Austin Air Companie Blog : Posts Tagged ‘Freon leak repairs’

Air Conditioning Repair Service Katy Texas 2024

Tuesday, March 12th, 2024

Hi and welcome to the #1 Katy Texas Air Conditioning Blog. In 2024 HVAC for your home is beginning to change in ways that you (as a home owner) may not be aware of. It’s not uncommon for air conditioners to work for several years without much fuss. So if you haven’t had your air conditioner serviced since before the pandemic hit you are probably unaware of the challenges HVAC contractors have faced over the past few years. Equipment availability, part availability etc. To put it mildly it’s been quite the challenge since about 2020.

So as we get away from all those challenges we enter a new era of trouble that is a new refrigerant phase out that began last year with a 10% cut to production of a refrigerant we have been using since early 2000’s. There is an additional cut of 30% this year. The refrigerant in question is R410a Puron, most people still call this Freon today. Freon R22 is the older variety that we’ve used for AC’s since the 1950’s. While R22 Freon has been banned since 2020, I still see this equipment today. I can still buy R22 Freon but it’s very expensive.

Common Air Conditioning Refrigerants R22 Freon & R410a Puron Facing Bans & Phase Downs in 2024

SPECIAL NOTE: If you are a new customer trying to reach me in 2024 it may be best for you to text me your NAME + ADDRESS. While you can call me, it may be a challenge to get thru as I am screening my calls and the app I am using has had problems. Faster service is to text me NAME + ADDRESS failure to follow these directions will probably put your message in my spam folder. This change is due to ROBO callers calling me too much! You can also fill out the contact form on this website. Once your info is updated to my contacts list you can then call me direct.

This 2024 AC service change is due to spam / robot callers. I continue to evaluate this day to day.

Air Conditioning Service & Repair 2024

Austin Air Companie in Katy, Texas is different than other service companies. I get to talk about these differences because it is me (Ray Austin) writing this blog and it is also me who runs the AC service calls. So I get this unique perspective of sharing what I often find at homes in the area I am called to with Air Conditioning Problems. You know like blowing warm air, the AC isn’t cool enough, the AC is noisy or making a weird noise, the AC won’t come on etc. I don’t win every job. No company does that to be honest and HVAC (air conditioning mostly for Katy, Texas area) is changing in profound ways + costs keep going up. Cheap or cheaper will probably cost you more in the long run because things are changing. The longer you wait (2024) the less choices you will have. Don’t put off getting AC systems serviced in 2024.

Things are complicated this year (2024) because R410a is being phased down and the new equipment with the new, new refrigerants aren’t quite here yet. I expect these to come later this year sometime maybe by 3rd quarter of 2024. If you aren’t using someone you trust. HVAC is often times more about waste than anything else. If you spend less money for the sake of trying to save it, that may be a waste of money. What makes this hard is that this isn’t always the case. It will vary due to a wide variety of factors like how old your AC is, what is actually wrong with it, how long you plan to live at your house and so on.

No one, me included is going to live in Katy, Texas without air conditioning. So you have to pick something. The way I operate my HVAC service and repair company is to give you choices and explain the pros and cons of those choices. I can tell you before I even come to your house in 2024 this is challenging. There is no perfect brand of HVAC equipment even since before. They all break. Certainly some are more likely to break than others. It’s not my business model to sell you something for the sake of selling it.

I can tell you other HVAC companies in the area are more about just selling you. They have to because they’ve got the expensive TV ads, or the expensive ads that follow you around on the internet, the constant calling you, the high pressure sales in your home and so on. I know all the tricks, none of this is new to me. I have been doing this job for over 30 years now, 16 years running my own HVAC company. I am not going to stalk you to try to sell you something. It’s your decision. I can’t make it for you all I can do is to educate you on why we are where we are in HVAC land the choices for your home comfort.

Katy, Texas is a hot climate. This isn’t due to climate change, it’s always been hot here. We use our AC’s for the better of 10 months every year. I have helped 100’s and 100’s of your neighbors every year for the past 16 years since I started my own HVAC company. However, you know what people will say on the internet when you say such and such is a hot climate. They will tell you when summer finally gets to the USA as a whole that it’s just as hot here as it is everywhere else, even though we’ve been at those temperatures for months already. This is another reason it’s a fool’s errand to run to the internet for pointers. Differences of opinion for climates with different concerns. Katy, Texas spends more money on AC related expenses than the majority of what you will find on the internet. I also know what I put here isn’t going to change much. I’ve been doing this 30 years, I know what I know from seeing the same worn out myths being applied over and over and over. 30 years ago they called this wisdom, today? Ok boomer whatever you say. (You know let’s provide an excuse for our insanity, what else is it?)

