PROHIBITION OF DISPOSAL AND USE OF COLD LIQUID R-22

Under Regulation (EC) No Regulation (EC) No 2037/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 June 2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer (Article 5 - Control of the use of hydrofluorocarbons), from 1 January 2010 prohibits the use of unused (virgin) hydrochlorofluoride (R) 22 ) for the maintenance and repair of existing refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.

Only recycled or recovered hydrochlorofluorocarbons may be supplied or used to service existing equipment.

The use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons of any kind is prohibited from January 1, 2015.

Under current law, refrigeration companies will only be able to market R-22s in recovered or recycled form.

In cases where an installation will need to be replenished with coolant due to possible leakage and it is not possible to use a recovered or recycled R-22, then the suggested solutions are the following:

Replacing the installation refrigerant with R-404a, R-407, R-507 or R-134a depending on the application.

+ The advantages of the above coolants are that they have been available on the market for several years, with known behaviors and at prices slightly more expensive than the R-22.

- Their disadvantages are that with their use the circuit must be cleaned from the old coolant (R-22), the installation oils must be changed with ester oils as well as the expansion valves must be changed.

Replacement of the installation refrigerant with the new refrigerants that will be available on the market from the manufacturers (R-422d, R-417a, R-422a, R-427a etc.).

+ The advantages of the new coolants are the unnecessary oil change, which is valid in most cases. In addition, the replacement of the expansion valves is not required, they just need adjustment.

- Their disadvantages are that their purchase price is very expensive in relation to the refrigerants R-404a, R-407, R-507 and R-134a and their insufficient quantities are in initial stage.

However, you should pay close attention to the fact that in both of the above cases the complete removal of the R-22 from the refrigeration system is required, because none of the above refrigerants can be used together with the R-22.