With summer coming, you want to make sure your air conditioning system is ready for peak performance. This should include checking that your unit does not use R-22 refrigerant. Read on to discover why and what to do if you have an R-22 system.
What Is R-22?
Government regulations require that all air conditioners and heat pumps no longer use R-22 refrigerant. For many years, R-22 had been the HVAC industry standard in the manufacture of central air conditioning systems. R-22, which is often referred to by its brand name Freon®, is a hydro-chlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) that has been shown to contribute to ozone depletion. Continued ozone depletion can lead to increases in skin cancer and cataracts and a reduction in the yield of important food crops.
If your existing air conditioning system uses R-22 refrigerant, it can be serviced and recharged with R-22 until January 1, 2020. However, after this date, manufacturers must cease all production of R-22 refrigerant. If you purchase a new air conditioning or heat pump system now, it will most likely use R-410A refrigerant, which is more environmentally friendly. The last section of this post contains more details about the benefits of R-410A.
What Do I Do If I Have an R-22 System?
If you currently have an air conditioning system that uses R-22 refrigerant, the commercial refrigeration and air conditioning professionals at Five Star Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Inc., in Florida can help you replace your system with one that uses R-410A refrigerant.
Alternately, if you are looking to buy a new system, request one that uses R-410A refrigerant. While some companies have produced “dry charge” air conditioning units, which allow for a technician to come to a residence and install the R-22 refrigerant (rather than R-22 being installed at the factory), many professionals do not recommend this practice because of the increasing price of R-22 as supplies diminish. Greater efficiency and lower energy costs are also associated with R-410A. Additionally, these “dry charged” units frequently offer much shorter warranty periods than units with R-410A installed.
Why Is R-410A Better?
The government has approved R-410A, which is often referred to by a brand name like Puron®. R-410A is considered superior to R-22 because R-410A has no chlorine, meaning that it will not interact with the ozone layer once it breaks down. R-410A became the new standard for U.S. residential air conditioning systems in 2015.
R-410A allows your air conditioning unit to run more reliably and efficiently than with R-22. R-410A absorbs and releases more heat than R-22, prompting your air conditioning compressor to run cooler. This, in turn, reduces the risk of compressor burnout from overheating.
R-410A systems use synthetic oil to keep the compressor lubricated during operation, while R-22 air conditioners use mineral oil. The synthetic oil tends to be more soluble than mineral oil, allowing an R-410A system to operate more efficiently with less wear and tear on the compressor.
For questions about R-410A refrigerant or any other topics related to commercial refrigeration and air conditioning in Florida, contact the experts at Five Star Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Inc., at 352-345-4813 today!