The refrigerant in your air conditioning system is what keeps your home comfortable in Barstow, CA’s highly variable weather. In the coming months, the refrigerant requirements for air conditioners will change with the complete phase-out of R22. Here’s everything you need to know about this change.
Why is R22 being phased out?
R22 has been the most common refrigerant for air conditioners for many years. However, R22 is incredibly toxic to the environment and R22 leaks can lead to substantial damage to the ozone layer. Accordingly, R22 will be entirely phased out in January 2022. That means no imports and manufacturing of this type of refrigerant. Over time, it will be very difficult if not impossible to find R22 in the United States. Instead, a new style of refrigerant will take over as the most commonly used.
What’s the new refrigerant?
R22 is being replaced with the eco-friendly R410a. R410a is not only better for the environment, but it’s also much more energy efficient and effective at both heating and cooling your home. Because of this, homeowners with air conditioners that run off of R410a enjoy lower utility bills and faster climate control. Even if R22 weren’t being phased out, its improved performance and low environmental impact make R410a a much better choice.
Does This Affect Me?
In 2010, laws went into effect barring manufacturers from creating climate control systems that run off of R22. Therefore, if your air conditioner was made before 2010, chances are it runs off of R22. As amounts of R22 dwindle, repairs will become increasingly costly, if they’re even possible at all.
Air conditioning units that use R22 cannot use R410a. R410a requires a much higher pressure level than its predecessor and won’t work in older units. Putting R410a in R22 units can actually lead to a complete breakdown and destroy the system. It’s a much better idea to invest in a new unit that uses R410a than to try to retrofit or just continue to use R22.
If you’re ready to make the change to an R410a air conditioning system, call Clemmer Services Heating & Air Conditioning at 760-208-4930 today!
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