Posted on 01/27/2012 6:18:40 PM PST by A.Hun
The price went up to $190.00. I wonder what the price will jump to this summer. I should go out and buy a pallet full. If I did that this would most likely be repealed and then the price would go down and I would be stuck with lots of expensive refrigerant.
can it be used in an existing R-22 system and what is the comparison costs to R-22 (prior to the debacle)?
there are places in south florida getting 375 a jug right now. Snap it up at 190 if you can...
The cheapest here in SC yesterday was 245.00.
I’m just going to purchase what I have to have until it settles down.
Wombtotomb is probably correct. At 12 years old, chances are it is R22. The manufacturers tag on the outdoor unit will specify what refrigerant and approximately how much the unit holds.
If you have a chronic leak in the unit, at that age, I would upgrade it and get new equipment with the R410a refrigerant.
I’ve not used any R407 based equipment yet, but it is very close to performance to R22.
They do recommend an oil change to POE instead of MO if it is used to convert equipment.
R417 was touted as a drop in replacement, but apparently, it has other issues.
Check out this site.
http://www2.dupont.com/Refrigerants/en_US/uses_apps/stationary_ac/index.html
Just putting this out there for the preppers who follow such things..
Most, if not all, (at least that I know of) commercial entities use R-22 refrigerant for their A/C systems and they were supposed to be sort of grandfathered in while the residential switch was made, slow and orderly.
If AC companies and supply houses were basically blindsided and did not make major R-22 purchases to gradually raise prices, the cost increase is going to be passed along to places like supermarkets, big box retailers, restaurants, and so forth, and it is not a small amount of money for freon in a commercial application. If they spring a decent leak, we have worked on units with hundreds of pounds of freon. When they go from paying 31 per lb to 80 or better a lb (and that is a reality here for R-22) overnight, their very thin margins are not going to be able to absorb that price increase any more than we are.
Look for more inflation in places that cannot do without A/C over the next month-3 months, as businesses get blindsided by freon costs that they cannot live without, and if they need new equipment, the R410-A systems are not ready (except for possibly Carrier equip), so replacement in the realm of affordability is going to be R-22 for them....
This is an “unintended consequence” ?.........
Thanks for the link. I will forward to my boss.
Buy yourself a home warranty policy (they run a bit over 400 zops a year) and hope it breaks down during that policy year.
It worked for us....got an entire new system for the 55 dollar copay.
I'm just needing the A/C function. I have no interest in a heat pump so I'm reasonably safe in that respect. I know the pluses of heat pumps and their downfalls. I'll stick too the good old highly reliable cheap & simple to fix Coleman electric furnace I can fix myself and just have the A/C package put in the air handler.
Here’s a new dropin replacement for R-22.
I don’t know anything about it other than what is written in this link.
ISCEON MO99
http://www2.dupont.com/ISCEON/en_US/products/ISCEON_MO99.html
Dupont lobbying is the cause of this mess. The patent on r22 is or has run out so they politically get it banned.
DONT BUY from Dupont.
About a year ago it jumped to over $400 /drum (30lb). Then it came down over the months. Think the last pallet we bought was about $220 /drum.
A lot of it is coming from China and IMO even smells different. Knowing China’s proclivity to adulterate stuff I have reservations of it.
R-410a is the main refrigerant used now. Almost twice the pressure though.
My favorite replacement for R-22 is R407c.
Pressures almost identical to R-22. Some computer room AC units are using it.
Neither a drop in replacement though, they require synthetic oil.
There’s another MO99 Isceon R438a , apparently can be used w/ mineral oil.
That would make it a drop in replacement.
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