Important things to know about the R22 phase out

The phase out of the ubiquitous R22 refrigerant gas changes many things for the consumer. If you need to know more about the phase-out, you should read the following pointers.

1) In the United States, there are regulatory bodies like the EPA that have laid down strict guidelines with regards to the regulation and maintenance of refrigerant leaks. The Montreal protocol and the Kyoto protocols have been initiated on an international level to regulate similar parameters. These protocols are being put into place to regulate the repair of refrigerant leaks and the disposal of older machines that use such refrigerants.

2) The refrigerants used in most refrigeration and climate control systems internationally are known as HCFC. Most of them have varying levels of ODPs, better known as ozone depletion potential.

3) R22, also known as HCFC22, was initially introduced as a substitute to CFC 11 and CFC 12. These two gases could cause a very high level of damage to the ozone layer.

4) R22 has an ODP of 0.055, which is significantly lower than both CFC 11 and CFC 12. However R22 is being phased out amongst concerns about the effects that even it can have on the environment.

5) The replacement for systems that use R22 will be other systems using R410A and R409A. These refrigerants are known to have a lower potential for ozone depletion.

These are a few of the must-knows about R22 refrigerant and why it is being replaced by gases that use R410A and R409A.