Many medium- and high-temperature stationary commercial refrigeration and chiller systems use R-22 refrigerant. As regulations require phasing out R-22, a service call for routine maintenance, recharge, or system leak repair is typically the right time to retrofit the system with a new refrigerant.
R-22 conversion is a process wherein an HVAC professional retrofits an old HVAC system to work using the R410A refrigerant rather than the phased-out R-22. You can't simply replace the refrigerant, because the two systems operate differently.
You cannot just switch refrigerants because R410-A and R-22 have different chemical properties. R410-A operates at a higher pressure. If you put R410-A into an R-22 system, the parts will rupture due to the increased force.
An R-22 Refrigerant Replacement for Direct Expansion Refrigeration. Freon™ MO29 (R-422D) refrigerant is a low-toxicity, non-ozone depleting hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) replacement for R-22.
ACHR NEWS: As a mildly flammable refrigerant, R-454B can't be retrofitted into existing R-22 and R-410A systems.
Many medium- and high-temperature stationary commercial refrigeration and chiller systems use R-22 refrigerant. As regulations require phasing out R-22, a service call for routine maintenance, recharge, or system leak repair is typically the right time to retrofit the system with a new refrigerant.
An HVAC System Must Be Retrofitted
An R22 condenser is designed for a 15-foot line set. However, an R410A refrigerant system has lines of 25 to 50 feet in length. To use the new refrigerant, an older system must be retrofitted.
Freon MO99 is the closest capacity match to R-22, compared with most other no-oil change refrigerants.
In 2010, the U.S. stopped the sale of newly manufactured residential air conditioning units and heat pumps that use R-22 because of its particularly harmful impact on the ozone layer when released into the air. On January 1, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the production and import of R-22.
How much will an R-22 to R-410A conversion cost? The actual cost will depend on many things, including where you live, but most of the time R-22 conversions start at around $2,000 and go up from there. The higher end of that range is somewhere around $4,500 to $4,600.
What refrigerant will replace R-410A in 2025? For whole-home systems, Lennox has chosen 2025 Compliant Refrigerant R-454B due to its excellent performance for ducted systems and zero ozone depletion potential. For mini-splits, we selected R-32, designed to optimize efficiency and reliability in ductless systems.
When you replace an air conditioner or heat pump and upgrade from R-22 to R-410A, the ideal solution is to replace your refrigerant lines. This is because the mineral oil used in R-22 systems is not compatible with the new R-410A refrigerant and oil.
Mixing R22 with R407C or any other refrigerant. According to the 609 EPA rule, mixing refrigerants is illegal and anybody caught doing so will be heavily fined.
If you're going to convert from R22 to R410A refrigerant, the best thing to do would be to flush the lines you have, and put in units, an air handler and condenser that is meant to use R410A. R410A and R-22 are just so different that doing stuff like you want to do won't really work.
No, the compressor will fail. These two refrigerants have very different properties. One of R22 and R134a is high pressure and the other is low pressure. They don't mix chemically and don't have the same boiling point, leading to inefficiencies and eventual compressor failure.
In truth, recycled R-22 removes some of the contaminants through separation and filtration, and recycled R-22 can only be used in the same system it was taken from.
The replacements for R-410A are the two A2Ls, Forane® R-32 and R-454B. Forane® R-32 can be used in new equipment designed specifically for mildly flammable refrigerants as a replacement for R-410A equipment.
In 1987 an agreement called the Montreal Protocol was signed to begin the worldwide phase out of ozone-depleting CFCs and in 1992 HCFCs were added. In 2010, manufacturers were no longer able to produce new equipment designed with R22 and at the end of 2020, production and import of R22 will be eliminated.
R-22 refrigerant costs $125 per pound on average, but can range from $50 to $250 per pound. Keep in mind you cannot purchase R-22 refrigerant without an HVAC pro.
As a solution, there are two alternative refrigerants used as substitute refrigerant for R22, namely R290 and R32. The R290 is widely used as working fluid in A/C system of Europe countries; meanwhile in Japan and South East countries, R32 is utilized as substitute refrigerant for R22 and R410A (Yu et al., 2010).
As of January 1, 2020, production and import of R22 refrigerant will be illegal in the United States. Of course, continued use of your air conditioner (AC) or heat pump system using R22 refrigerant is allowed.
If you do have to replace the gas in your air con, you should use an approved hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) alternative. The most common HFC refrigerants used as a replacement for R22 include: R134a. R404a.
The cost to convert a central air conditioner from R-22 to R-410A can range anywhere from $2,000 to over $4,500 in the New Jersey area. The bottom line? If your AC unit is 8+ years old, it's usually not worth the cost to convert and you should just replace the entire R-22 unit with an R-410A unit.
The Key Differences Between R22 & R32
R22 loses on both fronts. This gas has a medium ozone depletion potential, which is too high to be approved for any use. Meanwhile, its global warming potential is 1810. R32 has a zero ozone depletion potential and a GWP of 675.