It’s Environmentally Friendlier.  If your system ever leaks, the escaping refrigerant won’t contribute to ozone depletion!

You avoid the risk that R-22 could become expensive or difficult to get when your system needs to be repaired in a few years.
The old refrigerant R-22 will be phased out along with other ozone depleting chemicals, and both supply and demand of this chemical will be significantly affected by current and upcoming regulations. By selecting an air conditioner or heat pump that uses R-410A, you will avoid the risk associated with purchasing a product that is destined to become obsolete.

R-410A systems can be more reliable than R-22 systems.  R-410A air conditioning and heat pump are today’s “state of the art” systems, and utilize the most current technology available for efficient and reliable operation. The heart of every air conditioner or heat pump is the compressor, and newer systems are specifically designed to use R-410A refrigerant. They often incorporate smaller, heavier-duty “scroll-type” compressors that are quieter and operate with less damaging vibration than older compressors that operate on R-22. Since R-410A can absorb and release heat more efficiently than R-22 ever could, compressors with R-410A run cooler than R-22 systems, reducing the risk of burnout due to overheating.

It uses a synthetic lubricant that helps to keep the system operating smoothly.  All air-conditioning systems use an oil that circulates through the inside of the system to keep all of the parts well lubricated, just like the engine of your car. R-22 air conditioners use an oil known as “mineral oil” that has been used for decades. R-410A air conditioners use newer synthetic lubricants that are usually more soluble with the R-410A than the old mineral oils are with the older R-22 refrigerants. This means the synthetic lubricants and R-410A can mix and circulate more efficiently to keep the compressor and other moving parts lubricated, reducing wear and extending their life. Also, just as many new cars use synthetic oils because they are less likely to break down under high stress and heat, the new synthetic oils used in R-410A air conditioners are less likely to break down under extreme conditions.

What is ozone?
Ozone is a type of molecule that is made of 3 connected oxygen atoms, which is written in scientific terms as O₃. It is mostly found in the stratosphere, and absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation that would otherwise find it’s way down to us and cause a variety of problems for humans, animals, and plants. Stratospheric ozone is different from ground-level ozone, which contributes to smog in our cities.

How could CFCs and HCFCs affect the ozone layer?
Ozone is constantly being made in our atmosphere, mostly by collisions of oxygen molecules (O₂) and oxygen atoms (O). Ozone is also constantly being destroyed by similar collisions between O₃ molecules and O atoms, resulting in pairs of O₂ molecules. In theory then, there is a balance between creation and destruction that results in a constant layer of ozone.

The full names for CFCs and HCFCs are Chlorofluorocarbons and Hydrochlorofluorocarbons. CFC molecules are made of chlorine, fluorine, and carbon, and HCFC molecules also have hydrogen atoms attached. The widely accepted theory of ozone depletion is that these molecules, once emitted to the atmosphere, eventually are broken down over long periods of time into their individual atoms. The chlorine atoms then react with the ozone and cause ozone destruction to happen faster than ozone creation.

Why is ozone depletion considered bad?
Because stratospheric ozone protects us from harmful ultraviolet rays, ozone depletion means people, animals and plants are all affected by these rays when the ozone layer fails to stop them. This may include:  Increases in skin cancers.  Increases in cataracts of the eyes which can result in loss of sight.  Reduction in the yields of important food crops, according to some scientists.

Why can’t R-410A affect the ozone layer?
R-410A is not a CFC or an HCFC. It is called an HFC, or hydrofluorocarbon, and is made of hydrogen, fluorine, and carbon atoms. Because it has no chlorine, it won’t interact with the ozone layer once it breaks down.

The United States signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which is an international agreement to reduce and eventually ban the production of most ozone depleting chemicals. In order to implement this agreement in the U.S., Congress passed the Clean Air Act of 1990. This directed the EPA to implement regulations to phase out CFCs and HCFCs.

The production of CFCs for air conditioning and refrigeration in the United States was banned in 1995. CFCs are much more harmful to the environment than HCFCs, but HCFCs are next in line for elimination. The chart above shows how much and when the United States must reduce use of ozone depleting HCFCs such as R-22.

The impact on the ozone layer for every HCFC chemical such as R-22 has been estimated and compared to that of CFC-11. This impact is called its “Ozone Depletion Potential” or “ODP”. For R-22, this number is 0.055 because it is 5-1/2% as ozone depleting as R-11 over a 100 year period. There are many other ozone-depleting HCFCs, such as “141b” which is used for insulating refrigerators and houses. Production of HCFC-141b in the U.S. has already been banned and other HCFCs are scheduled to be phased out.

The higher pressures of R-410A are unsafe.  Actually, air-conditioners that use R-410A are specially designed for the higher pressures of R-410A. These systems have typically been rigorously tested by their manufacturers, as well as by independent safety testing laboratories such as Underwriters Laboratories.  Many dealers of air-conditioning equipment are not educated on the benefits of this new refrigerant, and some use the “high pressure” argument to convince consumers not to buy a product which the dealer isn’t properly trained to install or service anyway.  With over a million R-410A based air conditioners operating worldwide, and nearly a decade of field testing and product history, there is no evidence to suggest that R-22 systems are any safer than systems that contain R-410A.