What I Often See First Hand On AC Service Calls

It’s not uncommon to see sloppy AC service practices. These sloppy AC services that you called to your home inadvertently lead to refrigerant losses or electrical problems. Then you call me and I am expected to guess what happened at your home.

If you use me for service I track what I find at your house. Your service records. Things like what was done at your home by me. I know what I did, it will be me coming back if you call me. If your AC on your first visit doesn’t require refrigerant then there is no refrigerant leak. Realize that refrigerant leaks can occur at any time. Your AC equipment does not use up refrigerant, if the AC is low on refrigerant charge it’s because that it was never charged properly to begin with OR the unit has a leak some where.

It costs money to investigate. I can guess, but even with as much experience I have guessing isn’t fool proof. An example of how people waste money to put it bluntly. If the AC isn’t low on refrigerant, there’s no reason to investigate a refrigerant leak? How do you know your AC is low on refrigerant (FREON)? By having it checked. I can’t tell you how many times I get called over the years where someone says I think my AC is low and needs some Freon. Sometimes they are right, often times they are wrong. Electrical problems and AC are sometimes more common typically in the range of 90%.

So can you imagine you have an older AC with an electrical problem the high pressure sales people come tell you your AC is dead ( it could be to be honest ) or it could be a sales guy that needs a sale to stay in the good graces of his company that says “we’ll give you an opinion for free”. Most of them all use this tactic to get in your door. They’ll make it sound so good.

That being said, if your AC is 15 years old or older it may be in your best interest to replace it. In 2024 it’s tricky because anything you buy this summer will likely be R410a which is the last year for this type of AC equipment. It’s obsolete the minute you buy it. This doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get R410a later if you need it, only that it will cost more. Manufacturers exclude refrigerants from any warranty. Remember I keep it real here. I’m not here to hoodwink you. (trick you)

Will it really matter to wait for R32 or R454b AC equipment to arrive? I really can’t answer that 100% right now because we don’t know what those costs will be yet. These new refrigerants will likely only have a 12 year life until they are phased out in 2036. They have to be phased out because the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol has step down requirements for the USA to get below 350 GWP by 2036. Neither of these refrigerants will reach these lower GWP requirements.

New Refrigerants Require New Equipment, Want A Cheaper Refrigerant Will Require New AC Equipment Again.

AIR CONDITIONING REFRIGERANTS: PROS, CONS & LIMITED LIFESPAN

Refrigerants can not be mixed and matched. If you want to change refrigerants it will require you to buy again all new AC equipment. Remember I am keeping it real here. I am telling you like it is, that is how you know it’s the truth. I can tell you I don’t like it any more than I think you will.

R32 is probably the better choice moving forward. This won’t be the popular choice among manufacturers in the USA. If you choose wrong and have refrigerant issues the cost will be higher for the refrigerant. So for this reason a brand name isn’t going to do much for you. I can’t tell you how many times I quote an AC brand and people want to run to the internet to see what the internet has to say about a particular brand. They all break remember?

Do you honestly think I am going to install a brand that is going to give me nothing but problems? I’ve been doing this for over 30 years? The AC equipment has gone thru how many changes in the past 30 years and you think the internet is going to tell you what is good and what is not?

I know you want to be told with corn pop words “hey this is the best thing since sliced bread, it cuts your AC electric bills, it’s cheaper than anything else, it never breaks, heck you don’t even have to maintain it… and the list of gimmicks goes on and on.

Snap out of it: You get what you pay for and in some cases (due to installation and service practices only, not the brand name) is why things go wrong.

If I had my way I would sell an Inverter AC Unit to every customer because I know what that machine does when installed properly. But this particular AC is a premium HVAC solution. It will cut your electric bill in half*. (*If your home has one AC unit). The price to admission for this solution won’t fit everyone’s budget, although I feel it’s the better choice currently. To find out what it is schedule an AC appointment with me.

Call the AC Guy, He’s the Guy that knows what to do as well as what not to do. Service Records are kept by 1 guy. You see the same guy everytime.

