5 Things You Need to Know About R-22 Refrigerant and Your Air Conditioner

Many homes still have older air conditioning units that use R-22 refrigerant. So far this year, the cost of R-22 has skyrocketed over 300%! With the change in laws and the rising cost of R-22, we put together these FAQs so you can understand why the price is rising and make an educated decision about your air conditioner.

1. What is R-22 Refrigerant?

R-22 (also known as HCFC-22) has been the refrigerant of choice for residential air conditioning units for over 40 years. Now, the US government (the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA) working under the guidance of the Montreal Protocol (1987) and Title VI of the Clean Air Act (1990) is phasing out the production, distribution and importation of R-22/HCFC-22 and other similar chemicals.

2. What is the Montreal Protocol?

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, or simply the Montreal Protocol, is an internationally ratified treaty whose sole purpose is to implement guidelines and schedules to phase out the production and distribution of ozone depleting chemicals – such as chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, CFCs & HCFCs. These chemicals are widely known for their ozone depleting properties, contributing to the already-enlarged hole in the Earth’s ozone layer. The ozone layer is a layer in Earth’s atmosphere rich in trioxygen (O3) which is crucial and critical to keeping harmful UV-A/B rays out of the lower levels of the atmosphere where it can have damaging effects on life on Earth.

3. Why the Government is Phasing Out R-22

R-22 is a popular refrigerant for residential cooling systems. However, it is also a greenhouse gas and the production of R-22 results in the by-product HFC-23 which is a significant contributor to global warming. The limitations on R-22 (and in turn, HFC-23) will reduce the level of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere. As part of the phase out, more ozone friendly refrigerants are being required and developed.

4. What This Means for Homeowners

As the regulated phase out moves through its schedule, R-22 will continue to be available but only for use in servicing existing equipment. New equipment is designed to use a substitute refrigerant, one that does not have the same harmful properties as R-22. Due to the restrictions and limitations on the production and distribution of R-22, customers may likely see a price increase in servicing their equipment that uses R-22 as a refrigerant.The Clean Air Act (1990) does not allow for any refrigerant to be released/vented into the atmosphere when servicing, repairing, or installing equipment. R-22 must be recovered from the unit and be recycled for use within the same unit, or be reclaimed (reprocessed to the new purity standard for R-22) or destroyed. Reclaiming and recycling of R-22 will be the main source of the refrigerant for existing systems through 2020, when R-22 is scheduled for 99.5% phase out from baseline (usage of R-22 must be reduced by 99.5% of it’s original usage levels of 1993).

5. What Homeowners Can Do to Avoid R-22 Refrigerant

For homeowners worried about rising costs related to obtaining and using R-22 refrigerant, they should consider purchasing a new, high-efficiency home comfort system which uses a redesigned model for cooling and also uses a substitute refrigerant (R-410A). These systems use an outdoor condenser paired with an indoor evaporator coil to provide high-efficiency comfort while using an environmentally-friendly refrigerant. Homeowners should select Energy Star® rated equipment and dealers whose contractors are EPA-certified in handling refrigerant. Selecting Energy Star® equipment will also provide energy savings compared to older units.

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Refer-A-Friend Discount

If you are satisfied with our work – and we are sure that you will be – why not take advantage of our refer-a-friend 10% discount offer. The discount can be used on your next service call after a qualified customer referral has been made, so give us a call today and start saving.

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Is your home’s heating system ready to take on another harsh New York winter? The certified technicians at Air Medic will thoroughly inspect your entire heating system, locate the source of any issue, and quickly fix the problem.
Specializing in residential heating, we handle everything from simple fixes to new installations, and can help you out with important information on carbon monoxide that will keep your family safe all winter long.
We are on call 24/7, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us whenever you need heating service or repair.

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Safe Home Heating

Question: Will the comfort of my Heating System take me safely into the morning?… or will Deadly Carbon Monoxide stalk me in the night?Call Us Today for a Annual Heating Physical with a Free CO test !!   (845)425-0291
It’s so easy and automatic that people just don’t think about it. Every year, when the weather turns cold, homeowners reach for household thermostats, flip a switch to turn on the heat and set the temperature to 68 or 70 degrees. Little thought is given to whether the furnace exhaust system – the chimney and connector pipe – is ready to provide safe, effective service. 

Consumer confidence in the convenience and safety of today’s home heating systems is usually well-placed. The oil and gas heating industries have achieved impressive safety records. Nonetheless, over 200 people across the nation are known to die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by problems in the venting – out of their homes – of toxic gases produced by their heating systems. This is according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Other agencies estimate actual numbers at between 2,000 and 4,000.

