What are the replacement refrigerants for R22?
The HCFC refrigerant R22 was widely used in new air conditioning equipment until, under EU regulations, it was banned from use in new cooling only A/C equipment manufactured after July 2002, and from January 2004 in the case of heat pumps. The replacement refrigerants for small packaged, split and VRF systems are generally R407C and R410A, which are HFCs. The characteristics of R407c are similar to R22, whilst R410A works at higher pressures than R22 and provides a higher duty for a given swept volume of compressor. Because of this improved efficiency, R410A has become the favoured refrigerant of most leading manufacturers. Existing R22 systems can sometimes be converted to R407c. However, the drop in refrigerant R417A (Isceon 59) is often a more economical option with less technical complications. Existing R22 systems cannot be converted to R410A. For further information on refrigerant legislation please contact FETA.
