HARDI Flags Potentially Illegal HVAC Products in Distribution Channel

It’s important that distributors are aware of what is and isn’t compliant, and that potential violations are reported, HARDI’s advisory said.

“We want to help protect this channel and make sure that noncompliant product isn’t being stuck in wholesalers’ warehouses,” said Alex Ayers, HARDI’s vice president of government affairs, in a recorded message.

Concerns arose because of reports that unfamiliar manufacturers, importers, and brands have been approaching HARDI members with equipment for sale, including R-410A units, Ayers wrote in a blog post.

Ayers listed some red flags distributors should look for when considering equipment buys. They were:

• A manufacturer or equipment model that is not in the DOE database;

• A lack of certification information from the supplier;

• A model number that doesn’t match what’s on the certification record;

• A claimed Air-conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), UL, or Intertek ETL certification that can’t be verified;

• A newly manufactured R-410A unit that’s marketed for a new system, or that lacks a “for servicing only” label;

• A seller’s claim about a refrigerant, or a product’s efficiency rating or certification, that isn’t supported by records.

“Any one of these may have an explanation,” Ayers wrote. “The right response is to stop and ask questions before putting the equipment into inventory.”

Safety regulations may apply to certain kinds of equipment, and such equipment must be tested by independent laboratories such as UL or ETL. Because certification marks can be faked, certification should be verified with the organization whose mark is listed. 

One obvious sign that a piece of equipment doesn’t meet safety standards, Ayers wrote, is if it’s claimed the unit can be used with refrigerants in different safety classifications, such as A1 and A2L. 

“If a condensing unit says it can be used with R-410A, R-32, and R-454B, it violates the safety standard,” he wrote.

HARDI provided links to several databases distributors can use to research equipment: the AHRI Directory of Certified Product Performance, the DOE Compliance Certification Database, the Intertek ETL Listed Mark Directory, and the UL Product iQ site.

HARDI has also built a one-sheet online form members can use to report potential non-compliant products. The sheet asks for the names of the brand and the seller, a link to the seller or product, the model number, the possible noncompliance issue, and other basic information. Some information is optional. A photo of the equipment nameplate and any product literature or spec sheets would also be helpful, HARDI’s advisory said, but the online form doesn’t call for those items.

HARDI will take the information, do further research, and submit information about likely noncompliant products to the DOE or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for possible federal investigation, Ayers said.