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R22 air conditioner.

riverdees05

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I had my A/C serviced yesterday and everthing checked out good. While the service man was there he told me that by law they would not be getting any more R22 Freon in after January 1, 2020, in fact he said his company would not be replacing any and run down their inventory. Also, also stated there would be a heavy fine for having R22 on their truck after that date. Has anyone else heard this and if so what are your plans? My unit is 10 years old.
 

bogey21

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I think I have read that R22 is available and that the price is escalating rapidly as the supply slowly runs out. I don't believe his statement about fines for having it on his truck...

George
 

WinniWoman

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We wanted to get our AC compressor serviced a year or two ago (we only had it serviced every couple of years). It is at least 10 years old I think.

Anyway, when the tech came out he didn't even look at it. He said he was not going to service it and save us some money since it is already old. (he is also our boiler guy for many years)

When he was at our home last I remember him putting more Freon in it. He said he didn't remember that. But anyway, we were surprised, thinking that the fact that it was old was a good reason to have it serviced. I wonder if this refrigerant issue had something to do with him not checking it.

So now I am worrying that it will break and need to be replaced just in time for when we will be putting our house up for sale next year and it will kill me to have to spend the money so someone else could have use of a brand new unit! Doesn't mean that if he serviced it it still wouldn't have broke down, but still.

Keeping my fingers crossed it lasts until we leave.
 

riverdees05

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Here is an article that I found on the internet:

When Does R22 Become Illegal? Help For AC Equipment Owners

Michael Rosone • October 9, 2018

Have you been limping along with your older R22 air conditioner? Hoping to avoid replacing it during the high season? Especially if you know your unit has a refrigerant leak, you may be trying to decide how long you can get by before you’ll have to invest in a new system. An important factor in making that decision is answering the question: when does R22 become illegal?


When does R22 become illegal in the US: the definitive date
Since you’re reading this article, you probably know that the former industry-standard R22 refrigerant (also known as Freon) is being phased out worldwide due to its harmful effects on the ozone layer. (Read our previous blog about the R22 refrigerant phase out to learn more about that.)

As per the US Environmental Protection Agency, R22 refrigerant will become illegal in the United States on January 1, 2020. After that R22 refrigerant phase out date, R22 refrigerant can no longer be manufactured or imported into the US.

What does the R22 phase out timeline mean for you?
After R22 becomes illegal on January 1, 2020, it will become much more difficult (and expensive) to get R22. As a result, repairing older R22 systems will become very expensive when the repair requires adding refrigerant to the system. Except for some simple electrical issues, many types of emergency repairs do require recharging refrigerant.

If you’ve been getting by with an air conditioner that’s leaking refrigerant by periodically adding more R22 refrigerant (which we DO NOT recommend by the way), that will become cost-prohibitive and now is the time to figure out your plan for replacing the system.

The options for R22 system owners
Here at Arista, we believe in being proactive and being transparent. That’s why we have been talking to our customers about this issue for some time now, so they understand the situation and can plan accordingly.

In general, owners of R22 air conditioners will have 3 choices:

  1. Do nothing until your system needs an expensive repair.
  2. Retrofit (or convert) your old R22 equipment to use an existing refrigerant.
  3. Replace your system proactively.


Get more facts about the 3 options facing owners of R22 air conditioners, and advice about making the right decision for your needs: R22 Refrigerant Phase Out: Do You Need to Replace Your AC?.

Some options won’t work for everyone
However, you should know that all these options are not realistic (or smart) for everyone.

For example, retrofitting is not technically feasible for every system; you’ll need an inspection of your equipment by an expert to determine if it might work for you. And when you have a system with refrigerant leaks to begin with, a trustworthy expert probably would not recommend spending the money to retrofit.

Also, if you are experiencing problems with your system, doing nothing is not really an option, either, since your comfort conditions are probably unacceptable to you.

For the time being, you can still get R22 and fix a broken system, but the skyrocketing cost of the refrigerant as availability decreases will mean a very expensive repair. And will only get more expensive the closer we get to the date of January 1, 2020 when R22 becomes illegal to manufacture or import in the US. Is it worthwhile to pour so much into a system in poor condition that must be replaced soon? That’s the choice you’ll need to make.

Get more guidelines for making a repair or replace decision from this helpful resource: Repair or Replace? A guide to making an informed choice when your HVAC system is down

System replacement is a big deal
The last option, and probably what you are hoping to put off, is a system replacement.

Especially for a large commercial customer, it’s a huge expense (not to mention business inconvenience) to replace an extensive system or many multiple units.

However, there is a way to reduce that cost if you replace your AC this year. Did you know there is a new tax rule that lets you deduct the ENTIRE COST of HVAC equipment AND installation? That can save you a bundle. Watch this video to learn more:

The cost of system replacement is bad enough when you know it’s coming, but having to do so with no warning is much worse. Even homeowners do not want an issue like this to take them by surprise and end up having to be without air conditioning at the wrong time.

