Is recharging with R22 "Illegal"?
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Hi, I'm Brian or, and I'm one of the founders of Kalos services. If you live in the Central Florida area, you've probably seen our trucks around a lot of them are silver. Some of them are burgundy, but we travel all around the Central Florida area. Fixing your air conditioners, in addition to being a founder and owner of Kalos services.
I also started an online community called HVAC school and I hope to Train technicians all around the world and air conditioning best practices. Now one thing that we've been seeing a lot is companies who are telling customers that recharging with certain types of refrigerant, one type being known as r22. A lot of people will call it freon now telling customers that it's illegal to do this, some of them will say things like recharging. The system will result in them losing their license or that they'll turn somebody into the EPA.
If the system is recharged, I think in a lot of cases it's just as simple as the technician themselves, not being properly educated on what the EPA says about these things. But pressure on r22 is one of many refrigerants that are recognized as being an ozone depleting substance by the EPA, and it also has a global warming potential or GWP refrigerant r22, often known as freon, has been in use for many many years in residential air conditioning. There's nothing wrong with it as a refrigerant, but the EPA and many other international government bodies have come to recognize that it does cause global warming. Because of this they regulate its release.
There are some laws on the books about very large systems and the recharging of those systems. They still can be recharged, but you have to prove that your repair leaks as you can see on this chart. There are regulations from the EPA on H, CFC and CFC refrigerants, like r22, for example, we're talking about here when the systems contain more than 50 pounds of refrigerant and the rules slightly change, depending on whether or not it's Comfort, cooling, industrial process or commercial refrigeration. Even in those cases, it is allowable to recharge with our 22 within certain parameters in residential.
It is legal to charge with our 22. Under all circumstances, though, certainly not always recommended on residential systems under 50 pounds of refrigerant which, in your house, all of the systems are going to be under 50 pounds, there's no law prohibiting the recharging of these systems. Now there are good reasons not to recharge good financial reasons and good common sense reasons, but there are also some times when recharging makes sense, so we're here in our storage room inside our offices - and this is refrigerant r22 that was purchased recently. This is a newer refrigerant called r410a, our for 10a and r22 make up the majority of all residential and commercial.
Refrigerants r410a is not an ozone depleting substance, but it does have a global warming potential. Therefore, both are 22 and r410a have to be controlled and prevented from release into the environment. This is why we use devices known as recovery machines and recovery tanks for the room, safe removal and storage of refrigerant in our shop. We keep refrigerant tanks that have been tagged for the recovery of r410a and the recovery of our 22. Both of these have to be recovered. Here we have some empty tanks that are ready to put back into service refrigerant r22 is which known as an H CFC by the EPA. It contains the substances, hydrogen fluorine, chlorine and carbon, and it's the chlorine, that's considered to be the ozone-depleting substance. Refrigerant r410a.
Here it's made up of hydrogen fluorine and carbon. Therefore, it's known is an HF C. It still has a global warming potential, but it is not depleting the ozone. In summary, if an air conditioning contractor air-conditioning service technician tells you that our 22 cannot legally be recharged.
On a small residential system, typical system at home, anything from one and a half to five tons they're incorrect. You can recharge your system with our 22, though it's much more advisable to find the leak and make an appropriate repair and then replace the system when it comes time to do so. It's not illegal to recharge with our 22, even in the new version of the 2018 EPA regulations. There's nothing in that code that disallows you from recharging that system.
I confirm this recently in a conversation that I had for the HVAC school podcast with representative of the EPA as well as just through reading the code and the changes to the code. Twenty-Two is scheduled to be phased out for new production in 2020, which means that after 2020, our 22 is no longer going to be available, except from the reclaimed stock. The good news is is that, as we continue to reclaim old r22, our 22 will continue to be available for years, but as we move forward, you're going to want to consider r410a or other refrigerant options. So the question that many add - and I'm sure will continue to ask me - is do I advocate for the recharging of our 22 on systems that have known leaks and the answer is it really depends in certain circumstances, it's totally foolish to recharge their r22, both from An economic and environmental standpoint that does not mean that the EPA prohibits it, because the EPA does not prohibit it.
