Learn More About R22 Refrigerant and Why It Is Important For Your HVAC System

All air conditioners work by using a special type of chemical compound known as a refrigerant. AC systems cool by using the refrigerant to absorb heat from the air inside a building. The refrigerant then carries the heat outside so that it gets removed from the building, causing the indoor temperature to quickly decrease. This article will explain exactly how refrigerant allows an AC system to cool and everything else you need to know about refrigerants and the different types that are commonly used.

How Refrigerant Allows an AC to Cool

The reason that refrigerant is used in air conditioning systems is that it has an extremely low boiling point. In fact, some refrigerants boil at temperatures as low as -15 degrees Fahrenheit. The fact that the refrigerant’s boiling point is so much lower than both the indoor and outdoor temperature is what allows it to capture heat from inside and release it outside.

When the refrigerant gets pumped into the AC evaporator coil inside the building, it’s extremely cold and well below its boiling point. Heat energy naturally wants to move from a warmer area into any nearby areas that are at a lower temperature. The fact that the refrigerant is so cold is what allows it to quickly absorb lots of heat from the warm air being blown over the evaporator coil. As the refrigerant absorbs heat, its temperature quickly rises above its boiling point. That means that it evaporates and changes states from a liquid into a gas.

Although the refrigerant is a gas when it flows outside and enters the compressor in the AC condenser, its temperature is still quite a bit lower than the outdoor air temperature and at a fairly low pressure. The pressure that the refrigerant is under directly influences its temperature. That means it’s a cold liquid at low temperature and a hot gas at high temperature. The refrigerant is compressed so that its pressure and temperature increase.

The high pressure instantly causes the temperature to skyrocket so that the refrigerant is around 120-140 degrees when it starts flowing through the condenser coil. All of the heat stored in the refrigerant automatically flows out into the air blowing over the condenser coil. This is what allows the AC system to get rid of the heat that it removed from the building.

The last step in the cooling cycle is for the refrigerant to flow through an expansion valve before it again flows through the evaporator coil. This valve greatly decreases the pressure, which causes the temperature to drop so much that the refrigerant instantly cools down below its boiling point. That means it transforms back into an extremely cold liquid so that it can again start absorbing heat, and the cooling cycle can continue.

Why Refrigerant Level Matters

The amount of refrigerant in an AC system directly impacts the level of pressure in the system. If the level and thus the pressure are too low, the refrigerant will end up getting much colder than it should. That’s why you’ll frequently end up with the evaporator coil freezing when an AC is low on refrigerant. If the level and pressure are too high, the refrigerant will remain much hotter than it should. That means that it may never drop below its boiling point and won’t be capable of absorbing nearly as much heat, leading to the AC cooling extremely slowly.

Different Types of Refrigerant Used in AC Systems

There are a few different types of refrigerants used in air conditioning systems, and the type your system uses depends mostly on its age. For years, virtually all AC systems used R-22, more commonly known as Freon. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of Freon in new AC systems at the start of 2010. The EPA then banned its production and import in 2020.

Freon is a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), which means that it contains chlorine. When Freon and other HCFCs get into the atmosphere, the chlorine causes serious damage to the ozone layer and directly contributes to ozone depletion. HCFCs also have an extremely high global warming potential (GWP), meaning they trap lots of heat in the atmosphere. Both of these issues are why almost every country in the world signed onto the Montreal Protocol, which banned the use of HCFCs and other ozone-depleting chemicals. This ban is the main reason why the ozone layer has recovered over time and is now mostly healed.

When the use of Freon was banned, most manufacturers switched to using a newer type of refrigerant known as R-410a or Puron. R-410a is a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), which means that it doesn’t contain chlorine and thus doesn’t contribute to ozone depletion. The only problem is that R-410a still has an extremely high GWP (even higher than R-22), which means it still greatly contributes to climate change. That’s why the EPA took the step to ban the use of R-410a in new AC equipment at the start of 2023. It’s also taking steps to slowly phase out the production of R-410a in the U.S. over the next decade or so and eventually plans to ban R-410a production and import just as it did with R-22.

When the ban on the use of R-410a was first announced, the majority of manufacturers switched to using R-454b, also sometimes referred to as Puron Advance. This is the refrigerant used in most ACs manufactured since the end of 2022. There are a few that instead use R-32, but it’s not as common as R-454b. This is partly because R-32 has a higher GWP and also because R-454b has a greater cooling capacity. The higher cooling capacity is important since it allows AC systems to work much more energy efficiently.

How to Know Which Type of Refrigerant Your AC Uses

All ACs have a manufacturer’s information label that lists what type of refrigerant they use among other things. If your AC no longer has this label, an HVAC technician can check for you. You can also pretty easily determine the refrigerant type based on when your AC was installed. If the system was installed anytime between 2010 and the end of 2022, you can be fairly certain it uses R-410a. If it was installed within the last year or two, it most likely uses R-454b. If the AC was installed before 2010, you can pretty much be guaranteed it uses R-22.

How the R-22 Ban Can Affect Your AC System

The fact that R-22 hasn’t been produced or imported into the U.S. since 2020 means that there is now a limited supply of it available. All that is left now is the remaining stockpile that was produced before the ban was implemented and what has been reclaimed from old AC systems when they were replaced. The dwindling supply has resulted in the price of R-22 greatly increasing. It also means that there will soon be a time when it’s no longer available.

The high cost and the fact that it will no longer be available at some point is why most experts recommend you start thinking about replacing your AC system if it uses R-22. If your system develops a leak, recharging it with more R-22 will now be much more costly than it used to be.

Another reason to consider replacing your AC if it uses R-22 is that it likely isn’t very efficient and doesn’t have much life left. Most ACs only have a lifespan of around 15 years.

With over three decades of experience, Associated Heating & Air has a unique understanding of the specific cooling and heating needs for homes in Anaheim. That allows us to expertly handle all of your HVAC installation, repair, and maintenance needs. This way, we can help you ensure that your home is always comfortable and energy costs remain as low as possible. If you have any questions or need to schedule any AC or heating service, contact us today.