Frequently Asked Questions on Refrigerants:
R-22
R-22a is a different name for the hydrocarbon refrigerant known as R-290. (Propane) R-290 has seen widespread usage throughout the world except in the United States. Earlier this year (2015) the EPA approved Propane to be used in NEW machines manufactured this year. I empathize new as there have been instances of companies marketing R-22a or R-290 as an alternative to the R-22 refrigerant that has been phased out.
R-22 machines made prior to 2010 are not meant to take R-22a/Propane. Yet, these companies who are selling R-22a are advertizing it as a drop in replacement, no retrofitting needed. This can be dangerous. Not only is it bad for your air conditioning unit but since you are dealing with propane the chance of explosion is extremely high. I would highly avoid purchasing R-22a to replace your current R-22 Refrigerant.
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R-22 Refrigerant is a little difficult to find now a days. Since R-22 is a CFC refrigerant it has been slowly phased out over the past few years and will be phased out completely around 2020. If you are looking to purchase R-22 you need to ask yourself one question: “How many cylinders am I looking to purchase?” That one question will determine where you want to shop and what kind of price you should be expecting.
If you will be buying just one or two cylinders of R22 refrigerant than I would recommend shopping online through E-Commerce websites. There are numerous websites out there to choose from but if I was to pick the best one out there today for one off refrigerant purchases I would choose E-Bay. E-Bay is a customer friendly website and will ensure that you are happy with your purchase.
If you are looking to purchase ten, twenty, or even forty cylinders of R22 then I would recommend visiting our Bulk Purchasing page and filling out a bulk order request form. Once we received the completed notification we will send out an alert to our contacts in the refrigerant distribution industry. Our distributors will then contact you with the most competitive price that they can offer and it will be up to you on which supplier to go with. This service provides you with competitive real time costs as well as giving you a number of highly rated suppliers to choose from.
One important thing to note with R-22 is that in order to purchase and handle R22 you need to be 608 certified with the Environmental Protection Agency. If you purchase R-22 without being 608 certified you risk violating the Federal Clean Air Act. (You do not want to do that!) Most sellers on E-Bay will require one of two things before you purchase. Either a copy of your 608 certification license number or a signed letter of intent to resale this product do a different end user. Be prepared to provide one or the other when purchasing.
If you are a purchaser looking to buy in bulk quantities such as five, ten, or more cylinders then please visit our bulk purchasing page to receive a quote.
Yes, you will need to be EPA 608 certified in order to handle or purchase R-22 Refrigerant/Refrigerant. R-22 is an HCFC refrigerant and contains Chlorine. In the 1970s it was found that when Chlorine is released into the atmosphere it inadvertently causes damage to the O-Zone layer.
CFC and HCFC refrigerants were banned in the United States and across the world by the Montreal Protocol due to the Chlorine that they contained. Today you can still purchase R-22 but you will have to be certified with the EPA. If you purchase or handle R-22 without certification from the EPA or without an intent to resale the product you will be in violation of the Federal Clean Air Act.
The certification ensures that only qualified personnel are handling the R-22 refrigerant. These technicians will not accidentally vent the R-22 into the atmosphere. If a laymen was working with R-22 they may accidentally vent the Refrigerant into the environment and damage the O-Zone layer.
Unfortunately, no. 609 certification is only meant for automotive applications. You are authorized to handle R-12 and R-134a, but anything else that is not directly correlated to your automotive cab you are not authorized to handle. Examples of this include refrigerated cargo or other secondary refrigeration systems in your van or truck. Another example would be the Thermoking or Carrier applications. You will need to be 608 certified to work these units.
If you wish to purchase R-22 refrigerant you will need to be 608 EPA certified. To clarify a bit more you will need to be section 2 608 certified as well as having passed the core competency of 608. Fore more information on 608 visit this link.
Up until recently R-22 Refrigerant was the most common type of refrigerant for home and commercial air-conditioning units. Do you have an air-conditioning unit made before 2010? If so, it takes R-22.
Its popularity took off in the 1950s when it replaced R-12 Refrigerant for home and commercial use. As of January 1st, 2010 no new R-22 air-conditioners can be manufactured in the United States and other developed countries. In 2015 production of R-22 must be cut in half due to EPA regulation. Lastly, in 2020 the production of R-22 will be illegal in all major countries across the world. R-22 is being replaced with R-410A, or Puron. R-410A was invented in the early 1990s but really didn’t begin to gain popularity until the 2000s and it is the Refrigerant of the future. All new units from 2010 and on will be taking R-410A.
If you desire to purchase R-22 Refrigerant you must be certified to be handle refrigerants with the Environmental Protection Agency. If you do not have the certification you cannot legally purchase R-22 or R-12 Refrigerant. R-410A and R-134A you can purchase without any licensing. The sales restriction on R-22 is put in place to prevent laymen from releasing damaged Chlorine from R-22 into the atmosphere. Chlorine damages the O-Zone layer which is the main reason R-22 is being phased out.
R-22’s price is only expected to climb over the next few years. Today, August 2014, the price on a thirty pound cylinder of R-22 ranges from $300-$350. This is quite the difference compared to the R-410A price of $100-$130. Expect a big increase in price in 2015 when production of R-22 will be cut in half. I would expect it to spike to $500-$600 a jug next summer. In another five years when production of R-22 is banned I could definitely see the price per jug going over $1,000. (R-12 is typically over $1,000 per cylinder since it’s phase out.)