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R-22 vs. R-410A refrigerant

R-22 phased out. As of January 1, 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated that all new equipment manufactured in the United States for residential heating and air conditioning will no longer use R22, which has been found to damage the ozone layer. The industry has decided on R410A as the refrigerant of choice in their new equipment. The impact on you, the consumer, is that you will need to spend a little more time looking over your available options when it comes to repairing refrigeration leaks in your present system.

R-22 costs have more than doubled. For years R22 was readily available at an average cost to consumers of 10-14 dollars a pound. However, with the industry’s switchover to R410A and the reduced production of R22, the cost for R22 has gone up considerably. The average price in our area is anywhere between 25-40 dollars per pound, depending on the contractor you use. In the old days, if your unit as a little low on refrigerant, your service tech would add some refrigerant to get you through the summer. An average 3-ton system takes around 7 pounds of refrigerant. In the past, if your service company charged you $75 for the call and you needed 7 lbs of refrigerant, the total bill would be $145. That same bill today may be as high as $355.

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