Cold room repair and maintenance in South Africa: what a service plan covers and who may sign the CoC
In short
In South Africa, repairing or maintaining a cold room's refrigeration system needs a certificate of conformity (CoC) from a SAQCC Gas registered practitioner. A service plan should cover the condensing unit, evaporator and defrost, door seals, thermometer, panels and floor, at the intervals the equipment manuals set. If the room is already losing temperature, ask for a refrigeration repair.
Headcore9 min read9 sources
Who may repair or service a cold room's refrigeration system?
A SAQCC Gas registered practitioner. In South Africa, the Department of Labour's guidance notes to the Pressure Equipment Regulations (PER), which apply from a design pressure of 50 kPa, state: "A COC shall be issued by the SAQCC Gas registered gas practitioner for the installation, repair or modification and/or maintenance of a refrigeration system in terms of the PER, SANS 347 and SANS 10147" (note (g) to regulation 17; note (j) to regulation 2).[1]
For maintenance, modification or repair, that certificate of conformity (CoC) may be "specific to the scope of work performed" (note (e) to regulation 17). Where the system is SANS 347 Category II or higher, an approved inspection authority (AIA) must also be involved and countersign the certificate of manufacture (note (g)).[1]
Regulation 16 of the Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015 (GN R. 540) adds: "No user may use or permit the use of a refrigeration or an air-conditioning installation unless it complies with a safety standard with respect to its construction, installation, operation and inspection" incorporated into those regulations. SANS 10147 is one of the standards incorporated, and breaching regulation 16 carries a fine or up to 12 months' imprisonment (regulation 22).[2]
SANS 10147:2014 (edition 5) is a paid standard. By the SABS summary, it applies to refrigeration plants holding more than 150 g of refrigerant and covers recovery, refrigerant conversions, and replacement parts that are not identical in function and capacity.[3]
Which SAQCC Gas registration should the technician hold?
Category 6 for synthetic refrigerants and hydrocarbons, 7 for CO2 or 8 for ammonia: all three must issue a CoC. SAQCC Gas registers refrigeration practitioners in 14 categories through SARACCA, its member association for refrigeration and air conditioning, and registration is valid for three years.[7]
| Category | Work it covers | May sign a CoC |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Refrigeration plant operator | Operating a refrigeration plant | No |
| 2. Domestic and light commercial | Domestic (R290 and R600a) and light commercial refrigeration | Yes, for small domestic and light commercial units |
| 3. Installer or fitter | Piping, components and equipment, under supervision | No |
| 5. Apprentice or learner | Training towards a trade test | No |
| 6. Air conditioning and refrigeration practitioner | Installation, repair and maintenance on Group A1, A2 and A3 refrigerants (synthetic F-gases and hydrocarbons), by a registered artisan | Yes, and must issue one |
| 7. Carbon dioxide (R744) | Commercial CO2 refrigeration, with proven CO2 experience | Yes, and must issue one |
| 8. Ammonia (R717) | Cold storage and process cooling on ammonia, after an ammonia handling and safety response assessment | Yes, and must issue one |
Sources:[7]
What should a cold room service plan cover, and how often?
In practice, the equipment manuals set the plan: one condensing-unit manufacturer gives quarterly, six-monthly and annual tasks, and one walk-in cold room maker monthly door checks. In food premises, R638 adds the thermometer and the surfaces.[8][9][6]
| Part | What is checked | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Condensing unit | Oil stains at joints, followed up with an electronic leak detector; sight glass for moisture and flash gas; compressor oil level; condenser dirt; noise, vibration and wiring | Quarterly |
| Condenser coil, fans and controls | Coil cleaned with a non-acid cleaner; fan blades and motors; contactors; timers, relays, pressure and safety controls for operation and calibration | Six-monthly |
| Refrigeration cycle | Suction, discharge and oil pressures; pressure drop across filters and driers; superheat at the compressor against the specification | Six-monthly |
| Oil | Sample analysed for acid, moisture and metals | Annually |
| Door | Hardware, gasket, jamb, vent and sweep gasket for ease of operation | Monthly |
| Evaporator, defrost and drains | Evaporators, drain pan heaters, defrost controls and drain line heaters working; no condensate dripping on the floor | Frequently (no interval given) |
| Thermometer (food premises) | Shows the degree of chilling and can be read accurately and unhampered (regulation 6(5)(a)) | At all times |
| Walls, ceiling and floor (food premises) | No open joints or seams; smooth, cleanable, non-absorbent surfaces (regulation 5(3)(a)) | Maintained as intended (regulation 5(2)) |
When does a service become a repair, and what should the quote show?
