In the past, home owners in the market for new air conditioning
equipment were primarily concerned with selecting the best brand and
efficiency rating to meet their needs. Now they must make an even more
crucial decision: whether to replace their existing system with
equipment which uses R22 refrigerant or whether to upgrade to R410A. Most people know R22 by the brand name Freon,
air conditioning technicians refer to it as R22, while the U.S.
government has classified it as HCFC-22, a controlled substance.
Whatever you choose to call it, R22 has long been the most popular
refrigerant for cooling homes and businesses. Composed of
hydrofluorcarbon (HCFC), it emits chlorine atoms when it escapes into
the atmosphere and breaks down. These atoms damage the ozone, which acts as a blanket to help screen out ultra-violet rays which have been linked to skin cancer, one of the fastest growing cancers in the United States.
In compliance with the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer,
the United States has prohibited the production and import of R22-based
air conditioning equipment effective January 1, 2010. Homeowners and
business owners whose condenser units
fail between now and the end of 2009 have an important choice to make:
whether to replace the failed unit with a new R22 unit or whether to
convert to R410A equipment. Besides the fact that R410A is less
damaging to the environment, there are other advantages to using
R410A-based equipment. For one thing, it is slightly more efficient
than R22 equipment. Also, R410A based compressors run cooler than R22
based compressors and, consequently, are less likely to overheat and
burn out. Another benefit of R410A air conditioning systems is that
they use new, synthetic lubricants which circulate more efficiently
than the mineral oil used to lubricate R22 systems. This translates to
less wear and tear on the unit's moving parts. Finally, because they
operate under higher pressure than R22-based condensers, R410A-based
condensers are constructed with stronger, thicker shells, which reduces
the noise and vibrations created by the compressor and puts less of a
strain on the piping connections, thereby reducing the incidence of
refrigerant leaks.
The most important consideration in whether to replace your
condenser with an R22 or R410A based unit may be the rising cost of R22
refrigerant. Effective January 1, 2020, the domestic production and
import of R22 will be banned all together. Many plants which have
traditionally manufactured R22 are already converting to the production
of R410A, commonly referred to by the brand name Puron.
As more plants convert, the cost of R22 is expected to rise. After
January 1, 2020, R22-based systems which have lost refrigerant can
still be charged with recycled R22, but supplies are expected to be
scarce and extremely expensive.
If your evaporator coil should fail between now and January 1,
2010 and your existing condenser has a high enough SEER rating to be
compatible with a new evaporator coil, you do not have to decide,
immediately, whether to go with R22 or R410 equipment. Many of the new
evaporator coils will operate with an R-22 based condenser coil now
and, with the installation of an expansion valve, can be converted to work with an R410A based condenser in the future.
CONSUMER TIP: Homeowners considering a conversion to R410A
equipment may wish to give special consideration to Carrier air
conditioners. Carrier has been manufacturer R410A equipment longer than
any of its competitors and actually holds the patent on Puron. This
means that Carrier's R410A equipment has been road-tested longer than
other brands.
CONSUMER UPDATE: Trane has stopped manufacturing R22 equipment. Any R22
stock remaining in its warehouses will be available for purchase, but
this stock is becoming increasingly scarce and, once it has been sold,
it will not be replaced.