Based on the 608 code, some a/c contractors are telling customers that they can top off a system with something other than our 22. So let's say you have a leak and you only have a partial charge left of our 22 and they'll. Tell you that you can put another refrigerant in on top of that in order to charge it up. This is incorrect and it is against EPA regulations.
The EPA does not allow it for any field mixing of refrigerants under any circumstances in circumstances where a system is being tested and it's found to be very slightly low, so a pound of refrigerant or under in most cases. In these cases, it makes sense to recharge the piece of equipment, even if you are going to do a leak detection. So that way you can get the system working at maximum efficiency. For those of you who are concerned about the environment, there are several factors here. Not only are we concerned about the release or refrigerant the environment, but we're also concerned about energy usage. So when you have a system, that's running inefficiently, because it doesn't have the proper refrigerant charge, that's also a factor. So there are certain circumstances in which recharging with our 22 is actually a good idea or it's necessary in order to get a system working temporarily in general, it's best to find the leak, make a repair or replace the piece of equipment. What makes me very uncomfortable is HVAC technicians who use a government agency like the EPA in order to threaten customers into making repairs that the customer may not be prepared to make.
That's something that I would encourage all AC contractors to rethink. Know the code either read the rules and know them and don't use them as a hammer to try to get customers to make decisions that they're not ready to make. I'm Ryan or one of the co-owners of kalo service have a great day.
At the time of your video. Recharging with R22 in Wisconsin was illegal if any of the same parameters would be hit as with larger systems. You need to contact the appropriate DNR.
Hey bloun where my hat I'm waiting ✋ Are you in Orleans ?
You can add R22 One time. If you go back and the unit is low again you are required by EPA law to find and repair leak, or replace unit ! Service area Orleans??
can a home AC R22 system be retrofitted to another freon without replacing the whole system Are you in Kanata ?
R410 is going away as well now.. I miss the R22, it was one of the best gases..
This is a 2017 video. Is the information in this video outdated now?
It seems to me that the EPA guidelines for leak allowances and testing are quite conservative. These contain figures which I would consider to constitute a "leaky system".
One other thing, though: You mention that R22 and R410A are found in the majority of systems. Smaller refer and A/C systems in the USA may use R290, and R134a is still quite prevalent in older window shakers and automotive applications. Even R410A is being phased out in favor of R290 in a lot of smaller applications, despite its notoriety for being flammable. Temperature glide and possibility of fractionation from leaks or improper charging procedures make the -A-suffix refrigerants less desirable than single compound gases or azeotropic blends. And the charge limits on the R290 systems are being reviewed being raised, as statistically, very few fire or explosion incidents can be blamed on A/C equipment using flammable gases. Historically, R717 and R764 have been used in domestic refrigerators, but were phased out due to severe complications of moisture in the system. Furthermore, these gases are fairly toxic. However, there seems to be a push to return to R717 in certain smaller applications, mainly automotive. R717 (ammonia) may be toxic, but has such a pungent aroma that even a small leak in any enclosed space will make itself evident really quick, and at least it's not as flammable as R290 (propane). Both ammonia and propane are excellent refrigerants, BTW.
Can I do a recharge with 410A or Bluon?
I know you just stating what they say, but it’s all BS. Ozone is replenished every time lightning strikes, the ‘science’ is flawed.
Yes, but it's not illegal to steal r22 if you're gonna huff it! Huffing is encouraged.
mixing is fine and site europe of mixing of the drop in r44b.
SURE IS NOT AN ISSUE. R22 IS STILL BEING BOUGHT AND SOLD. 000.00 PER 30LB DRUM.
Great video .thank you so much good info.
try to buy R22
Thank you. It is helpful to know the recent EPA standards about R-22.