In practice, a service becomes a repair when a check finds a fault the manual lists with its remedy, such as a dirty condenser coil, an iced evaporator or a leak. If the room is already losing temperature, ask for a refrigeration repair instead, giving the temperature it shows and the stock at risk.[8]
A service or repair quote is easier to compare when it itemises:[8][1]
- labour and travel per visit, and which of the manual's quarterly, six-monthly and annual tasks each visit covers;[8]
- refrigerant by type and kilograms charged, the recovery of any gas removed, and parts such as filter driers, contactors and door gaskets;[4][8][9]
- the CoC for the scope of work, and the AIA's fee where a Category II or higher system needs its involvement.[1]
What temperatures must a food cold room hold in South Africa?
R638 requires food in its Annexure E to be stored, transported or displayed at a core temperature not exceeding the figure for its category, with the exceptions in regulation 8(4)(b). Chilled or frozen food may not be sold if its core is above that figure or its surface more than 2 °C above it (regulation 8(4)(a)).[6]
| Food (Annexure E) | Core temperature, at most |
|---|---|
| Raw unpreserved fish, molluscs, crustaceans, edible offal, poultry meat and milk | 4 °C |
| Any other perishable food that must be kept chilled to prevent spoilage | 5 °C |
| "Ice cream and sorbet, excluding sorbet which is used for soft serve purposes and frozen fish and fishery products" | -18 °C |
| Any other food marketed as a frozen product | -12 °C |
Sources:[6]
What does R638 require of a cold room's thermometer and records?
Under R638, "a chilling and freezer facility used for the storage, display or transport of perishable food" needs a thermometer that "at all times must reflect the degree of chilling", accurate to approximately 1 °C, though monitoring may also follow "the best available method" (regulation 6(5)(a) and (c); definitions).[6]
The person in charge must ensure compliance "through the keeping of appropriate records", and records on processing, production and distribution must be kept for at least 6 months after the product's shelf-life (regulation 10(16)). Contravening R638 is an offence, liable to the penalty in section 18(1) of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act (regulation 15).[6]
Does a cold room need a pressure equipment inspection?
As a rule, yes: the PER guidance notes say "Refrigeration and air conditioning systems shall be inspected and tested in accordance with PER 11.1.(a) and (d)" (note (r) to regulation 11).[1]
Regulation 11(1)(d) requires every pressure vessel in use to have an internal and external inspection and a hydraulic test at 1.25 times design pressure, at intervals not exceeding 36 months, by an AIA for in-service inspection appointed in writing. The user may inspect Category I equipment. Equipment in the SEP class (sound engineering practice) is regulated but "need not meet any other regulatory requirements" (note (h) to regulation 2).[1]
Refrigeration plants exempt under the old rules may have inspections dispensed with for up to 9 years. After that, inspection to SANS 10147's in-service requirements is acceptable in place of the risk-based inspection (RBI) system the PER otherwise call for, with an AIA's approval (note (m) to regulation 11).[1]
Semi-hermetic and open-drive refrigeration compressors are excluded from the PER; hermetic compressors are classified as pressure vessels and categorised by the free volume of the refrigerant (notes (n) and (o) to regulation 2).[1]
What if the cold room still runs on R-22?
