If your
air conditioner uses R-22 refrigerant, it’s time to consider your replacement
strategy.
The United States government, specifically the Environmental
Protection Agency, has mandated that due to effects which lead to the depletion
of the ozone layer, the production and import of R22 refrigerant will cease on
January 1 2020. The only way to acquire it will be through recycled or
stockpiled supplies, which will rapidly cause repairs on existing equipment to
become extremely expensive.
Does My
Cooling System Use R-22?
You can
look on the data plate on your outdoor unit, or your indoor coil that sits in
front of, or on top of, your furnace. Most air conditioning systems state
‘HCFC-22’, and amount in ounces and/or pounds will be listed on the data plate.
The 2020 R22 refrigerant phase out will impact systems made up to 2010. As of
January 1 2010, R-22 systems were no longer manufactured. It’s important
to note, however, that R-410A systems were also produced during the same period
of time, so if you aren’t sure or need assistance contact us and we can send
out a local, professional hvac technician to take a look.
Do I
Have to Replace My Unit This Year?
Not
necessarily. You can certainly keep using the system until it
fails. We would strongly recommend that if you have to call someone out,
and they tell you that you need to add refrigerant for any reason, you start
evaluating options for replacement. This symptom always indicates a leak of
some sort, since refrigerant isn’t consumed by the machine over time, it’s
constantly circulated in a specific, measured amount to generate the desired
cooling effect.
What If
I’m Not Having Any Problems With My Current System?
As long
as your heating and cooling system is being properly maintained, you shouldn’t
need any new refrigerant. Professional maintenance and regular service
helps keep your system running strong as long as it can, and covers you on
minor parts and repairs that, if left alone, can cause catastrophic failures.
Prescott Valley Heating and Cooling offers three tiers of maintenance
agreements that keep your current unit running properly for as long as
possible. We check things like capacitors, contactors, and refrigerant
levels. These days, we generally use
temperature splits to test the system, and try not to put gauges on whenever
possible. This best practice avoids the
release of 6 ounces of ozone depleting R-22 per visit.
How Can
Prescott Valley Heating and Cooling Help?
When it
comes to maintaining your existing system, we don’t only offer maintenance
agreements. PVHAC also offers duct cleaning and sealing services, air
purification equipment, whole home humidification, attic ventilation, and other
accessories to give you total control of your indoor environment.
If it's
time for system replacement, we offer a wide selection of Ruud heating and
cooling equipment, including water heaters, with pricing set to meet just about
any budget.
We also
have multiple financing options to help ease the burden of replacing your
equipment. We have some of the best financing available in our market, with 0%
interest on many systems for up to 72 months, or low-interest, low-payment
options up to 144 months! We’re also offering a $100 per ton discount on
any complete R22 system replacement, up to a maximum of 5 tons, or $500 per system.
