R-22...Is it gone?

The HVAC world is constantly changing. One huge change that happens from time to time is that the refrigerants used in the systems change. The current refrigerants used are R-32 and R-454B. R-32 and R-454B replaced R-410A, which replaced R-22. Most R-22 systems are at least 15 years old, which is an considered an advanced age for HVAC systems. R-22 is no longer being produced, but it is still available. The R-22 that is still available is reclaimed refrigerant that was removed from systems. It is tested and filtered to verify that it still good for use. The supply of R-22 is slowly decreasing, because it is no longer being produced. Because of this fact, the cost of R-22 is slowly increasing. Because of the increased price of R-22, major repairs on systems that use R-22 are generally not recommended. There are R-22 systems still in operation that have needed small amounts of R-22 added periodically every year or two. It may be practical to add a pound or two to a system to keep it running. But there needs to be an understanding that the repair will most likely not be guaranteed.