All manufacturers make Inverter AC’s. But they are not created equal. Remember this is more than what a brand name is. Every manufacturer makes more than one model of AC. There are cost differences from one model to another.

You’re paying me to know these things. It will only benefit you if you choose me as your HVAC service provider.

Thank you for visiting with me today. I know you have many choices. I can’t be all things to all people as I am a small 1 man AC company. I have installed complete HVAC systems by myself. I know this isn’t the norm. My mom told me growing up as a kid: “Too many cooks in the kitchen spoils the broth.” I just merely applied this to the HVAC service business.

As always I hope your day is comfortable.

About the author of this Katy Texas Air Conditioning Blog:

My name is Ray Austin, I am a Texas licensed HVAC contractor serving the Katy, Texas area and some surrounding areas. I am universally certified to handle ANY refrigerant. I obtained an AOS degree in HVAC/R Mechanic just over 30 years ago.

I am a capitalist and I make no apologies for it. Austin Air Companie is a for profit HVAC service company. I am not a trainer or teacher I exist to do this job for you, not teach you or others how to do it. I work under the premise if I fixed it once, I can fix it again. Any AC system can break at any time. Austin Air Companie specializes in comfort solutions for the home. From AC repairs to AC upgrades that include Inverter AC units (1% steps up / down in comfort) no costly proprietary signals to operate the HVAC system.

Proven company track record of 16 years in 2024. No outside influence of investors, Austin Air Companie is solely owned AND operated by Ray Austin. I work for you, just as it should be.

Other companies pay for SEO tracking and all kinds of gimmicks to sell you. They will chase you, I won’t. You decide who you want for your comfort solution.

Austin Air Companie

832~475-6895

Air Conditioning | Controls | Heating | Service | Repairs | Zoning

The Home of Better

Like AC Stories? Visit My YOU TUBE CHANNEL

R410a Puron Phase Down & Freon Ban News 2024 | Katy Texas

Saturday, March 9th, 2024

Hello and welcome to Katy, Texas #1 blog post. It’s that time again where you go to your thermostat and kick on the good old AC after a somewhat chilly winter season, (mild but chilly).

Hopefully the AC comes on and works right out of the gate. This coming year (2024) present challenges to the HVAC market that you as a home owner may not be aware of. AC systems can run for years without much fanfare and so while I do my best to inform you of changes there is a wide majority that are shocked to find things in not so good of shape. Probably not a bad idea to get your AC system(s) checked early if you haven’t done this task recently. What makes Austin Air Companie different? You only have me to contend with. I document your service history. When you call again I can look this up for you. Not likely if you are using a big company where you may never see the same AC technician twice. If good service practices for your AC equipment is not followed these things can lead to expensive repairs. If it’s first time for me to your home I have no service history, who was there what was done etc. While age of the equipment often dictates the likelihood of major repairs, in today’s world of HVAC repairs any brand can fail at any time for an assortment of reasons. The more hands that have serviced it, could be partly the reason of trouble aside from age / use related metrics.

If you are a new customer calling me first time 832-475-6895:

New customer how to get thru Robo Screening App. Directions how to reach me. You can also fill out the contact form on this website. Texting will reach me faster.

It may be best for you to text me your name and address and I will call you back to set AC service appt. Robot calls are becoming a big pain, so it may be difficult to reach me if you try calling me as I am sometimes screening my calls and that may seem like voice mail. (It kind of is in a way.)

On top of HVAC service related mishandling, HVAC (air conditioning for your home) often goes thru changes of which if you pay attention to the HVAC market year in and year out the changes can sometimes be like watching grass grow in your yard. When changes actually take effect they can be swift as we saw last year (2023) with the change from SEER to SEER2. Due to that change alone we saw jumps in costs, that invariably have to be passed down to you the consumer of comfort products for your home.

In 2024 the change is more about waiting for new equipment with new refrigerants to show up, understand that when things change in HVAC the changes aren’t always good. We were tricked before and told R410a was environment friendly, now it’s not. So with this understanding I explore the refrigerant changes the HVAC market is undertaking to see if things are as they say rather than just taking the markets “word for it”.

In addition to all that R410a Puron production is being cut an additional 30% from the baseline production numbers for a total of 40% cut to production of this refrigerant in 2024. Supply and demand mean that the refrigerant cost is likely to go up maybe as soon as early summer 2024 time period. We saw price increases in refrigerant last year with only a 10% cut then. This situation only truly effects you if you have a refrigerant leak. The leak(s) will have to be repaired or the costly refrigerant (whatever kind it is) will just leak back out.

