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Cylinder Re-certification

Per DOT regulations, recovery cylinder certification expires five years from the date of manufacture. By the five-year mark, the recovery cylinder must be certified by a facility approved by DOT. 

When a cylinder is recertified, the recertification date is marked on the cylinder in one of two ways. 

  1. If the certification date is hammer-stamped into the cylinder, the cylinder’s certification expires 5 years from the date of recertification. 
  2. If the certification date is noted on a label that is epoxied onto the cylinder, the cylinder’s certification expires 10 years from the date of recertification. 

DynaCycle utilizes an enhanced certification process that certifies recovery cylinders for 10 years. These cylinders have a date label epoxied to the cylinder. 

Here are examples of how certification dates are marked on recovery cylinders processed by DynaCycle.

Certification Date Stamped on Cylinder (certification expires 5 years from date)

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Steel 6/18, expires 6/2023Steel 9/18, expires 9/2023Composite 4/19, expires 4/2024

Certification Date label epoxied to Cylinder (certification expires 10 years from date)

Steel 10/19, expires 10/29   Steel 5/20, expires 5/2030      Composite 11/19, expires 11/2029

​DynaCycle is receiving high volumes of expired tanks with refrigerant contents. This would indicate that service technicians are transporting expired cylinders, which may be in violation of DOT regulations. You are not in violation of DOT regulations if you ship or transport an expired cylinder to an EPA Certified Reclamation facility. Expired cylinders are permitted to be shipped to an EPA Certified Reclamation facility since the cylinder will be emptied and recertified, or taken out of service. 

Effective July 15, 2020, a $30 fee will be charged for expired cylinders received that do not have a DynaCycle sleeve. Expired cylinders with a DynaCycle sleeve will not be charged this fee. The charge will be assigned to the technician noted in the receiving report.

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding cylinder certifications.​

Q&A With Our CEO, Brad Kivlan

What is your experience in the HVAC/R industry?

My family has roots in this industry that go back 80+ years. My great-grandfather was a Rheem salesman, and my grandfather worked for Calgon (Nu Calgon today) and then started his HVAC/R rep firm, Hal Kivlan Sales Agency, in 1968. My father, uncle and aunt joined the rep firm in the 70’s and 80’s. Hal Kivlan Sales Agency opened a small buy/sell warehouse in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and later relocated to 17,000 sqft warehouse when it became the East Coast Master Distributor for Steveco motors in the late 80’s. This is when Dynatemp was born, and I started working as a youngster in the family business. 

Dynatemp started in the early 80’s as a repacker of HVAC/R electrical parts, supplies and accessories in order to help wholesale customers consolidate orders of items that complimented Steveco Motors. As a 10 year old, my job was to package wire ties, shop rags and work gloves. I remember getting paid a decent rate, and then dad would take half for the “college fund”. I think that was his way of teaching me how taxes worked because at 10 years old, I don’t think I even knew what college was.

I had various jobs outside the family business during my teenage years. When I was 17 years old, I got a call from dad asking if I could come to work in the warehouse to fill-in for a warehouse associate who had been injured at his second job as a tree trimmer. When dad told me the market wage for a warehouse associate, I jumped at the opportunity knowing that I had a car insurance bill coming due and my career as a Subway sandwich artist wasn’t enough to pay the few bills I had as a 17 year old. 

Working nights and weekends during High School and summers during College, I was able to learn and perform various jobs in the family business. Starting as a warehouse associate, I picked, packed and shipped items for both Hal Kivlan Sales Agency and Dynatemp International. When orders slowed down during the off-season, I worked in customer service, accounts payable / receivable and order entry. Eventually I became the Warehouse Manager. I absorbed information about customers, product, part numbers, pricing and processes. I made a lot of mistakes, but I’m thankful that I was able to learn from those mistakes early on. I had great managers watching over me- Connie Walters and Carol Hippensteel. 

I graduated from Grove City College in 1999 and some job opportunities lined up with some great companies. Then dad called me up and said he wanted to interview me for a job.  He offered me a position as a Sales Representative in Hal Kivlan Sales Agency, beating out my other job offers. 

By 2003, I was in the lead role at Hal Kivlan Sales Agency and managing the marketing and advertising efforts for Dynatemp. In 2007 and 2008, I bought the sales firm from my uncle and father, and we became the Kivlan Group. When it was time to find someone to take my place as President of the company, I knew immediately that the person was Jodi Rorke. Her leadership and experience was unparalleled. We put together a good team of associates in Kivlan Group, and that allowed me to transition over to Dynatemp starting in 2013 as VP of Operations. In 2017, we opened our East Coast distribution center in Clayton, North Carolina. This was a milestone year for Dynatemp as I was named President and Will Gresham was named Executive Vice President of the organization.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I think it’s important that a CEO has vast experience in every role and department in the company they lead. I’ve done everything from sweeping floors, to packaging products, to driving the forklift.  All those years of experience learning the ins and outs of the company and industry helped me to better understand what our employees go through on a day to day basis. It’s important to me that they know that I can jump in with them at any time and work shoulder to shoulder to get the job done. 

What are you most proud of when it comes to Dynatemp International?

Getting to work with all the great people in our company and our industry. There are so many brilliant minds in the HVAC/R industry and I’m thankful to work alongside so many of them everyday. Every week my team and I brainstorm what we can do to help our customers with their pain points and how we can make their business easier. There’s a theme of collaboration across our industry, people work together to solve tough problems. 

