Confirm which refrigeration safety standard and edition the adopted mechanical code references, then check that each system’s refrigerant is the same in the equipment schedule, product data, piping notes, and specifications, and that detection, ventilation, and machinery room features the design relies on are drawn in every discipline. AI can flag conflicts; the mechanical engineer and code official decide compliance.
What do ASHRAE 15 and 15.2 cover?
ASHRAE states that Standard 15 specifies requirements for the safe design, construction, installation, and operation of refrigeration systems. Standard 15.2, Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems in Residential Applications, is designed to accommodate A2L-classified refrigerants in residential applications.
ASHRAE’s refrigeration resources page lists Standard 15-2024 and Standard 15.2-2024, and both appear on ASHRAE’s free read-only standards page. ASHRAE’s committee notes that the 2024 editions were published off-cycle to align with model code proposal deadlines, and addenda to 15-2024 have been posted since. Checked October 14, 2026. The adopted mechanical code decides which edition applies.
The mechanical code that references the standard is reviewed in the IMC guide or the UMC guide, and ventilation in the ASHRAE 62.1 guide.
Gather the refrigeration documents and the rooms they serve
Collect the mechanical equipment schedules and product data, the refrigerant piping plans and notes, the mechanical specification sections, any machinery room plans and ventilation details, the refrigerant detection and alarm drawings, the electrical drawings for detector power and shutdowns, and the architectural plans for the rooms that contain equipment or piping.
Upload manufacturer installation manuals for split systems and chillers. They often state the refrigerant and its handling requirements more clearly than the schedule does.
Follow each refrigerant through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Standard and edition | Mechanical notes, specifications, code analysis | Confirm which standard and edition the mechanical code references for the project. |
| Refrigerant identity | Equipment schedule, product data, piping notes, specifications | Check every source names the same refrigerant for the same system. |
| Test pressures and materials | Piping notes, specifications, product data | Confirm the stated test pressures and materials go with the scheduled refrigerant. |
| Detection and alarms | Mechanical, electrical, and fire alarm drawings | Find detectors or alarms shown in one discipline only. |
| Machinery rooms | Architectural plans, mechanical plans, ventilation details | Check rooms the design treats as machinery rooms are drawn that way in every discipline. |
| Occupied spaces with piping | Architectural plans, piping routes, room uses | List rooms where piping or indoor units serve occupied spaces for the engineer to confirm. |
Chillers continue in the water chiller specifications guide, split and packaged equipment in the unitary HVAC guide, and pipe insulation in the mechanical insulation guide. The mechanical drawing checklist gives a working log.
Example: two refrigerants for one split system
Published finding. In Groundbook’s published neighborhood grocery review, the equipment schedule and the product data listed R-32 for the split system serving the sales floor, while the piping sheet specified R-410A and the line-test pressures that go with it.
Charging and pressure-testing the same system would follow two different refrigerant requirements. Align the piping notes with the scheduled unit and its product data.
The mechanical engineer corrects the piping notes. Because refrigerant classification can change what ASHRAE 15 and the mechanical code require, the engineer also confirms the detection and room provisions for the scheduled refrigerant.
Review refrigeration documents with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add ASHRAE 15 or 15.2 and the adopted mechanical code from copies you are licensed to upload, where the license permits it. ASHRAE’s free read-only editions are for reading online. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the refrigerant named for each system in the equipment schedules, product data, installation manuals, piping notes, and specifications, and the detection, alarm, ventilation, and machinery room features across the mechanical, electrical, fire alarm, and architectural drawings. Flag conflicting refrigerants or test pressures and features shown in one discipline only. Use the supplied ASHRAE 15 edition and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets and product documents involved. It does not calculate refrigerant charge limits.
Document review does not classify refrigerants, calculate charge or room limits, or replace the mechanical engineer or code official.