This change shouldn’t be confused with the R22 Freon ban of 2020. While R22 Freon equipment is merely an after thought now, I can still buy R22 Freon to service that older equipment. However, due to the cost of R22 Freon it is often times better to apply that money to new AC equipment. With the R410a refrigerant phase out / ban looming this makes these decisions a bit tricky in 2024 as the new equipment with new refrigerants aren’t available just yet. Currently expected to show up in 3rd or 4th quarter of 2024, maybe sooner? No one is saying much right now. (Feb. / Mar. 2024)

So because of all this, the sooner you act in 2024, the better it will likely be for you. I don’t know currently how bad it could get. I am about as well prepared for this as I can possibly be. Things are changing. The sooner you act, the more choices you will have. I am skilled to put a plan for your comfort goals into action. Don’t put it off this year, is about the best advice I can give you right now (March 2024).

Remember that as we move forward with new AC equipment and new refrigerants for that new AC equipment that safety pertains a lot to me as I am in direct contact with these chemicals with a 10 month long air conditioning season in Katy, Texas area. HVAC is a dangerous occupation for more reasons than just hot attics or long grueling summers / dangerous electrical conditions etc. ( I often times have no idea what I am walking into.) I provide small glimpses of this in the embedded video to this Katy, Texas air conditioning blog post as well as information this time around that is rarely if ever talked about in the HVAC industry.

R410a begins 40% reduction in 2024 to end the year with a new equipment ban for any equipment designed for R410a refrigerant.

PFAS CHEMICALS

These are forever chemicals and we’ve been using an assortment of these chemicals since the 1940’s. The governments of the world know they are bad. But they are already out there, you have them in you right now. So lets make this worse and use more of them? This is the thinking to clean up the environment? Why?

You the reader have to understand that my HVAC company is different. I am not here to sell you something just for the sake of selling it. I wouldn’t live in Katy, Texas without air conditioning. So to put this bluntly this isn’t to tell you to do without air conditioning. You have to choose something? Right?

So my real job is to help you make wiser decisions. Is it 100% fool proof? No. Just keeping it real here. I am not in the business of providing gimmicks ok? This is Ray Austin writing this blog. I have over 30 years in HVAC as of 2024 why would I hire someone to type out a blog that likely only has less experience than I do?

It will be me Ray Austin coming to your house if you so choose to use my HVAC repair services in Katy, Texas. I know that is not the norm. The video I’ve embedded here is me in the video. I also know this world is a scam a minute, this isn’t a scam. Certain people like to think that for profit companies are scams. I am a capitalist with no apologies for that. I am a for profit HVAC company. Anything free is a gimmick, you’ll find that out very quickly in today’s world of HVAC for your home.

I am skilled in what I do. I said before it’s not always perfect. Because Katy, Texas area is a 10 month use air conditioning market our AC equipment gets quite the work out. If you’re willing to gamble some I can repair an older system. I am not afraid to do this where many other HVAC companies will not venture down this path. I do this under the notion that if I fixed it once, I can fix it again. These aren’t free services. I spell it out the best I can and ultimately let you make the decision of what to do or not do. Remember brands of equipment won’t truly fix this equation. As all HVAC brands break.

I can’t tell you how many times I have repaired AC and the repairs last and last sometimes to the extent I never go back for years. I can also tell you the handful of times things do not go so well, some times this is warranty thru me but most of the time 99% is going to require more money to repair it again. (repair of an old system typically means it will break again because it’s old.)

The “other company” HVAC market (residential and otherwise) is often geared toward hiring those with 1 to 3 years experience. This isn’t to knock anyone this is to explain the difference of what you get if you call someone else other than me Ray Austin. You may be dealing with a new face every time your AC goes down. With Austin Air Companie you only deal with one person > Ray Austin.

I could have chose to run my HVAC service and repair company the same as others do. I chose not to. I like the variety of what this HVAC service, repair and install offers me. Some days I might work on videos for my You Tube Channel. Other days I might be working in a hot attic replacing an Evaporator Coil, maybe an AC condenser too or in some rare cases installing a complete HVAC system.

