On July 1, 2025, Arrowhead Superior Refrigeration replaced a 19-year-old walk-in freezer at Glendale American Elementary School in Arizona with Heatcraft Refrigeration Products’ new dual-refrigerant condensing unit and Larkin unit cooler equipped with intelliGen controls. The system was initially charged with R-448A (A1 refrigerant) to establish baseline performance.
The installation site presented extreme conditions, with the roof-mounted condensing unit exposed to temperatures up to 120°F (48.9°C). Despite the heat, the system reached and maintained target temperature within hours.
One week later, on July 8, the Arrowhead team converted the system to operate on R-454A, a next-generation A2L refrigerant. The process included installing a Refrigerant Detection System (RDS), safety shutoff and check valves, and updating the controller firmware. The conversion, including refrigerant recovery and recharge, was completed in just over one hour.
According to Arrowhead founder Manny Griego Sr., the dual-refrigerant design allows contractors to install equipment compatible with both A1 and A2L refrigerants, avoiding future full-system replacements when regulations change. “No waste, no double work and the system is future-ready from day one,” he said.
American Refrigeration Supplies (ARS), the distributor, participated in the installation and sees the system as a solution for reducing inventory complexity and contractor risk during the refrigerant transition. “This project shows it’s not just possible — it’s practical,” said Rob Edens, ARS director of operational audit.
Heatcraft and Arrowhead plan to monitor system performance on R-454A, focusing on efficiency, recovery times, and reliability in real-world operation. Early results show stable operation without alarms or service calls.