Very Helpful
In my area, S. Cal, the HVAC companies are really taking advantage of us consumers, charging $120 per pound. They'll tell you "it's limited" or "it's hard to get" or "it's being phased out" but in reality they over manufactured it before 2020 and it is less than $20 per pound.
This video is Very informative. Thank you
Sir, do you have school in Jacksonville Florida?
How about the chlorine that escape from all swimming pools. No body is addressing that.
Hi, I'm from the year 2020 and it's illegal to recharge using R22.
In Europe it is illegal, and mandatory to not service. If the unit has met its end of life, it MUST be safely disposed and decommissioned.
Thank you for being honest.
I never understood maybe someone could answer that man cannot create or destroy any element on our planet earth he can only use what’s here existing. therefore when R22 is released doesn’t it just revert back to the basic elements in nature????
Driving a car and paying to have animals beed causes more environmental damage
QUESTION FOR MR BRIAN please ,,,,,i am a retired and disabled tech i still have some of my tools since money is tight ,,,,,i have a rheem 4ton heat pump with R22 still running great , but there will come a time to change it out ! i was considering 407c instead of 410A but met a tech with years of exp with 407 C and told me not to do it , too long to explain why ! would it make sense to take a 410@ new unit change the TXV to a R22 if i can find one that is ? and go with that ? pressures of 410 scares me to death even i know and you know they warant the compressors for 10 years anyway ! what would be a good move here sir ,,,,,,i am 66 in 2020 id like your opinion please ,,,,,,thank you ,,,,oh ! the reason is i have about 50lbs or so of r22 in my garage ! and i like it cause it fits my tools LOL ,,,,,i never bought gauges for 410A either . thank you
back in HVAC school in florida in the 90s we used to say ok all the pools that have chlorine in it must go LOL ,,,,,,
We still see refrigerated trailers in my shop that use R-22. We are seeing less and less of them. The last time I made a repair on one was over a year ago, put a discharge vibrasorber on one. They are going by the wayside, customers don't want to spend almost 1k on just refrigerant. Plus the last run of them carrier built was in the late 90s, so a lot of them have well over 25k running hours on them, frames are rotting out. The trailers they are attached to have crumby insulation and don't maintain box temp any more. R404a units are so cheap to put a fresh charge in, ~68 bucks (or less for newer units) in refrigerant? Glad to see those old turd box phoenix ultras off the road.
Very good information. Thanks
What will happen to all the r-22 that gets recovered? How can it be properly disposed of? There will come a time when most of the systems have been replaced and the demand will drop.
Global warming EPA (AKA) NEW WORLD ORDER 🐂💩
😂🤣😂😂 wouldn't that increase your BUSINESS 🤪
I think it would only be illegal if you recharge it from a recovery tank
Funny I can buy it online still just have to sign a waiver
Can you recover r22 in a recovery tank and then use it in another unit?
Swimming pools are illegal also, for globe warming
The government will ban pools and bleech soon.
where can i get 2.5 lbs R22 for my Sierra GMC pick up….Awesome video and thx for honest info. Geo
Thanks for making this video, very informative. Service area Barrhaven??
Hope everyone realizes the "dangers" of R22 is complete and utter Bull$hit.
The Freon hoax has wasted billions of dollars!
MOLON FREON Service area Kanata??
Note: This is not the case on the European Union.
So are the rules regarding residential AC units Florida only or nationwide? Service area Ottawa??
All the down votes are from criminal "technicians" who lie to their unsuspecting customers, telling them that they must replace their high quality old equipment with low quality new equipment, rather than repair their leak and recharge with R22. Are you in Barrhaven ?
I'm in the Computer Networking business now but my dad had an HVAC company in Dallas and we would always remove the charge by jamming an PICK in the suction line or pulling out the schrader valve …..made one hell of a noise….. 1980……Guess those days are over.
I always give the customer options, always what the customer wants Are you in Nepean ?
Interesting you talk about r22 but never mention r407c. It's the best retrofit for it, just some extra work since you need to get the mineral oil out and replace it with poe.
Awesome video! Thank you so much for sharing!