I can’t be all things to all people. So I do my best to explain the differences from my company to others. There are limitations and in some cases restrictions to what I can do for you. Due to the nature of the HVAC business these situations are spelled out in person after I investigate your situation in person I am not going to play guessing games with your comfort. Remember I am here to do it for you, I don’t make training videos or offer help so you can do it yourself, that is not my business. If I give you recommendations and you use those to do it yourself or hire someone less skilled to cut me out of it, then our relationship will come to an abrupt end. I only exist to do the work for you, NOT to teach you how to do it yourself.

I often witness nightmares every summer of some xyz HVAC company did this and my AC doesn’t work kind of rhetoric. This is just to illustrate why I have various company policies in place to handle certain people’s illogical illusions to home comfort in lengthy use air conditioning climate like Katy, Texas. (I shouldn’t have to spell this out, but I do it for context so you better understand my position as to why I do what I do and or don’t allow certain people to “throw me under the bus” so to speak.) I am a boss and I act like one. I don’t need help, I’ve been doing HVAC repairs / replacements for over 30 years.

I often say it this way: “If you know more than me, then what are you calling me for?” My opinion is mine and is based on 30 years of actually doing this job in person. I tell it like it is, not what you want to hear or trap you in some form of high pressure sales drama. Comfort solutions I provide you are going to work, if I have doubts I will do my best to tell you what those risks are so you have the understanding to make the necessary changes to your comfort goals what ever that entails. I will let you decide provided I am confident that it’s going to work for at least a single air conditioning season. (If you are considering a repair to old HVAC system old here is typically described as approaching 15 or more years of age.)

The “work definition” I employ here as it relates to air conditioning: If it’s 80F degrees outside it will work. If it’s 100F* outside it will work too.

*limitations: 20F degrees difference indoor temperature from out door ambient temperature. Remember your AC is not a magic box, it works based on science. More or less a heat transferring machine. Takes heat from inside / places it outside. The absence of heat is less heat. (cooling effect)

If you want extreme cooling capability for higher cost, I can provide you those options these types of options often pay for themselves over time due to higher efficiency & less operational cost via savings on your electric bill. Remember comfort cooling for your home in a long AC season climate like Katy, Texas is my specialty this is “WHAT I DO” to put it bluntly. I sleep in 72F air at my house. I know what comfort is to me, my guess is we might have similar tastes in comfort? These things are above and beyond “just fix it mentality” and will likely require a higher investment.

I come with both mentalities not just fix it only as fix it only may not be in your best interest or may not be your intention for the call you set. All you have to do is just tell me your concerns I will provide some comfort solutions for you and you can pick and choose what you want or don’t want. Also note these decisions are more than just a “brand name”. A brand name alone doesn’t make a great HVAC system. They all break, they all require proper installation to work properly, etc.  

Thank you for visiting with me today. I hope you obtained the information you were looking for. If I can help you make a decision regarding your comfort at your house and you’ve never used me before I recommend that you either fill out the contact form on this website or for faster AC service text me your name and address to 832-475-6895. I will call you back to set AC service appointment.

If you don’t provide me the proper info Name & Address (local to Katy, Texas area) the filter will likely deem it as spam. Once I have your info I will call you back, make sure to put my number in your contacts. Robot calls are beginning to be a problem for my HVAC service company so if you have trouble getting thru this is the best way to do so. If you are a previous customer just call me from a number you’ve used before and you shouldn’t notice anything different. This 2024 change only effects new callers with numbers my phone doesn’t recognize.

I am evaluating this robot spam situation on a day to day basis, so these options may change again in the future.  There is only one reason to call me and that is to schedule HVAC service or repair(s). Thank you for your interest in my HVAC service company.

As always I hope your day is comfortable. ~ Ray Austin.

About the author of this blog post:

My name is Ray Austin, owner and operator of Austin Air Companie. I have an AOS degree in HVAC, universally certified in the handling of any refrigerant as well as the ability to diagnose complex problems associated with refrigerant circuits as they pertain to air conditioning for your home. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC contractor for the past 16 years. Over 30 years overall in the HVAC industry.

I am not influenced by any investor or outside influence at all none period. Austin Air Companie is privately owned by Ray Austin. I am a capitalist for profit HVAC company. I am also a small company in that I run Austin Air Companie entirely by myself. I have always done things this way, this isn’t something new nor some elaborate scheme to brag about. Just stating facts to help you reach a decision if you are considering my HVAC services.


If you like dealing with a single person for your HVAC comfort concerns, I may be the HVAC contractor for you. I service the Katy, Texas area as well as some surrounding areas like Cypress, Fulshear and Richmond, Texas. This list is not all inclusive if you have questions regarding service area contact me with your name and address information I will call you back.

