Derek Cole explains why R22 refrigerant got expensive: the EPA phased it out and stopped making new supplies, so the industry switched to R410A. He covers environmental damage, reclamation rules, and why fixing leaks beats repeatedly recharging your system.
Chapters
Hey, on this episode, we talk all about refrigerant. You ask your comfort and energy questions and they get answered. This is the Ask Derrick Cole Show. Hey, this is Derrick Cole. Welcome to episode 77 of the Ask Derrick Cole show, answering our home and energy questions. And today looks like we're continuing on with refrigerant, which we kind of addressed last show. So let's get into it. Why is R22 getting so expensive? R22 is being basically wiped off the planet in 2020. Producers cannot make any what they call virgin R22 anymore. So the only R22 available would be recycled or reclaimed R22. So therefore, the price is also going up since it's coming off of the Earth. A lot of the systems, older systems, are made of R22. So in 2010, the EPA came out saying, okay, H Vac manufacturers, you cannot produce any more new equipment with R22. So our plan is in 2020 to actually stop producing new R22. So we want you to be ready for that. It's harmful for the planet and we want to get rid of it. So that's where that is. But R22 is getting expensive because there is no production. There's a lack of production, so it will stop producing any new R22. So the only thing you get your hands on are the. When we take R22 out of a system, we actually reclaim it and then we get it to a per or a company that recycles it. So depending on how clean or how dirty it is, depends on how much we pay to that company for taking that R22 and disposing of it or recycling it and making that available as well. So the reason R22 is getting expensive is because they're getting rid of it. There are a lot of rules around it because R22 is a CHFC. I think I said that right. So it's damaging to the environment, damaging for the Earth. So they came out with R410a. I think carried was the first one to do it back in 96. My dates might be a little wrong there. Like 96, 98. When they came out with R410A, they called it Puron. That is the refrigerant. Now, currently since 2010, that is in the systems. We have been doing it here for, you know, since 98, since it first came out, because we knew this was happening and. And we wanted to be on the right side versus waiting to the very end. So there you go. R22 is expensive. Is this why you only install R410A systems? That's exactly why we start. I can't answer that. But yes, that is why we install R410A systems. Again, carrier was the first major manufacturer to use it. They labeled it Puron. All the manufacturers use it now. Now, will R410A continue on for the next 10, 15, 20 years? I'm not sure. They're working on. Daikin is working on a new refrigerant that's even better than R410 a. So that can come along in three to five years and we could be changing up again. But R410 a is environmentally friendly and this new refrigerant that Daikon has are working on or using now overseas is even more friendly to the environment. So that's where we're headed and that's where it's going. It's all about the environment. When you take R22, which is what we just talked about, when you take it out of a system, you're supposed to reclaim it. You're supposed to put it in a jug and then you're supposed to handle it by giving it or paying another company to come get it and dispose of it properly. A lot of companies, and I've seen that a lot is they'll cut that line and you'll see it spraying in the atmosphere. And that's not good either because again, it's damaging to the ozone layer, to the environment. So to handle R22 needs to be done correctly and you need to have the training to do that. And you're also supposed to have EPA certification to mess with the R22, R410A, all these other refrigerants, that's when we come down the line, that's going to be handled a little differently. But the reason we install R410A equipment is because you can't manufacturers stop making new units with R22 refrigerant in them. Now what they have been doing to get it around this is making what they call dry charged units. And then you, the contractor, can put R22 in that unit. We haven't done that. Again, that's going to be a loser for the consumer down the road because it's going to be so expensive to repair that because you have to get a hold of R22. So again, that's pretty much why we install R410A. It's the right thing to do and it's what the EPA is requiring you to do with the new units that make sense. Alright, so I answered both questions, right? Yeah, you did. Alright, awesome. Refrigerant is going to be a big, big thing coming up here when it gets really hot outside. So people are going to want to fill up. It's time for me to fill up my unit. It's time for me to put the refrigerant in my system. And like I said on the last show, that's not supposed to be the case. If you're leaking refrigerant and you need refrigerant in your system because you're having a leak and you need to fix a leak so you stop spending the money every single year on one or two pounds of R22 or R410 a, whatever the refrigerant is. That way you have a sealed system. It should not be leaking out again. You don't need to recharge that unit every single year. It uses refrigerant, but it doesn't use up the refrigerant and need more. So it's a closed system again, just like your body, so you shouldn't be using it up. Alright, so that's episode 77 of the Ask Derrick Cole Show. Be sure to hashtag your questions, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and we'll get them on the show.
