Why You Shouldn’t Buy an R22 Air Conditioner

If you’re in the market for a new central AC system, don’t buy one that uses R22 refrigerant. As of January 1, 2020, production and importing of R22 refrigerant will be banned. It will still be available, limited to what is stockpiled and what can be recovered from old units. Eventually, there won’t be any R22 left to buy. A loophole in the R22 phase-out program allows units that are already manufactured, but don’t actually contain the refrigerant, to be sold to consumers as “dry units.” R410a, the new refrigerant, can’t be used in an R22 system, so if you’re having your system replaced, make sure the new unit uses R410a refrigerant or you’ll face expensive servicing issues in the future. Plus: Here are 10 more air conditioning mistakes you can’t afford to make.