What Refrigerant Does My AC Use?

R22 Vs R410A

There are 2 primary types of refrigerants in air conditioners today. R22 and R410A.

If your air conditioner was manufactured after 2010, it uses the new style of refrigerant R410A.

Air conditioners made prior to this most likely are filled with R22.

Why Are There Different Refrigerants?

Believe it or not, R22 has actually been in the process of being phased out since the mid 1990s and was completely phased out as of January 1, 2020.

R22 refrigerant is not nearly as eco-friendly as the R410A refrigerant.

R410A offers several benefits compared to R22:

• Better Performance – The R22 refrigerant has to work harder to let go of the heat it absorbs inside your home. This extra work means your compressor has to work harder in return leading to a decreased lifespan.
• Better Efficiency – As previously stated, R410A is more capable of absorbing the heat from your home and dispersing it outside. This increases the overall efficiency of your air conditioner and allows your home to cool more quickly.
• Cheaper – R410A is much cheaper to obtain than R22. As R22 becomes more and more scarce, the price of it will continue to rise. Eventually all supplies of R22 will be depleted and you will have no choice but to replace your air conditioner if you have a refrigerant leak.
• Better For Environment – The entire reason for the R22 phase out is its damaging effects on the earth’s ozone layer. R410A is a much more eco-friendly refrigerant.

Can You Mix R22 and R410A?

This is absolute NO.

If you attempt to mix the new R410A refrigerant with your R22 air conditioner, you will destroy the compressor of your air conditioner.

R410A requires much more pressure to do it’s job compared to R22.

It should also be said that there is no way to convert an R22 air conditioner to an R410A unit.

In order to make the change, you need to have a completely new R410A air conditioner installed.