If you have a relatively HVAC at home, you may be wondering why the banning of production or importation of Freon, or R22 as it is known, may have any relevance to you.

Older HVAC units contained CFCs

Well, old HVAC units used Freon as a coolant and subsequent research has revealed that Freon, a gas at room temperature, is harmful to the ozone layer. Now, you may be wondering how a little bit of refrigerant in your old HVAC unit could possibly harm the ozone layer to such a major degree, but think on this. Freon is a synthesized hydrocarbon, or CFC, all of which were identified, in the 1970s, to react with ozone in the upper atmosphere. Ozone is critical to the survival of life on earth as it filters out harmful UV rays from the sun.

HVAC units made between 1930 and 2010 may well have Freon in them

That still doesn’t quite answer the question about the amount of Freon in your HVAC unit, or any other device that is used for refrigeration. Well, if you consider that virtually every HVAC unit or refrigerator manufactured between the 1930s and 2010 used Freon, or another CFC, worldwide, and each unit used between 1 oz. and 20 oz. then you might begin to understand jus how much Freon that was used.

Now just because the manufacture or import of Freon has been banned in the USA from Januar1 I, 2020, don’t panic. That doesn’t mean your old refrigerator or HVAC unit is also illegal. Far from it. However, what it does mean is that you need to take extra-special care of it, and have it regularly serviced to maximize the life span of the refrigeration coils. If they develop a leak, then either you will have to replace the whole unit, or you may find a disreputable HVAC repair company will charge you a fortune to replenish the lost Freon, claiming there is very little of it left. That may be the case in a few years, but not today.

If you have any concerns about your HVAC cooling system, or any other cooling system, give us a call and we will be happy to put your mind at rest.