Refrigerants and Your Air Conditioning System
What you need to know about the HCFC refrigerant phase-out and servicing or purchasing a home cooling system Refrigerants make air conditioning and refrigeration possible, which contributes enormously to our quality of life. In this equipment, refrigerants are the working fluid that absorb and transfer heat from one part of the air conditioning system to another. Through the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the United States committed to regulate and phase out ozone-depleting substances. Two of those substances – chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) – have been used as refrigerants in air conditioning systems for decades. CFCs were phased out of use more than 10 years ago. Today, the most common refrigerant used in central air conditioners and heat pumps is known as R-22, or HCFC-22. Starting in 2010, equipment manufacturers cannot make new R-22 systems with new R-22 refrigerant. After 2020, chemical manufacturers cannot produce R-22 for servicing central air conditioners and heat pump equipment. How the Phase-out Affects You It is important to keep in mind that the production — not use — of R-22 is being phased out. You are not required to stop using R-22 air conditioners nor to replace existing equipment....
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