In addition, around 10,000 cases of carbon monoxide-related “injuries” are diagnosed each year. Because the symptoms of prolonged, low-level carbon monoxide poisoning “mimic” the symptoms of common winter ailments (headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and even seasonal depression), many cases are not detected until permanent, subtle damage to the brain, heart and other organs and tissues has occurred. The difficulty of diagnosis also means the numbers of people affected may be even higher. Fortunately, regular chimney system inspection and maintenance can prevent poisoning incidents like these. What Carbon Monoxide Does to You Too much carbon monoxide in your blood will kill you. Most of us know to try to avoid this. Less well known is the fact that low-level exposure to this gas also endangers your health. One of the truths of our human bodies is that, given a choice between carbon monoxide and oxygen, the protein hemoglobin in our blood will always latch on to carbon monoxide and ignore the life-giving oxygen. Because of this natural chemical affinity, our bodies – in effect – replace oxygen with carbon monoxide in our bloodstream, causing greater or lesser levels of cell suffocation depending on the intensity and duration of exposure. The side-effects that can result from this low-level exposure include permanent organ and brain damage. Infants and the elderly are more susceptible than healthy adults, as are those with anemia or heart disease. The symptoms of low-level carbon monoxide poisoning are so easily mistaken for those of the common cold, flu or exhaustion, that proper diagnosis can be delayed. Because of this, be sure to see your physician about persistent, flu-like symptoms, chronic fatigue or generalized depression. If blood levels of carbon monoxide are found to be high, treatment is important. Meanwhile, it makes good sense to put heating system inspection and maintenance on your annual get-ready-for winter list. Prevention is the best cure.

Causes of Heating System Problems 

Why is poisoning from carbon monoxide on the rise? And why does it stem primarily from home heating systems that – at first glance – seem the same as those that have been used safely for years? 

• Today’s houses are more air-tight. Homeowners are aware of the cost of heating drafty homes and have taken steps to seal up windows, doors and other areas of air infiltration. Consequently, there is less fresh air coming into a home and not as many pathways for stale or polluted air to leave it. And, when furnaces and boilers are starved of the oxygen needed to burn fuels completely, carbon monoxide is produced. 

• Manufacturers have designed new, high-technology heating appliances whose greater efficiency helps us save money, conserve natural resources and decrease environmental pollution. However, the new breed of high-efficiency gas and oil furnaces – when vented in to existing chimney flues – often do not perform at an optimum level. The differences in performance create conditions that allow toxic gases to more easily enter home living spaces. The above conditions point out a number of older, ongoing problems that still require detection and correction in order to prevent toxic gases from filtering into the house. These include damaged or deteriorating flue liners, soot build-up, debris clogging the passageway, and animal or bird nests obstructing chimney flues. 

Caring for Your Chimneys & Flues 

When gas and oil burn in vented heating systems – in order to produce household heat – the dangerous fumes that are by-products of combustion range from soot (particulate matter) to nitrogen dioxide (also toxic) to acidic water vapors formed when moisture condenses. None of these pollutants should be allowed to leak from the chimney into your living space. 
In addition to carrying off toxic gases, chimneys also create the draft (flow of air) that provides the proper air and fuel mixture for efficient operation of the heating appliance – whether a furnace or boiler. Unfortunately, many chimneys in daily use in homes throughout the country either are improperly sized or have conditions that make them unable to perform their intended function.

Refer-A-Friend Discount

If you are satisfied with our work – and we are sure that you will be – why not take advantage of our refer-a-friend 10% discount offer. The discount can be used on your next service call after a qualified customer referral has been made, so give us a call today and start saving.

Owners are on job with technicians during installations!

Air Medic was established in 1983, is fully licensed (license #729), and serves Rockland County, NY, and surrounding areas. From commercial rooftop heating and cooling units and residential air-conditioning, boilers and furnace outdoor reset controls, humidifiers to ductwork, remote systems, and refrigerant recovery and reclaiming, our experienced professionals have you completely covered. We can even set up your Nest and other digital programmable wi-fi thermostats to make your home’s temperature even easier to control. Personalized service from the owners.

Call Air Medic, the Ph.D of HVAC, today at 845-425-0291 for residential and commercial heating, air-conditioning, commercial refrigeration, sales, service, and installation. Our goal is to keep you and your family comfortable all year long. That’s why you will be working directly with the owners on every job. We are always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done right. For your convenience, we accept all major credit cards.

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