  How is Dynatemp different from its competitors?

We have a long history with our Sales Reps, that started with our relationship with the Kivlan Group, going back thirty years.  We understand the value that Reps bring to the market place and to wholesale customers with their experience, insight, and knowledge. They provide a collaborative relationship between us and our customers, taking care of both sides of the partnership. They are the experts in the industry and understand how the industry is constantly changing, we lean on them and their knowledge daily. 

What are your hopes for the HVAC/R industry?

I hope for more certainty on the regulatory side because it’s very difficult to plan a business and develop products without a clear picture of what the playing field will be. We still don’t know how long HFCs will be around because there is currently no federal phasedown in place. There is no clear picture of what the next generation of refrigerants looks like until building codes and standards catch up. To build a long term plan for our business, we want regulations to get straightened out, codes and standards get updated, and to have an orderly transition from HFCs to HFOs and natural refrigerants. 

What advice would you give for those who are considering starting a business in the HVAC/R industry? 

The big opportunities moving forward will be in energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and smart building technology. Learn the trade from the ground up as a Technician, because there is a serious shortage of Techs. It’s a great way to start in the industry. Take that knowledge and figure out where you can add value from there. 

 

Hydrocarbons Are The Future & The Future Is Now

Take advantage of the growing amount of equipment utilizing R290 and R600a hydrocarbon refrigerants. With state and federal HFC phase-down regulations on the horizon, now is a great time to position yourself as your customer’s go-to supplier of hydrocarbon refrigerants. Hydrocarbons, like R290 and R600a, are non-toxic, have a low GWP (global warming potential), are highly efficient, and are a cost-effective HFC replacement option. At Dynatemp Refrigerants we can offer these high-quality products at an economical price.

Following Europe’s lead, where the hydrocarbons have been in use for over 20 years, the United States is working towards full adoption of low-GWP refrigerants through state regulations with the possibility of federal legislation through the AIM Act. To meet these rapidly changing US regulations, the HVAC industry is building equipment specifically made for hydrocarbons. A couple of examples of this are here and here. Also, the IEC has increased the charge limit on equipment from 150g to 500g in self-contained commercial display cases.

R290

R-290 is a highly refined propane. It is safe and environmentally friendly. Unlike HFCs that have a  high GWP, hydrocarbons, like R290, have almost negligible GWP. R290 replaces R134a in refrigerator applications and replaces R404a in freezer applications. It also has better heat transfer properties making your equipment more efficient.

R600a

R600a is refrigerant grade isobutane. Like R290, it is non-toxic, non-ozone depleting and has very low GWP.  R600a also has excellent thermodynamic properties. R600a replaces R12 and R134a and is much better for the environment.

Safety

While both R290 and R600a are classified as ASHRAE A3-Highly Flammable, when used correctly the risk is very low. Flammability happens when you charge fluorocarbon systems with hydrocarbons, which is illegal in the United States. There have also been fears of an increased explosion risk with propane refrigerators but studies show that there is less than a .001% chance of this occurring, even in kitchens that cook with gas. The real risk with hydrocarbons is if there is a leak in an unventilated space, like a control room. However, most of the equipment being built today is a closed-loop system to ensure safety.

The most important safety issue is that R290 and R600a can not be used in retrofitted systems, they must be used in new equipment.

For more information on these products for SDS sheets, click here.

Request A Quote

Let Dynatemp Refrigerants help you provide your customers with refrigerant options that meet the HFC phase-down regulations that are currently happening and will continue to happen in the future. If your customers invest in hydrocarbon systems now, they will be ahead of the game. To request a quote on these products click here. 

 

Sources:

https://files.ctctcdn.com/db8d7555401/2750a370-8188-4afd-8e19-4049b2237380.pdf

http://hydrocarbons21.com/articles/8994/in_reversal_iec_approves_increase_of_charge_limit_for_flammable_refrigerants

https://refrigeranthq.com/r-290-propane-refrigerant-info-fact-sheet/?highlight=290

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/1702/refrigerant-regulations.html

 

 

An Update On The AIM Act

Did you miss the United States House of Representatives hearing titled the “American Innovation and Jobs: Legislation to Phase Down Hydrofluorocarbons”? If you did, you can check out the recorded version here.

As a reminder, this is the House version of the Senate’s AIM Act (S. 2754), which was introduced in October and is currently in committee. The AIM Act establishes a 15 year HFC phasedown schedule, while also giving the EPA the authority it needs to enforce the phasedown. Both bills have bipartisan congressional support as well as HVACR industry and environmental group support. In addition, Dynatemp Refrigerants was among thirty-two HVACR industry CEO’s to sign a letter of support for a federally mandated HFC phasedown. In the absence one, we will continue to see a patchwork of state by state phasedown legislation as we have seen with California, Vermont, Washington, and now New Jersey.

What are the next steps? Both the Senate bill and the House bill are in committee, you can track their progress through congress.gov. Senate Bill S.2754 and House Bill H.R.5544

If you haven’t already, use HARDI’s tool to email your Representatives and ask them to support a federally mandated HFC phasedown to give the HVACR industry the clarity it needs to plan for the next generation of refrigerants.

Additional Sources:

https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/11/carper-and-kennedy-introduce-bill-to-phasedown-use-of-hfcs