Do i need to replace my AC unit because of the new r410A?
Hello everyone. I have an issue with my refrigerant R-22 leaking through one of the evaporator coil in my attic. It's located in the attic along with the furnace. The condensor is outside the house. Since the ac was not blowing enough cold air, I decided to call the AC repair guys. They came by and said that they would need to replace the entire system (condenser) and the coil because the R22 will not be available anymore and will cost a fortune to refill. He also said it was banned. They also said that the only available refrigerant is the new one. R410A. The AC guys quoted us for a 5ton and is awaiting our decision. Now my question is do i need to replace this unit or is there an alternative? I still have a couple of years left with the warranty on the current unit but i am not sure if it covers replacing the unit. Thank You. No Pro...but here's what I know.. If you have a warranty...then you need to explore that. How old is the existing system? R22 is still available (and is allowed until 2020 I seem to recall) but yes it is expensive. Not as expensive as a whole new system though. I believe you can still get a new coil for your system...it's the condenser that would not be able to be replaced. Did they do the calculation for the new system or did they just base it on what you had or a guesstimate? The Pro's will be around to be more specific. Hi. Thanks For the reply. We bought the house back in 2008 but was built in 2004. The unit has never been replaced. The tech actually quoted us for a few items. 1 was the unit itself. I think it was a 5ton 15 or 16 seer. The other 2 items was the evaporator coil and a broken damper that was not opening or closing. I believe the total cost was about 7500.00. The tech said he only had the r1410 a and would replace the coil but he didn't recommend it because of the incompatibility with the condenser. He mentioned something about some gooey substance that would accumulate if we would to go that route and would cost $$$ to repair. I'll explore the warranty but i don't think it covers a replacement for my situation. Since r22 is phasing out i think maybe converting to the new models is the best choice. I would just hate to throw away $$$ on something that could have waited 6-8 more years if I would have known that my unit would still be usable for a longer time. Thanks Check the warranty on the leaking coil. It may only give you a part and then you have to pay labor and new refrigerant. Yes, R22 is still available and will be for years. Having said that, it has doubled in price since last year. R22 is recycled and will be around for many years. They simply can not produce NEW R22 as of 2020 (don't remember exact date). Coils are still available for R22 as are DRY R22 condensers. If your coil is not under warranty then it may be in your best interest to replace the condenser, line set, and evap coil with an R410A system. Get at least 3 replacement quotes before deciding to replace your system. First thing though, see if you are in warranty and what it covers. If my 2004 evaporator coil started leaking, I would only replace the evaporator coil unless the condenser coil looked corroded due to sprinkler systems or male dogs. (If the old condenser was only a 10 seer I might view this differently) The gummy issue he spoke of refers to replacing the lineset if you switch to R410a with a new system as apposed to only replacing the evaporator coil. I know that Carrier no longer carries evaporator coils with the R22 TXV, so we must buy it separately and replace it in the field. This increases the homeowner's cost. Evaporator coils are readily available. They may require a piston or TXV change, both of which are easily obtainable, for use with R-22. Even if R-22 were no longer available, it is an easy process to convert an air conditioner from R-22 to MO99 (R438A). There will be a very slight loss of capacity efficiency (only about 2%). Here's a DuPont video explaining the process: Retrofit to DuPont They simply can not produce NEW R22 as of 2020 (don't remember exact date). Read more: Do i need to replace my AC unit because of the new r410A? Manufacturers can not produce new units with R-22 as of 2010. The refrigerant itself will be produced until 2020. (the supply has been reduced though)
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