Dr. Chuck's Corner: Options for Servicing Existing R-22 Air Conditioning Systems
Spring has arrived, which means another cooling season is right around the corner. And that means another season of technicians needing to service the R-22 air conditioning systems operating in the field – and there are still plenty of them that will require servicing.
When it comes to these older R-22 systems, technicians have several options to pursue with equipment owners:
1. Business as usual – This means providing standard service and recharge/top-off with R-22. The potential downside of this approach is price volatility and perhaps availability issues with R-22 service gas.
2. Replace equipment – This will likely be the most expensive option for the customer, but they will have an efficient and modern system going forward.
3. Refrigerant retrofit – With this approach, the technician will recover any R-22 and recharge the system with an alternative refrigerant after repair. Any recovered R-22 should have value from a reclaimer.
R-22 retrofits have been successfully deployed for over a decade now, and for R-22 vintage equipment in good condition with serviceable life left, several strong alternative refrigerant options exist.
R-22 retrofits have been successfully deployed for over a decade now, and for R-22 vintage equipment in good condition with serviceable life left, several strong
alternative refrigerant options exist.
R-407C is the closest performance match to R-22 offering what is essentially equivalent capacity and energy efficiency. A full lubricant change from mineral oil to POE oil is required, along with a change out of critical elastomeric seals. Also, the glide needs to be considered when charging, setting superheat, etc.
While millions of systems have been converted successfully to R-438A (MO99™) and R-422B(NU22B™), there are some types of compressors and systems that will require additional steps.
R-438A and R-422B are the leading “no -oil change” replacements for R-22 and have become popular in the residential and light commercial segments where the time and pain of cutting out compressors to do an oil change are inconvenient. While millions of systems have been converted successfully to R-438A (MO99™) and R-422B(NU22B™), there are some types of compressors and systems that will require additional steps. Be sure to read and follow the detailed conversion guidelines developed by the refrigerant manufacturers.
Remember, while new R-22 systems haven’t been installed for over a decade, they are out there and in need of servicing, which is one reason why R-22 is still available in the market. It’s always valuable for contractors to have several practical options in their toolbox when it comes to on-going service of their customers’ legacy systems.
