As you may have heard, the air conditioning industry is going to change in the year 2020. Older air conditioners use a refrigerant called R-22, which was commonly called Freon™.
Here in Kansas City, there are a lot of those air conditioners still installed in area homes.
This R-22 refrigerant is being phased out by the year 2020, which means it will no longer be manufactured or imported into our country. Supplies will be available, but it will be limited to stock on hand or recycled refrigerant and could be expensive.
City Wide has been getting a lot of questions regarding whether R-22 air conditioners need to be replaced by the year 2020. There are basically two scenarios that would answer these questions.
Your Air Conditioner Has Never Been Re-Charged With R-22
Refrigerant is not like gasoline in a car – your air conditioner doesn’t use it up to run and then needs to be recharged every year.
If you haven’t put Freon™ in your air conditioner, then you more than likely don’t have a leak. And if you don’t have a leak, that refrigerant could stay there for many years. Which means you can wait to replace your air conditioner.
If it ever develops a leak, especially after the year 2020, you may need to replace your air conditioner depending on the cost of available R22. But by then it be old and inefficient, so it will be time to replace it anyway!
You Have Had To Re-Charge Your Air Conditioner Almost Every Year
Your system has a leak and it should be replaced before the year 2020. As we get closer to that date, the cost of R-22 is going to go up every year.
And since most leaky air conditioners are old, it is usually time to replace it anyway. So now would be a good time to get a free estimate and start thinking about replacing that AC in your Kansas City area home.
Contact City Wide Heating & Cooling in Kansas City at 913-384-6006 with any questions or to schedule your free estimate.