The higher pressures of R-410A cause air conditioners to break down more often.  Evidence shows this is not only untrue, but that R-410A air conditioners can be remarkably more reliable than air-conditioners that use R-22.   First, air-conditioners that use R-410A are designed to be heavier-duty, with a thicker compressor shell. Usually this results in smaller, sturdier pieces of equipment that vibrate less, putting less strain on the piping connections that are the source of most leaks.  Second, most air-conditioner manufacturers require their technicians to be fully trained on R-410A before they can sell or service that manufacturer’s R-410A equipment. As a result, the dealers and technicians that offer and install R-410A are often better trained and have the right tools to give you a more reliable installation.

R-22 will be cheap and available through 2020.  This is wishful thinking on the part of many service technicians. R-22 is being phased out globally, and the manufacturing plants that make R-22 in Europe, North America and other regions will eventually be shut down or converted to make other chemicals. Just this past year, the 3rd largest R-22 manufacturer in the U.S. closed its facility.  In 2003 the U.S. EPA implemented an allocation program which limits both the companies who can make and import R-22, and the amounts that they each can make or import. This essentially “capped” the supply of R-22 in the U.S.  In order to meet the reduction in use of ozone-depleting chemicals that Congress laid out in the Clean Air Act of 1990, the U.S. EPA expects to pass further laws before 2010 to reduce allocations of R-22 and other ozone-depleting chemicals.  By 2015, the cap on R-22 and other ozone-depleting HCFC refrigerants will be reduced to allow a maximum of about 60 million pounds of virgin (new) R-22 to be produced in or imported into the U.S. Currently, the U.S. uses over 160 million pounds each year!  Forecasting the effects of these regulations isn’t easy, but it sure doesn’t look good for R-22!

R-410A isn’t the final refrigerant, and other new refrigerants are coming.  Every major air conditioner manufacturer in the United States has selected R-410A as its choice to replace R-22 in new equipment, and there are at least a dozen brands of R-410A air conditioners or heat pumps available today, with more coming soon.  Why? In less than 3 years the U.S. Department of Energy will require a 20% increase in the minimum efficiency of new home central air conditioners. This means that air conditioner manufacturers will have to find ways to increase the efficiency of their air conditioners. One easy way is to use a more efficient refrigerant, and because the refrigerant 410A is at least 5% more efficient than R-22, manufacturers can use R-410A to help them meet these energy efficiency goals.

R-410A costs too much.  It’s true that non-ozone depleting refrigerants are more expensive to manufacture. They use more expensive raw materials, are more difficult to make, and aren’t yet produced in the large quantities in which R-22 is produced. Over the long-term though, manufacturing costs are likely to decline as R-410A becomes more popular and is produced on a larger scale.  Also, in order to properly install and service air conditioners containing R-410A, your air-conditioner equipment dealer had to invest in new tools and new training, and part of this cost is passed along to you in your price for a new R-410A system.  There are usually costs associated with new technology as well as with protecting our environment. Air-conditioners that contain R-410A refrigerant are likely to be slightly more expensive than air conditioners charged with R-22 for at least the next few years.

R-410A is new and may not be available to service your new air conditioner if it breaks down.  We’ve heard this line several times.  As the inventor of R-410A, Honeywell is committed to having ample supplies of this refrigerant available, and will be starting up a new $100 million manufacturing plant to make sure that there is plenty of R-410A available in 2003 and beyond.  There are at least 2 other refrigerant companies in the U.S. besides Honeywell who offer their own brands of R-410A, providing both ample supply and competitive pricing to air conditioning manufacturers and to service technicians.

The lubricating oil used in R-410A systems absorbs water and makes systems break down.  Many air-conditioning contractors who haven’t learned about R-410A often hear this myth and repeat it to others.  Air conditioners and heat pumps that use R-22 use a mineral oil that circulates through the system to keep the compressor and other parts lubricated. Systems containing R-410A usually use a synthetic oil . Some of these synthetic oils do absorb moisture more readily than mineral oils, but there are several reasons why this is not an issue for home owners.

First, equipment manufacturers train their technicians to keep these oils from getting exposed to the air where they could absorb moisture. As long as technicians follow the manufacturers’ directions in installing and servicing R-410A systems, then the oil will remain clean and dry. These procedures may also be required to make sure your warranty stays valid during the life of your R-410A system.  Second, nearly all air conditioners and heat pumps that use R-410A have a device called a “filter drier”. This important part does exactly what the name implies - it filters, cleans, and dries the refrigerant and oil as it circulates through your system just like the oil filter in your car. This device has been an important reason why air conditioners with 410A are considered by some manufacturers to be the most reliable product they make.