We have all heard the phrases in Los Alamitos\u00a0like \u201csave the planet\u201d or \u201csave the ozone layer.\u201d Up until the 1960s there wasn\u2019t a lot of attention paid to the disintegrating protective ozone layer around the Earth\u2019s surface. Since then, ozone-depleting CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) have been seen as the ozone-depleting culprit and new laws regulating the use of CFCs have had a direct impact on heating and cooling (HVAC) systems.<\/p>\n
The \u201clifeblood\u201d of any air conditioning<\/a> and heat pump system is its refrigerants \u2013 a chemical used in the refrigeration cycle. For several decades, the \u201crefrigerant of choice\u201d in HVAC systems has been HCFC-22, also known as R-22. The problem is, HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) are harmful to the ozone layer because they contain ozone-destroying chlorine.<\/p>\n Because of this, the use of R-22 is being slowly phased out from usage in HVAC systems. The Clean Air Act of 1970 has provisions in it to phase out HCFC refrigerants. As a result, chemical manufacturers will no longer be able to produce, and companies will no longer be able to import, R-22 for use in new air conditioning equipment (effective this year),\u00a0 but they can continue production and import of R-22 until 2020 for use in servicing existing equipment. So, R-22 should continue to be available for all systems that require R-22 for servicing for many years to come.<\/p>\n But the \u201cnew kid on the block\u201d replacing R-22 has been getting up a head of steam for several years now. Among the new alternative refrigerants recommended by the U.S. EPA is R-410A, a blend of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that does not contribute to depletion of the ozone layer, but, like R-22, contributes to global warming. R-410A is manufactured and sold under various trade names, including GENETRON AZ-20\u00ae, SUVA 410A\u00ae, Forane\u00ae 410A, and Puron\u00ae.<\/p>\n There are several other substitute refrigerants going by the names of R-407C, HFC-134A, and R-422C. A complete list can be found at www.epa.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the U.S. EPA, homeowners with existing units using R-22 can continue to use R-22 since there is \u201cno requirement to change or convert R-22 units for use with a non-ozone-depleting substitute refrigerant.\u201d And it is important to note that R-407C is allowed for retrofits but R-410A is not, due to its higher working pressures. Substitute refrigerants would not work well with existing components unless a retrofit was made or in the case of using R-410A, a complete system changeout.<\/p>\n