The point is, you don’t want to be replacing your system on an emergency basis. Keep reading to learn why it’s better to be proactive if you can.

Why avoid an emergency air conditioner replacement?
YOU MAY HAVE TO GO QUITE A WHILE WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING IF YOU WAIT TOO LONG TO REPLACE YOUR SYSTEM.

You probably already know that replacing an AC system in the summer will take longer than doing it during the off-season, simply because demand is greater and all available resources are busy on other jobs. As we near the date of January 1, 2020 when R22 becomes illegal, the demand for R22 system replacements is going to skyrocket. If your system finally breaks down this summer (or later), your business or your family might face a considerable wait for a new air conditioning system.

IF YOUR BUSINESS HAS MULTIPLE SYSTEMS TO REPLACE, YOU CAN COME UP WITH A PLAN TO REPLACE THEM OVER TIME AND SPREAD OUT THE EXPENSE.

Your HVAC company should be able to help you prioritize which systems to replace first, and help you develop a strategy that works for your budget while still getting ahead of the R22 phase out timeline.

Consider yourself fortunate that you know what’s coming and have time to plan. Many people will be taken by surprise!
 

DrQ

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We replaced ours, just stay away from contractor units built in China.
 

Talent312

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We have a two system house. They both used R22, but last weekend, I had to replace one that was 22 years old. It's compressor went belly-up (confirmed by two different service techs). I was told that a repair would cost ~$3000 or 1/2 to 2/3 the cost of a new system.

One guy gave me quotes a new Carrier system that started at $6300.
Another guy quoted a Goodman for $4200 and a Trane at $4700.
These were for basic 1.5-ton 14-SEER systems (replacing a 10 SEER unit).

I'm not a stickler for brand names and the 2nd unit may need replacing soon.
So I went with cheap. Afterall, we were replacing a 22 year old Goodman.
.
 

brownie17

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Hi, thanks for the information. My friend works in the air conditioning repair servicing , and I will ask him if this is really the case. Or maybe it is only relevant in your country. In any case, it will be useful for him to have this information. Every year they make new laws and come up with something new. Therefore, it is not surprising that people sometimes do not know something, and then get huge fines because of this ignorance. And so that this did not happen, you need to study the laws of your country every year in your field of activity.
 

bogey21

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Another guy quoted a Goodman for $4200 and a Trane at $4700.

So I went with cheap.
My Son had to replace his system about a year and a half ago. Because he knew he would be selling his house he also went cheap with a Goodman. I was dubious but it worked well for the rest of the time he owned the house...

George
 

Passepartout

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Don't worry about Goodman. They build more furnaces and a/c than anyone! When we replaced the 90% efficient Bryant in the house last year, it was with a 96% efficient Goodman. I couldn't be happier.
 
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Another thing to think about. If you're planning on selling your home and your a/c is looking like it will need to be replaced, add it to the selling price. With the skyrocketing home prices, adding in the cost of a new a/c unit won't hurt your chances of selling, unless the economy crashes and burns like it did during the Great Recession. If one person walks, another person will have $$$ in hand!

TS
 

Talent312

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Because we decided to convert a porch to a sunroom with AC...
We had to upgrade an AC system (Goodman) and a water heater.
Said goodbye to a 20 yr. old AC and 20 yr. old WH.

The sunroom has two sides of the attic that need drywall put up.
It all good, but AC peep won't do ducting until attic is closed in.
Contractor: "Supervisor quit, but we got it covered. Two weeks."
(Meaning 6).
.
 

DrQ

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Because we decided to convert a porch to a sunroom with AC...
Just curious, why not zone the sun room with a PTAC heat pump?
mass_26048_.png

That's what we did with a 500 sf sunroom.

You can also go with a split system:
Senville-Hero-Image-VR-3__14422.1593197129.jpg
 

Talent312

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Initially, we were going to install a mini-split system for ~$3200.
It woulda saved us from buying a new AC system and WH, but...

We'd be a 3-AC system house with a 20yo A/C and 20yo W/H.
Instead, we're still a 2-A/C house (oldest is 2) with a new WH.
Yeah, it cost us a lot of $$ (~$10K), but we like having new stuff.

.
 

TheHappyWanderer

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I had an HVAC guy tell me 6 or 7 years ago that we should replace our 12 year old AC unit because R22 was being banned soon. We switched to a new HVAC servicer after that, and our AC unit is now almost 20 years old and still going strong.

We have to add some R22 refrigerant every three years or so and it did cost $150 this time vs. $115 in 2018. But that is still much cheaper than buying and installing a new AC unit for $6000, especially if it may have a lifespan as short as 12 years before they start trying to sell me a new one.

Additionally, we would prefer to replace our entire HVAC system including the furnace at the same time, and we plan to do that in 2 to 4 years.
 
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