Everything You Should Know About the Switch from R22 to R410A (2024)

FAQs

Everything You Should Know About the Switch from R22 to R410A? ›

Because R-410A absorbs and releases more heat than R-22, your compressor can operate at a cooler temperature. A cooler temperature reduces overheating and your risk of compressor burnout. AC units need oil to lubricate the compressor during operation. R-22 units use mineral oil, whereas R410-A units use synthetic oil.

If you're going to convert from R22 to R410A refrigerant, the best thing to do would be to flush the lines you have, and put in units, an air handler and condenser that is meant to use R410A. R410A and R-22 are just so different that doing stuff like you want to do won't really work.

When you replace an air conditioner or heat pump and upgrade from R-22 to R-410A, the ideal solution is to replace your refrigerant lines. This is because the mineral oil used in R-22 systems is not compatible with the new R-410A refrigerant and oil.

Since R410A refrigerant is charged under higher pressure, charging an R22 system with it will increase the force within the coolant lines. The pressure can become high enough for parts of the system to rupture. At the very least, leaks will occur. Mixing refrigerants is not an option either.

It would likely explode. An air compressor is not designed to work at the pressure range that an air conditioning or refrigeration compressor runs at! It might handle R22 in a cool environment, but R410A would certainly cause it to burst.

So what the manufacturer recommends, the best option, is if you're going to go from an R22 unit to an R410 unit, that you should have your line set replaced at the same time.

How much will an R-22 to R-410A conversion cost? The actual cost will depend on many things, including where you live, but most of the time R-22 conversions start at around $2,000 and go up from there. The higher end of that range is somewhere around $4,500 to $4,600.

In the system installation, we can use R410a copper tube to replace the ordinary R22 copper tube, but we must not use the ordinary R22 copper tube to replace the R410a copper tube.

Why R-410A Is Being Phased Out. Because R-410A operates at such high pressures, there is an increased risk of an environmentally harmful refrigerant leak during maintenance and repair work. The R-410A phase-out means new HVAC systems will use more sustainable refrigerants.

In fact, R410A can cool a room slightly faster with less energy. Efficient performance is a significant benefit of R410A. However, it works the same way as R22 in absorbing heat to provide cooling. But R410A doesn't make a room any colder than its predecessor.

Can you put a 410A condenser on a R-22 coil? ›

When it comes to changing out the air conditioning condenser with a non matching r410a, many home owners have questions that they are not finding the correct answer too. At the top of that list is, will it work? The answer is an undeniable and indisputable yes.

Improved efficiency: R410A is able to absorb and release heat better than R22, making it more energy efficient. Plus, because it's more fluid in temperature changing abilities, it does a better job heating or cooling your house quickly.

Starting in 2010, all new ACs used only R410A. Manufacturers still produced R22, but only for recharging existing equipment. They also began reducing production. Over the next decade, manufacturers produced less and less Freon each year.

You'll need to replace the compressor, condenser and evaporator, and probably the refrigerant tubing, with equipment that can handle R410-A. It would be more cost effective to put that money toward a new system designed for R410-A.

Freon MO99 is the gold standard for R-22 alternatives and was developed by the same scientists who engineered Freon R-22. The benefits of Freon MO99 include: Capacity — The ability of Freon MO99 to heat or cool a given space is closer to Freon R-22 than any other refrigerant on the market.

R-22 refrigerant can no longer be imported or made available for sale in the United States. Only recovered R-22 Freon (that is, salvaged from other pieces of equipment) can be used to service equipment. Luckily, many of the world's compressor manufacturers began preparing for this issue early.

Do you need a license to buy R-410A refrigerant? You do not need an EPA license to purchase R-410A. However, you do need a license to use it to charge a system. While we encourage responsible DIYers, there are some things you should definitely leave to a trained HVAC professional.

Rather, we're saying that for the majority of instances, coils designed for R-22 can withstand the higher pressures that come with a switch to R-410A. Some exceptions would be: Residential coils designed with very thin manifolds. Large condenser coils with large manifolds too thin for R-410A's operating pressures.