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With that summer Texas air, the last thing you want is for your air conditioner to go on the mend. If your air conditioner has been recently acting up, it may just so happen to be an old model running on power-guzzling refrigerant. If you have had an air conditioner running for decades, it likely has what is known as R22 refrigerant.
R22 is the refrigerant that was once the most common across the United States, but it also contributes to the depletion of the O-zone layer. While there are still quite a few air conditioners that run with R22 refrigerant, residents have been making the switch to a more recent and energy-efficient refrigerant called R410-A.
What Is R410-A?
R410-A, also known as Puron, is a refrigerant that was developed in the year 1991 by a company that is now known as Honeywell today. Even though this refrigerant still contributes to global warming, it doesn’t deplete the O-zone layer.
This newer refrigerant is recommended by air conditioning services Houston as they can save you money on energy and electrical bills each month. The refrigerant doesn’t cause the compressor to overheat as much, meaning that it runs on less power than an air conditioning unit with R22. R410-A also runs at a greater pressure, so newer units compatible with this refrigerant can withstand stress and reduce the odds of cracking.
Whereas air conditioners with R22 use mineral oil for lubrication, models that use R410-A use a synthetic oil. Synthetic oil is more soluble with its R410-A air conditioner than mineral oil is with an R22 air conditioner. This means that there is less wear and wear that goes on in newer air conditioners, meaning that they can last longer and experience problems much less frequently. All air conditioners need oil to stay lubricated when they are running.
Why R410-A Is Important
HVAC manufacturers will stop making R22 refrigerant altogether in the year 2020, although there are some air conditioning services that have phased it out much sooner than that. If you still own an air conditioning unit that uses R22 refrigerant, you should consider replacing it with a newer air conditioner that uses R410-A the next chance you get from air conditioning services Houston. With R22 being phased out, resources for repairing these units will cost more in the future and will deplete over time.
Can you simply switch refrigerants while keeping your existing air conditioner? The answer unfortunately is no. As mentioned previously, R410-A runs at a higher pressure than R22, so the refrigerant requires newer parts inside the air conditioner that can better handle it. If you ever tried to put R410-A refrigerant in an air conditioner for R22, too much pressure would be put on the model and it would break down. You are not able to add R410-A refrigerant to a unit that is meant to use R22 refrigerant, so you will need to replace your air conditioner to one that is compatible with R410-A.
Even though getting a new air conditioning unit altogether is costly, it can be just as expensive to keep an air conditioner with R22 until it blows its last puff of cool air. With more frequent maintenance and more expensive repairs, it could easily make sense to you to just upgrade to a newer model with a newer refrigerant. With a newer unit, you won’t have to worry about any possible problems for a long time, and it will definitely do a better job at conserving power and avoid overheating. It is also more affordable to recharge a system that uses R410-A.
