What is Getting Outlawed
Many customers ask about the refrigerants that we use. They hear that things are changing because of refrigerants and that refrigerants are being outlawed because of the ozone layer. And this is true! The refrigerant we’ve been using for the last 50-60 years is R22, and it is being outlawed. By 2020 there will be no more R22 allowed to be manufactured or imported into the US.
Differences Between The Old and New Refrigerant
About 10 years ago the industry made the big step into the new type of refrigerant, R410. There are some very important differences between the two types of refrigerants. First of all, the pressures are much higher in the new refrigerant, and the oils are not compatible with the old refrigerants. However, it’s also a lot cheaper. If you’ve bought some R-22 this spring because your system needed a charge you paid a lot. Demand is still high for it. Half of all the houses still have R22 in them!
How to Convert To The New Refrigerant
When we see leaks that require a lot of refrigerant, usually those customers take that opportunity to convert to the new refrigerant. When we talk about converting to the new refrigerant, it’s not that easy. Your outdoor unit dictates what type of refrigerant we use. We’ve had customers ask, “Well, can you just pull all the old R22 refrigerant out and put the R410 in my system?” Then answer to that is, no! We cannot do that because again, the pressures are much higher and the oils are not compatible. Those systems are not made for R410, so we have to change the equipment out entirely.
Your Next Step
If you have any questions about the new refrigerant and what your system currently uses, or what you might need to do in the future, give us a call at (972) 423-1279.