Austin Air Companie

832~475~6895

A Ray Austin HVAC Service Company

Air Conditioning | Heating | Service | Controls | Zoning

Thank you for considering my HVAC services.

R22 Freon Production Ban

Saturday, September 10th, 2016

Oh that pesky little government is at it again… LOL. Certainly I’ve heard it all when it comes to politics in general. But you’d be surprised to know that the laws effecting R22 Freon production now (2016 and beyond) were finalized and signed by the USA in 1987 via the Montreal Protocol and ratified in 1988. The Montreal Protocol has been amended only 4 times since 1987. This agreement was an international agreement that has been signed by 197 countries.

Freon Production Ban Time Line Chart

So why are you just now learning about this now if it happened in 1987? Part of it was to give time to come up with a new refrigerant to replace the old bad one. There are many refrigerants, all with varying properties to one degree or another. Some refrigerants make poor choices due to flammability concerns, others may not distribute oil thru the system properly and cause reliability concerns in regards to the break down of the system compressor. There are many more concerns than these but to keep this short I will stop there.

R22 Freon Replacement

As of 2016 there is no ‘approved’ drop in replacement for R22 Freon for high temp application otherwise known as Air Conditioning. Choosing an unapproved refrigerant will void ‘ANY’ manufacturer warranty, increase utility cost to run the system, reduce capacity of the system, cause the system to not cool properly in heat wave conditions, cause the compressor to fail prematurely due to improper oil return to the compressor.

As of 2016 there is only one proven refrigerant for the future and the name of this refrigerant is R410a. It is sometimes improperly referred to as Freon or a more popular proper trade name it is called Puron. R410a refrigerant is not a drop in replacement for R22 Freon. Refrigerants can not be mixed and work properly, nor can you use R410a in a air conditioner that was designed for R22 Freon, it simply will not work ‘reliably’. The AC system must be replaced with equipment designed to work with R410a. Air Conditioning systems are engineered and designed to operate with a specific refrigerant. For reliable operation of the AC system one must know what they are doing and use the appropriate refrigerant for the system in question.

There are many unscrupulous vendors and those that claim there are some refrigerants that can be used to replace R22 Freon. When it comes to the high temp air conditioning application these claims are false. The nature of a con game is something that will ‘easily’ solve a problem. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying… “if it sounds too good to be true… it probably is.” But yet people over and over again fall for these snake oil AC repairs.

The notion behind these so called remedies is by giving you a cheap price up front. The system may run for a few months if you are lucky and probably not much longer than a year depending on a multitude of factors like loads on the equipment, line set length, age of the equipment, the heat load the system is running in and so on.

Residential AC Compressor Problems

When doing things improperly to save money up front the end result is most often a dead compressor or a AC system that will not cool properly during a heat wave as well as high utility bills. The money you supposedly saved up front will dry up in no time when it can’t perform properly during a heat wave. The more you run the system during a heat wave the more likely you are to burn up the compressor (*If you run the machine with an improper refrigerant*) due to a lack of oil return to the compressor crankcase. (The compressor will seize up under this scenario.)

Your AC will not work without the compressor. That is a major component so now you’re most likely looking at a new air conditioning unit when this part fails.

An air conditioning system (just about any brand) is a 15 year appliance when installed and maintained properly. If you decide to play games with it, try to cut corners, try to reverse engineer things like using the proper virgin refrigerant the system was designed for as well as proper installation procedures it is unlikely to make it past even a few years without some significant problem.

There is special equipment required to be able to install an air conditioner properly. If you use an unlicensed person to install your system there is a good chance they don’t have the proper equipment to install the AC system properly. How will you know for sure that they do or don’t have all the tools and materials needed to install the AC system?

An improperly installed air conditioning system is the last kind of mess you want to have to deal with in your home. There are good reasons that manufacturer’s require licensed HVAC contractors to install the system in order to offer any warranty on the HVAC equipment.

You know what the cure for doing it wrong is? To do it over again. You don’t want to do that do you? These words are intended to help you avoid making a serious mistake.

The comfort in your home or lack thereof can wreck havoc on your finances. It is a financial decision and one you should not take lightly. Do it right the first time.

