Sunny spells

yes
that'll be v useful!

cheers

MarkMyWords

Nope, sorry, my understanding is that HFCs and HCFCs are no longer ok. See my and others' previous postings in this thread for possibly useful links. This is a very recent change (1 June), so definitive answers seem hard to come by. The only real answer could be provided by someone who has actually imported (or failed to!) an HFC-driven appliance in June (or later, if you're reading this later). Anyone? Please?

(BTW Sunny spells, sorry, I couldn't read that attachment. Not sure why, but it claims it's not really a pdf file! Weird.)

jerzy

I was told the same thing by both Crown and John Mason.

The guy from Crown may not have lived in Australia, and if he had it would hardly qualify him to comment on the importation of fridge gases would it ? but he has probably moved 1000's of people and it is his job to know the in's and outs of Australias various import restrictions.

My main concern would be whether Oz customs can identify whether your fridge is compliant or not, because from what I can gather they don't mess about. They seem to work to the motto, if in doubt throw it out

At the end of the day it's up to you whether you want to take the risk and whether you're confident you can prove to customs that the fridge is compliant (you may not even be there when they open it as they often perform random checks, this has happened to a friend of mine).

anya4oz

FWIW, I just talked with Crown, who said that you need to get a signed letter from the manufacturer stating which [allowed] gasses are used in the particular appliance; this will be shipped as part of the export documentation.

However they are getting confirmation from their Melbourne office overnight on the allowed gases so if it's useful (and not a load of hot air, ho ho) I'll post it here.

This latest fridge aggro is really p*ssing me off. I think in the end it'll be easier just to dig out an ice house in the yard...

Or to live on a diet of entirely non-perishable goods, like sailors of old. Salted meat and dried fish, anyone?

Anya.

MarkMyWords

Plus lots of lemons from the lemon tree! Oh and a fresh lettuce every day of course.

vicky o

That was more a reply to "Do fridges work in Oz when they are manufactured in UK?" Or do they pack up in the heat?

mr mover

WE have 5 fridges sitting in our depot, awaiting , yay, or nay in my honest opinion , leave them at home . The goverment here is so fickle , the whole agenda could go in a different direction next week. ..................mm

pockygoes

We are seriously thinking of getting ours converted (new compressor etc) as hubbie is in the air conditioning trade & our fridge is only 6 mths old!!! He says that it can be done & will include documentation to state that it is one of the "approved" refrigerants etc. Do you think that it is a viable option - we paid over £800 for it & I really would like to try if it is a goer!!!

cheers

pockygoes

MarkMyWords

I have to say I'm utterly flabbergasted that a 6-month-old 'fridge needs converting! But still, you did say it was HFC134a. Stupid question maybe, though... did you get this info from the handbook, the back of the unit or off the web? Because unless it was actually on the unit itself, maybe it's wrong?

jerzy

Sorry Vicky, I didn't mean to come across as a stroppy customer just saying I'd put my trust in someone who's professionally employed to give advice on these things, then again after some of the shipping companies we've had in maybe not

pockygoes

My sentiments exactly - I am in conversation with Samsung at the moment & there are emails flying backwards & forwards & they have not actually answered my query as yet. We cannot beleive that they would be selling a fridge that contains CFC's - if we get no joy we will be onto Curry's next & try that tac. the manuals we have for the fridge have no tech spec in them (apart from the measurements) which is suspicious in itself - they were on sale when we bought it & it makes us wonder if they were trying to get rid of a job lot as they contained CFC's - if that is the case I shall try to persue it with Curry's.

The info about the refrigerant is on the sticker on the inside of the fridge!

Cheers

pockygoes

MarkMyWords

I'll trust the sticker, then!

But there's still some confusion here. Your sticker says "HFC134a", right? That is, as its name would suggest, an HFC and not a CFC. You certainly won't find any new or recent 'fridges containing CFCs (well not in any sensible country). If CFCs were the only banned family of gases then everything would be fine. The problem has only arisen because of the apparent very recent rule-tightening by Oz customs, where it seems (depending on which literature you read) that HFCs and HCFCs are now also banned. Hence your HFC134a is now potentially a problem, not because it's a CFC (which it isn't) but because it's an HFC. Ditto one of ours and potentially many others built in the last few years.

FYI FWIW, CFCs are ozone-depleters, as are HCFCs, but HFCs are "only" greenhouse gases.

pockygoes

Exactly - which begs the question - why are the Oz government bringing in legislation to ban it? we thought we would be OK when we bought it- being new you would think that it would be up-to-date - apparently not. Will post if/when I hear any more from either samsung or Customs.

pockygoes

MarkMyWords

Annoyingly, after a better look behind our newest 'fridge (a mere 5 years old) although it says pentane on the casing in big letters, there's also a label saying that the refrigerant is R134a (HFC134a by another name). Yet another item to try to get some real money for, then.

Sunny spells

Dear Lynne

Many thanks for your email.

Please be advised if a person/family is migrating to Australia, or
coming to Australia as a temporary resident or an Australian Citizen
returning to Australia they are permitted to bring with them as personal
effects, their refrigerator/freezer this may also include their vehicle.
We also require documentation/compliance report saying what type of gas
is contained in their goods.

However, in someone is importing a pre-charge of HFC/HCFC they are
required to apply for an importing licence. However, if an importer is
importing HRFC/HCFC and they do not wish to apply for a pre-charged
equipment import licence the gas must be evacuated before exporting to
Australia. Again, to demonstrate compliance, this work should also be
undertaken by a qualified technician.

My guess is Lynne the 1st paragraph of my email to you will be more
relevant to your clients.

With kind regards.



Jo Beath
A/g Assistant Director
Ozone and Synthetic Gas Team
Environment Standards Branch
Policy Coordination and Environment Protection Division
Department of the Environment and Heritage
GPO Box 787
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Telephone: + 612 62741603
Facsimile: + 612 62741610
Email: [email protected]