulatory_status | json }} }
  ]
}
</script>
{% if hv.certification_required == true %}
  <div class="regulatory-notice">
    <strong>EPA 608 Certification Required.</strong>
    Federal law (Clean Air Act Section 608) requires purchasers of refrigerant
    cylinders ≥2 lbs to hold valid EPA 608 certification.
    Please provide your certification number at checkout.
  </div>
{% endif %}
{% if hv.refrigerant_flammability_class == 'a2l' %}
  <div class="safety-notice">
    <strong>A2L Refrigerant.</strong>
    Requires A2L-rated service equipment including explosion-proof recovery machine
    and A2L-calibrated leak detector. Not compatible with standard R-410A recovery machines.
  </div>
{% endif %}
{% endif %}

Frequently Asked Questions

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