Update on R-22 Replacements

R-22 Replacements

R22 Replacement – As we had previously reported, the price of R22 continues to rise. Since the start of the summer season, we’ve seen the wholesale price of R22 jump over 25%. If you have spent any time researching this subject on the internet, you’ve seen the numerous manufacturers of refrigerant who promise a seamless replacement while improving the efficiency of the unit. While at the same time research any of the HVAC bulletin boards and you’ll find horror stories from service technicians trying to utilize these replacement refrigerants. All of this contradicting information makes you wonder if R22 can be replaced?
When Controlled Air, Inc. started our search for a quality replacement, we looked for key areas of importance:

• Price
• Availability
• Global Warming Potential
• Ozone Depletion Potential
• Flammability
• Toxicity
• Oil capability
• Capacity to R22
• Technical support
• 3rd party/real world testing

The good news is we are finding alternate refrigerants that are reasonably priced and work well as a drop in replacement. In particular, we’ve have had success with R422B. Though we have not tested this refrigerant in all applications, we feel strong enough to offer it for most standard HVAC applications without worries. For other applications, we’ll work closer with the manufacturer to see what changes are needed to either make R422B work or try another refrigerant. There still may be configurations where the only option will be R22 but in most cases R422B may the key to extending the life of your R22 equipment.