R-22 Is Going Away!
R-22, or Freon® as many of us have heard, had been the most popular refrigerant for home cooling systems from the 1920s until around 2000. In 1996 Carrier® was the first manufacturer to use Puron® (R-410A). Shortly after, other manufacturers starting using R-410A as well. This all changed in January 2010 when all the manufacturers will stop manufacturing equipment using R-22 because of Federal Law.
Why is R-22 going away?
The Montreal Protocol was signed by the United States in 1989, which is a plan to reduce ozone depleting chemicals. One of the major points to the Montreal Protocol is to eliminate manufacturing R-22 January 1, 2020.
Will I have to replace my R-22 equipment?
The short answer is NO you won’t have to until you want to. R-22 has been recovered, reclaimed and will be available for an unknown amount of years. The biggest problem will be the very high cost of the refrigerant.
Why would I want to replace my R-22 equipment before it fails?
Almost all of the existing R-22 equipment is very low efficiency compared to the newer Puron® equipment. Replacing your R-22 with new Puron® equipment will lower your utility costs and reduce your carbon footprint as well.
What about R-22 substitutes?
Yes, but as the definition of “substitute” would be, it’s still not R-22 and is at best a problem and at worst a major problem. There are plenty of boring technical reasons to not use replacements or what is sometimes called “drop-ins”, but the biggest reason is to consider not one single manufacturer allows it without voiding the warranty. In short, it will not perform as good as R-22 and it can cause catastrophic failure in the equipment.
Summation
R-22 as a good choice for refrigerant is a big problem now and will only get worse after January 1, 2020. Equipment with Puron® has been the best choice for many years and the only choice for new equipment since 2010.
So What Should I do?
- This is a GREAT time to be thinking ahead if you have R-22 equipment.
- 2020 will be here before you know it.
- Look at this as a good thing! For the cost of new R-410A equipment, you will be saving much more in utility costs to offset the initial cost + cleaner air.
- Peace of mind with guarantees and warranties!
Call Gary’s today for a no-cost, no-obligation proposal
to get your new year started right!
