Does Your AC Use R22 Refrigerant? Here’s Why It Matters

Summers in Oklahoma are no joke. So if you’ve been waiting to upgrade your AC until winter, we don’t blame you.

But wait, do you need to upgrade your AC unit? You do if it runs on R22 refrigerants.

Many air conditioners work with one of two refrigerants. There are R-22 and R-401A.

Up until recently, R22 refrigerant was fine. But because of new regulations that help clean our environment, R-22 is on the way out.

If you have an AC unit that runs on R22 refrigerant, you’ll need to change that. Keep reading to find out what’s going on with R-22 ACs, and what to do about yours.

What’s Happening to R22 Refrigerant?

R22 Refrigerant used to be the industry standard for all air conditioning units. The problem is that R-22 uses Freon to power your AC, and Freon is a greenhouse gas. The process of making R-22 also creates more greenhouse gases. All this contributes to environmental issues.

Thanks to new laws that reduce the number of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, R22 refrigerant is getting phased out. Most companies are replacing the refrigerant with R-401A instead.

You can check to see if your AC unit uses R22 refrigerant by looking at the nameplate. You’ll see what refrigerant it uses in big letters, plus other important information.

Why Does This Matter to You?

By January 1, 2020, all R-22 production will be illegal. No, that doesn’t mean a SWAT team will invade your home if they find out you have an R-22 AC unit.

It does mean that finding replacement freon will be harder. Even now, the R22 refrigerant is more expensive to buy for homeowners.

So what does that mean for you, the homeowner?

First, it means that if you own an R-22 run AC unit, repairs are going to be more expensive. If you recently purchased an R-22 unit, you can save some money by learning to clean your air conditioner. But if you have a leaky unit, then replacing the Freon is only going to get more expensive as time goes on.

Second, it means that your warranty on your AC unit will be void at the start of 2020. So if you need any major repairs done, get them done now while you still have the warranty.

Most AC units have a life-span of 8-15 years. But in the dog-days of Oklahoma summer, do you want to risk an expensive repair bill?

What You Can Do About Your R22 Refrigerant AC Unit

The good news is that, at the time of publication, you have two years until R22 refrigerant is out of production. That means two years of talking to your local Air and Heating experts (like us!) about the best options for your home.

While we suggest that you get proactive and buy a new unit, we know that that’s not always possible. You could also convert your R-22 unit to use updated refrigerants. But that could create its own host of problems.

Whatever you decide to do with your R22 refrigerant unit, we want to help.

You can check out our blog for more advice about heating and air in Norman, Oklahoma. Or you can contact us directly by clicking on this link.