Thank you for visiting with me today. I hope I gave you some valuable insight in this AC blog topic to help you with this challenging problem regarding R22 Freon and the change over to R410a Puron. Remember R22 Freon is going away. It is not coming back. It is in your best interest to upgrade your system by replacing it with an R410a engineered air conditioner.

If you have a Freon leak in your evaporator coil you can replace the evaporator coil only but under this scenario you would continue to use virgin R22 Freon. As time gets closer to 2020 there ‘may’ not be any R22 Freon available at any price. There is no way to know for sure what will happen until it does. Using non compatible refrigerants is not recommended under any circumstances.

The days of recharging an air conditioning system are pretty much over. The refrigerant leak(s) must be found and repaired.

About the author of this air conditioning blog:
My name is Ray Austin. I am the owner and operator of Austin Air Companie, a HVAC Service Company serving Katy, Texas | Cypress, Texas | Richmond, Texas and some surrounding areas. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor with over 20 years experience in Air Conditioning and Heating Systems. I hold an AOS degree in HVAC/R, EPA universally certified to handle any refrigerant and NATE certified in HVAC installations and repairs.

Austin Air Companie
832.475.6895
“Your home comfort from A to Z”
Air Conditioning | Controls | Heating | Zoning

For more information on AC & Heating
for your home visit me at my main website @
www.austinairco.com

Better Service. Done Right. On Time. Guaranteed.

R22 Freon Production Ban Timeline 2016

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016

R22 Freon, the chemical coolant used in home air conditioners since the 1960’s is marking it’s final seasons until it will no longer be produced. The chart graphic above shows the year and the amount of R22 Freon allowed to be produced for that given year until January 1, 2020 when no more R22 Freon will be produced beyond that point. The production limits are set and controlled by the EPA and can be further changed at any time. The chart reflects the last Rule Change for production limits set by the EPA in October 2014.

There will likely be small amounts available after 2020 as older reclaimed R22 refrigerant is turned in and sent off to reclaim centers that clean it of contaminants and resell it as virgin quality once it has been cleaned of impurities. However, prices will likely be very high and very likely strict limits will be placed on how much can be bought at one time.


Once these strict limits are placed on how much can be bought it is very likely in my opinion that system recharges will no longer exist. Home owners and businesses will be forced to fix the leak(s) or replace and upgrade the air conditioning equipment to R410a Puron refrigerant. It is in your best interest to make plans now to either fix your AC system refrigerant leaks or come up with a plan to replace your AC system to the newer R410a refrigerant.

R410a is the replacement refrigerant to R22 Freon. While it is the newer standard, it isn’t all that new. It has just taken a long time for it to gain acceptance because the pressures are higher and better service practices are required when working with it.

Because of these requirements certain HVAC companies held off making the change, I think partly due to ignorance, partly due to laziness and even more likely the cost forced onto you the consumer because it’s in your best interest to replace the whole AC system when changing over instead of just one piece of the system. Taking short cuts with an R410a system is less forgiving than with an R22 Freon system.

Like I said above R410a Puron isn’t new. It became available in the mid 90’s. It’s pressures are higher and the equipment that uses it had to go thru special processes to ensure the higher pressures could be handled appropriately. Additionally it requires the use of synthetic oil, where as most older R22 systems today use mineral oil. Your R22 Freon system will not work with R410a Puron. I’m sure you might have been thinking that. There’s more differences between the two systems than oil types and pressures. There’s also refrigerant flow which relates to capacity of the system. Your current AC simply will not work to recharge an R22 Freon system with R410a Puron. It will not work.

Remember, the makings of a scam is something that is “too good to be true.” Be smart about it, you will be glad you did.

If you would like to know more about this subject you can watch several videos I’ve made on the subject as well as a lot of text on the subject since 2009. You can click the link below to open that page from my main website.

R22 Freon VS R410a Puron The Facts

I hope you have found this information before you made a costly mistake. I have installed as well as retrofitted countless systems over to the newer R410a refrigerant for years now. I’m sure I could do the same for you and your family.

Thank you for visiting with me today! I hope your day is a comfortable one.

About the author of this blog:

My name is Ray Austin. I am the owner and operator of Austin Air Companie, a HVAC Service Company serving Katy, Texas | Cypress, Texas and some surrounding areas. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor with over 20 years experience in Air Conditioning and Heating Systems. I hold an AOS degree in HVAC/R, EPA universally certified to handle any refrigerant and NATE certified in HVAC installations and repairs.

 

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