Why Did The U.S Ban R22 Refrigerant? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has banned R22 freon in the country. Why? R22 contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer – which absorbs the ultraviolet radiation from the sun and protects us from its harmful effects – and the ecosystem in general.
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.
Freon is considered a greenhouse gas. According to the California Air Resources Board, R-22 has a 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP) of almost 2,000 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2). One pound of R-22 is nearly as potent as one ton of CO2.
Freon, or R-22, is one of the most common types of refrigerant on the market, but it has been banned and is in the process of being phased out. In the mid-1970s, after some extensive research, the EPA discovered that Freon, a combination of hydrogen, carbon, fluorine, and chlorine (HCFC) was damaging the ozone layer.
The EPA began phasing out HCFCs in 2010 and officially banned their production and import in 2020. As Freon was phased out, new HVAC systems began using a refrigerant known as Puron® or R-410A, an HFC.
The only way an air conditioner runs out of freon is if there is a leak in the pipes that carry refrigerant from one part of the unit to the other. Freon is not used up: it simply changes state from gas to liquid.
Puron, also known as R-410A; Suva; Forane; and EcoFluor, was approved by the EPA as a substitute for Freon. It's much easier on the ozone than Freon. Additionally, Puron systems operate under higher pressure and use less energy overall than Freon systems, further increasing their environmental friendliness.
The air conditioning refrigerant Freon has been banned in the U.S. since January 2020, prompting major changes in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) industry. You can still use an older air conditioning system that uses Freon, but maintaining and repairing one is growing increasingly expensive.
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.
R-454B is the newest refrigerant, which will gradually replace R-410A, the refrigerant used in current HVAC manufacturing. R-454B is a blend of R-32, a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), and R-1234yf a hydrofluoroolefin (HFO).
The short answer to whether new refrigerators use Freon is no. Refrigerators manufactured after 2020 no longer use Freon for refrigerant. Manufacturers used Freon for decades to cool refrigerators, despite knowing that the synthetic gas is incredibly harmful to the environment and toxic to people.
EPA is authorized to assess fines of up to $37,500 per day for any violation of these regulations.
Used in all types of cooling systems including residential and vehicle air conditioning systems, R22 essentially removes heat from a space that's been sucked into a heat pump, allowing cooled air to escape.
The recent phase-out of R-22 (also known by its popular brand name: Freon®) that occurred January 1, 2020 was years in the making. While we still service HVAC equipment using Freon, most residential HVAC units are now using Puron® or R-410A, a type of hydrocarbon refrigerant without the chlorine.
A Question of Supply and Demand
Therefore, maintenance people and air conditioning system specialists have less supply and are charging more for it. Some businesses have even reported thefts targeting their Freon canisters thanks to its newfound value. After 2020, R-22 won't be produced at all in the United States.
Vapors are heavier than air and can cause suffocation by reducing oxygen available for breathing. Misuse or intentional inhalation abuse may cause death without warning symptoms, due to cardi- ac effects. Rapid evaporation of the product may cause frostbite.
R-22 refrigerant prices range from $90 to $250 per pound. Since you'll need between 6 and 12 pounds to refill a home AC, costs can reach between $660 and $2,400 for a refill of R-22 refrigerant.
Regulatory bodies don't have many laws regarding the application of CO2 gas, so homeowners won't have to worry about the legality of acquiring it. They'll be able to call up their local HVAC professional and have them recharge their AC unit with a safe gas.
Refrigerant can only be sold to technicians certified under the Section 608 or Section 609 technician certification programs, where individuals may only purchase refrigerant consistent with the appliances covered by their certification.
Freon MO99 is the gold standard for R-22 alternatives and was developed by the same scientists who engineered Freon R-22. The benefits of Freon MO99 include: Capacity — The ability of Freon MO99 to heat or cool a given space is closer to Freon R-22 than any other refrigerant on the market.
Many phased-out refrigerants have amazing thermal properties. However, the issue is when they are released into the atmosphere. Many old refrigerants are made up of atoms of chlorine. These atoms destroy the ozone layer, destroying approximately 100,000 ozone atoms for one chlorine atom.
An AC leak will lead to warmer air from your vents over time. In most cases this can be fixed with a proven stop leak additive to seal up any leaks. When it's time for an AC recharge, turn to AutoZone.
R22 (also known as HCFC-22) is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) once widely used as a refrigerant. If your home or office AC is over 10 years old, it's probably using R22 freon. However, R22 Freon is banned in the U.S. today. If your AC system uses R22 refrigerant, you might be worried about how this may affect you.
Summer sun delivers heat right through your windows. Block the heat with shades or blinds during the sunniest hours to keep your home cool without AC. This is a passive, or “natural” cooling method that is one of the cheapest and simplest way to keep your home cool in summer.