R22 Freon ®

R22 Freon ® is the common name given to a group of refrigerants used in heating and cooling products.  R-22 was first made by what would soon be Dupont.  It is a nontoxic group of gases that combine to create a single gas.  Freon ® is colorless, and odorless under normal uses.  In fact refrigerant was invented to replace ammonia which was being used in refrigerators at the time and was causing illness and death.  The original refrigerant was R-12 (which we all know from cars and refrigerators), however there are many different types of refrigerants.

Home ac Units

Refrigerant R-22 is the most common refrigerant for home air conditioning units.  Several years ago the government decided to limit the amount of R-22 refrigerant that could be made in a single year.  An act toward getting rid of that refrigerant for good.  In 2010 a law took effect that said that no NEW a/c unit could be made containing R-22.   At that time manufacturers moved completely to a new type of refrigerant know as Puron ® or R-410.  This new refrigerant runs at a much higher pressure than did R-22.  Thus is causing alot of issues with existing units that need to be replaced.  Due to the new restrictions on R-22 Freon ® the cost of this product has risen a lot over the last few years.  Refrigerant 22 is expected to continue to rise in cost until you can no longer buy it.

Eco Friendly Refrigerant

All new units now contain R-410 instead of R-22.  Because of the pressure difference it is now necessary to replace your indoor a/c coil whenever you are replacing your outdoor coil.  This way the new coil has been made to withstand the pressures that R-410 run.  For the moment manufacturers have found a loop hole in the law.  They are allowed to produce what is called a “dry unit”  this unit is made for R-22 but does not contain any.  We can install this unit in your home and then add Freon ® R-22 to the system.  Then we do not have to replace your indoor a/c coil.   This makes your a/c repair more cost effective.  The problem with any loop hole however is there is always someone looking to close it.  Last year (2013) it became very difficult to find some sizes of dry units due to demand.

Replace or Repair

There are many things to consider when replacing your old a/c unit, Keep in mind that there is already talk of replacing the new R-410 with something different altogether.  In my opinion r-22 is still the best choice with the longest track record for performance.