An R-22 cold room can still be serviced while R-22 (HCFC-22), a listed ozone-depleting substance in South Africa (Appendix A, as substituted in 2021), is phased out. Importing refrigeration equipment containing it has been prohibited since 1 July 2014, and putting HCFC refrigerant into a new system since 1 January 2015 (regulation 5(2)(b) and (c)).[5][4]
Importers may place on the market or use no more than 2.5% of the baseline HCFC consumption a year from 2026 to 2030; from 2031 that 2.5% is for servicing only, and from 1 January 2040 "no person is allowed to import, place on the market, or use HCFCs" (regulation 5(1)(d) to (f)).[4]
"A person must not discharge or release ozone depleting substances into the atmosphere" (regulation 7), and a first conviction carries a fine of up to R5 million or up to five years' imprisonment (regulation 9). SANS 10147 covers refrigerant conversions, and a modification needs a CoC (note (g) to regulation 17).[4][3][1]
What to put in your request
- Each room's size, set-point and contents, with its R638 limit: 4 °C for poultry, offal, raw fish and milk, 5 °C for other chilled food, -12 °C or -18 °C frozen.[6]
- The refrigerant and charge from the nameplate, and whether the system still runs on R-22.[3][4]
- Make and model of the condensing unit and evaporators, the compressor type (hermetic, semi-hermetic or open drive) and the SANS 347 category marked on any pressure vessel.[1]
- The visit schedule by task: monthly door checks, quarterly leak and condenser checks, six-monthly coil cleaning and controls, an annual oil analysis.[8][9]
- The technician's SAQCC Gas registration number, category (6 for synthetic refrigerants and hydrocarbons, 7 for CO2, 8 for ammonia) and expiry.[7]
- A CoC for every repair, modification or maintenance job on the circuit, and an AIA countersignature on the certificate of manufacture where the system is Category II or higher.[1]
- The date of the last pressure vessel inspection, and where the regulation 14 record is kept.[1]
- Checks of the thermometer, drain heaters and defrost controls, and the state of panels and floor.[6][9]
- When each room can be emptied, and where the stock will be held at its Annexure E temperature meanwhile.[6]
Questions buyers ask
How often should a cold room be serviced?
As often as the equipment manuals say: one condensing-unit manual sets quarterly, six-monthly and annual tasks, and one walk-in maker monthly door checks. Pressure vessels also need the PER inspection at least every 36 months.[8][9][1]
Can our own maintenance staff service the cold room?
For housekeeping, yes: they can keep the metal surfaces and door gaskets clean, which one walk-in maker recommends doing often with a mild detergent. Work on the refrigeration system needs a CoC from a SAQCC Gas registered practitioner; the plant operator category may run a plant but may not sign one.[9][1][7]
Can we still top up an R-22 cold room?
For now, yes, but importers are limited to 2.5% of the baseline from 2026, and from 1 January 2040 no one may import, place on the market or use HCFCs. Storing gas for longer than 18 months counts as stockpiling, which is prohibited, and releasing it into the atmosphere is an offence (regulations 1, 4, 7 and 9).[4][5]
Sources
- Department of Labour (Government Gazette 41256), Guidance Notes to the Pressure Equipment Regulations, Revision 2 (GN 1265), with the text of each regulation, 17 November 2017.
- Department of Labour (Government Gazette 38905), Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015 (GN R. 540), and the incorporation of safety standards into them, in the same Gazette, 24 June 2015.
- SABS, South African Bureau of Standards (webstore), SANS 10147:2014 (Ed. 5.00), Refrigerating systems including plants associated with air-conditioning systems: details and abstract, approved 9 October 2014.
- Department of Environmental Affairs (Government Gazette 37621), Regulations regarding the Phasing-Out and Management of Ozone-Depleting Substances (GN 351), 8 May 2014.
- Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (Government Gazette 44065), Amendments to the Regulations regarding the Phasing-Out and Management of Ozone Depleting Substances (GN 10), 11 January 2021.
- Department of Health (Government Gazette 41730), Regulations governing general hygiene requirements for food premises, the transport of food and related matters (GN R. 638), 22 June 2018.
- SAQCC Gas, Registration Category SARACCA: guide to registration of authorised refrigeration practitioners (Rev 18), 18 September 2019.
- Heatcraft Refrigeration Products, Condensing Units Installation and Operations Manual, H-IM-CU version 011 (preventive maintenance guidelines and troubleshooting), September 2026.
- Kolpak (Welbilt), The Importance of Preventive Maintenance: walk-in maintenance and housekeeping flyer 1140B, January 2023.