Time to Change

The Montreal Protocol, first established in 1987, was and is a worldwide coalition to help reduce the depletion of our planets ozone layer through the reduction of gases and other substances known to cause issues. One of the first things on the hit parade was the use of certain types of refrigerants in air conditioners and other cooling equipment such as freezers and refrigerators.

Up until the year 2010, one of the most common types of Freon, or refrigerant, in use for air conditioning systems was labeled R-22. Without a very long and boring science lesson, R-22 also known as Chlorodifluromethane (there’s your word for the day kids) was at its peak an inexpensive and effective way for cooling systems to operate. Unfortunately, the side effects of R-22 being released into the atmosphere were having devastating effects on the health of our planet. R-22 has the side effect of being a powerful greenhouse gas contributing to the global warming effect.

Again, I am not going to bore you with all the details of the step-by-step process the Montreal Protocol established to phase out R-22; however, the net result is that since 2010 no new R-22 has been manufactured and everything that is currently available is strictly reclaimed and recycled. I can hear you asking the question as I type… What does any of this have to do with me?

The simple answer my friends is that if your air conditioner was installed anytime before 2010 there is a good chance that the Freon lurking within your unit is R-22. Yet again, I know, what does this have to do with me? The answer is R-22 is a huge shot to your wallet if you need to have it added to your air conditioner due to a needed repair or leak in the system.

We as a company could buy a thirty-pound jug of R-22 in 2008 for around fifty US dollars, and that same jug of Freon today is over SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS! Yes, I said $700 for that same little green jug of gas. Talk about supply and demand displayed at its finest. This of course is a cost that we have to pass on to you, our faithful consumer.

I ask with respect that if one of our fine service techs comes to your home with the bad news that you have an R-22 air conditioner that needs to be recharged, please do not have a myocardial infarction when they tell you that it is going to be a several hundred dollar charge to do so. If your air conditioner is more than ten years old and needs R-22 to function again, it might be time to think about changing to a modern system that runs on today’s version of Freon known a R-410A. This is a wise thought not only for today because even if we re-charge your system today to get you cooling again, guess what? R-22 is going to be even more expensive than it is now in six months or even a year from now.

As always we are a phone call away at 1-800-475-1504, or you can book a service call right here on our website. If you need more information or have a specific problem you wouId like to discuss, I am an email away at THW@artplumbingandac.com.

This hereby concludes today’s public service announcement. Until next week my question is, how do you know when you run out of invisible ink?

House Whisperer out!!