Service
Installation and replacement
Before you replace anything, know this: after the EPA amended the AIM Act in May 2026, most existing equipment across Greater Boston is serviceable for years yet. You are probably not being forced into a capital purchase this year, whatever you have been told.
Answered live, 24/7 (617) 938-5404Repair or replace
We would rather repair your unit than sell you a new one, and we will say so when that is the right answer. Replacement genuinely makes sense when the compressor has failed with metal debris in the oil, when the box has lost insulation value, when the cabinet is corroded past sealing, or when the running cost of an old inefficient unit has quietly overtaken the cost of a new one.
What has changed is not urgency, it is the choice available when a unit does die. 310 CMR 7.76 names R-404A among prohibited substances for new equipment in Massachusetts. Your existing R-404A system is grandfathered and can keep running, but like-for-like replacement is closed off, so the decision when it fails is different here than in most states.
Where the deadlines actually stand
After the EPA’s May 2026 amendments. Most published advice still quotes the older, earlier dates.
| Equipment category | Interim GWP limit | Until |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarket refrigeration systems | 1,400 | 1 Jan 2032 |
| Cold storage warehouses | 700 | 1 Jan 2032 |
| Industrial process refrigeration | , | 1 Jan 2030 |
| Refrigerated laboratory equipment | , | 1 Jan 2028 |
Capacity increases of 15% or less on an existing supermarket system do not trigger new compliance obligations, which matters if you are expanding rather than replacing.
A2L equipment, and what changes
New equipment increasingly ships on A2L refrigerants, R-454A, R-454B, R-455A, R-32. They are mildly flammable, which changes the installation, not just the servicing.
- Refrigerant detection under UL 60335-2-40, alarming at or below 25% of the lower flammability limit
- Sensors mounted low: these refrigerants are heavier than air, and away from ventilation streams that would dilute a leak before it is detected
- Setpoints matched to the specific refrigerant. R-32 and R-454B do not alarm at the same concentration
- Charge limits and minimum room sizes under ASHRAE 15, which can decide where a unit is allowed to go
- Mitigation logic verified as part of commissioning, that the ventilation actually starts and the system actually shuts down, not merely that a sensor is present
How we install
- Sized to the actual load, not to whatever was there before. The previous unit may have been wrong for twenty years
- Head pressure control specified for New England. An outdoor condensing unit without proper low-ambient control will give you trouble every January
- Brazed under flowing nitrogen, evacuated properly and charged by weight, not by feel
- Startup documented: superheat, subcooling, pressures and amp draw recorded on day one, so there is a baseline to compare against in three years
- Old equipment removed and hauled away, with refrigerant recovered as required
Common questions
Do I have to replace my R-404A equipment?
Is there a deadline I am about to miss?
Will you tell me if I should repair instead of replace?
Related
Weighing repair against replacement?
We will give you the honest answer, including when the honest answer is that your unit has years left.
Get in touch
Request service or a quote
If something is down right now, call. The phone is the fast path, day or night. For quotes, maintenance plans and installs, send the form.