Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine January 2020

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There are some organizations that are using this phaseout as a sales tactic to force customers to purchase new equipment. They are telling their customers that once the total phase-out takes effect, system parts, including compressors and refrigerant, will no longer be available. The truth of the matter is that is perfectly legal to service, repair, or charge R-22 equipment after January 1, 2020. According to manufacturers, there is a stockpile of virgin R-22 that can meet the demands of the industry for at least 5 years. There is a steady supply of reclaimed R-22 that can meet system needs for at least another decade. Also, there are a number of R-22 alternative/replacement refrigerants that can be safely and effectively charged into existing R-22 equipment. There is no need for panic, but plans should be made for the future replacement of these systems. R-410A, an HFC refrigerant blend, has been successfully used as the next- generation refrigerant in newly installed comfort cooling equipment. When it was released, there was considerable push back from some in the industry. “Those pressures are too high!”, “I am not going back to school to learn how to work with a new refrigerant!”, “What do you mean charge as a liquid?!” Shortly after the R- 410A rollout, students, technicians, and contractors alike took the necessary educational steps to understand and safely handle and work with R-410A. Those who took classes and received training before the R-410A release had a much smoother transition to the new refrigerant. The scouts’ motto “Be

The Future of Refrigerants is Here Heating and cooling are parts of our everyday lives and are essential to our comfort. Many HVACR professionals have been lulled into a false sense of security since, up until the early 1990s, our industry has undergone very few regulatory and oversight changes. The Montreal Protocol was seen as a major jolt to our “status quo” mentality. Since the Montreal Protocol, there has been a flurry of new regulations as well as changes to existing guidelines, processes and procedures aimed at creating more energy-efficient equipment that is less harmful to our environment and its occupants. R-22, for example, which has been used reliably in comfort cooling equipment for generations, is an ozone depleting substance (ODS) and, as a result of regulatory changes, its production and importation will be terminated as of January 1, 2020.