410a Refrigerant

Are you ready for the HVAC refrigerant transition?

Beginning in January of 2010, HVAC equipment requiring R-22 refrigerant are no longer on the assembly line.

Standard in most HVAC units, R-22 refrigerant has been used for several decades. Yet, by 2020 the chemical production of R-22 will be depleted making it hard to find. For those systems requiring R-22 refrigerant, a new unit or the transition to an R-410A system may be required after that date.

R-410A, a new more environment friendly refrigerant, will be the requirement used within HVAC systems after the depletion of R-22. R-22 refrigerant is said to emit greenhouse gases, which eats away at the ozone layer.

Aside from environmental factors, system requirements differ between R-22 and R-410A run systems. R-410A requires a system that can operate at a much higher pressure. One specific difference is the coil design. Coils designed to run with R-22 refrigerant are not capable of running at the high pressures needed for the R-410A system.

Not only do the coils of an R-410A system need to be designed to accommodate the higher pressure, but each component has to be tested to withstand this pressure increase.

R-410A and R-22 refrigerants are not compatible within the same HVAC systems. Whichever refrigerant that is required within a system is the only refrigerant that should be used within that system. Using the wrong refrigerant can cause damage to HVAC components.

If systems are not designed to accommodate R-410A refrigerant, the possibility stands for premature system failure and product recalls.

Rigorous testing is needed with the redesign of the HVAC systems accommodated to run either R-22 or R410A refrigerant. When transitioning from an HVAC system that runs R-22 to an R-410A system, manufacturers will be sure to leave adequate time for testing to ensure proper operation. Allow roughly one month for a Cyclic Test to be run on the system of redesigned parts. Extra time should be allotted for safety and performance checks.

Stacey Deitle

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com