Folks who are aware of the phase out of the existing R410A refrigerant in common use now and the new R454B or R32 refrigerants that are meant to replace it frequently ask me when should I get a new air conditioning or heat pump system, now or later?
If you have any older R410A system that is close to 15 years old or has been breaking down frequently, I think you should replace it now for the following reasons.
- This will be the last year that you can buy a R410A system period. Next year you must purchase a system using the new refrigerants. The problem is that the new refrigerants the engineers have come up with are rated as “mildly” flammable. I am not entirely sure what they mean by “mildly”. That sounds to me like mildly explosive, the difference between a stick of dynamite or a blockbuster bomb, I would think.
- The reason that the systems using the new gas were not ready for sale this year as originally intended is because building codes would not allow them due to their flammability. Building codes are written to protect the public from the hazards of unsafe building construction. The building codes folks are still trying to figure out what mildly means exactly, I guess.
- I know how they are called “mildly” flammable, but unlike natural gas, for instance, the new systems have running pressures which are 400+ pounds PSI (pounds per square inch) compared to natural or propane gas which is less than ½ pound of pressure PSI in a home. That is quite a difference in pressure. It reminds me that the reason Ozone destroying Freon was used in household refrigerators. It was because if a sulfur dioxide refrigerator from the 1920’s sprung a leak, everyone in the house would wake up dead.
- The new building codes have not yet come out with their requirements, but there is speculation that refrigeration gas lines may not be concealed within walls or run underneath mobile homes for that matter. There are going to be rules regarding any connections made outside the indoor blower assembly of the system in an enclosed space like a furnace closet or small attic for instance.
- I know for sure, there are mandatory requirements that all new systems have leak detectors to stop the ac system and blow the refrigerant into your house to prevent a high concentration of gas if you spring a leak. That sounds weird to me though, blow it into your house? I think that they should combine it with a recording of a screaming voice that tells you to “RUN!”
- Also, the indoor space or room where the unit is located must be large enough to dissipate any high concentration of the new gas if it springs a leak. I still do not understand why they just do not provide for a flue pipe of some type to just blow the leaking gas to the outside of your house.
- I believe that the combination of these new rules, more safety controls, explosion proof components, and the increased labor for safe installation of these new systems are going to greatly increase the cost above the 30 or so percent that most figure the cost will rise to. Back to the mildly flammable description of the new gas, are you aware that the installing contractor must also buy new explosion proof and spark proof equipment and tools to install the new systems?
- I haven’t even gotten to the increased costs of repair that will be sure to follow. I have heard that one requirement they are considering is having the technician approach any new equipment with an active leak detector to prevent blowing him/herself up before they even begin to perform diagnostic service on the new unit.
- Do you really want to be the Guinea pig for one of these new systems? I know Daikin (Japanese manufacturer of Goodman and Amana products) claims that they have been used in Asia for more than ten years. The problem is that I cannot ask any of my Asian friends or customers if they have heard of any houses burning down or explosions related to these new systems because they are all Americans. Maybe I can email Ronny Chieng to ask him about it. Nah, he will probably just call me stupid since I think that he left Malaysia before that.
- Just because R410A refrigerant is slowly being phased out, that does not mean that the gas will no longer be available. The “complete” phase out date is scheduled for the year 2036 but that does not mean it will no longer be made, just a production decrease. Hopefully by the time that the unit that you purchased this year is worn out, they will have come up with a safe non-flammable alternative gas.
- Most folks do not have problems with refrigerant leakage if they purchase a quality brand such as Bryant or Carrier and they are installed by experienced technicians who know their trade.