When will Freon stop being used in air conditioners?

Answer 1

Freon is the Brand name for a number of clorfluorcarbon refrigerants or CFC`s and HCFC`s manufactured by Dupont that contain clorine which is harmful to the Earth`s protective Ozone layer. In 2010 U.S. manufacturers will cease making new equipment that use R-22 (Europe has already done so), the last widely used HCFC. R-22 will continue to be made in order to support the equipment which still use it. However once all of that equipment has reached the end of it`s service life it will be replaced with equipment which use a non HCFC refrigerant. This transition has already begun. If you were to replace your central ac unit today your contractor will more likely than not suggest a unit which uses R-410A or Puron the brand name trademarked by Carrier Corp who began marketing residential central ac units that use R-410A in 1996. R- 410A and other refrigerants gaining traction today have no Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP). The different working and handling properties of these new refrigerants along with the oils that are used with them have made it necessary for all HVAC Technicians to return to the classroom for seminars on the new required installation and service techniques associated with the change in refrigerants and also made it necessary for us to purchase a separate set of refrigeration gauges and hoses specifically for use with R- 410A due to the higher operating pressures it runs at. Back to the question, by Freon I surmised you meant CFC and HCFC refrigerants. The price of R-22 has begun to rise (taxes to discourage it`s use). Like what we saw with R-12 (a CFC) which was the previous standard for refrigeration units for many years, topped out at around $30-$35 per pound and machines that still use it are almost a rare find today. Considering a 30lb cylinder of refrigerant which prior to 1993, cost $60 is now nearly $1000, people will break down replace the equipment they have been nursing along for years. Expect the same with R-22 in the next 5-10 years.