You’re a homeowner and you’re responsible for keeping your home in good condition. If something breaks down inside of your house, you can’t contact a rental office for a maintenance man. Instead, you have to figure out how you’re going to take care of the situation. The government has phased out the use of freon for AC units.
By the year 2020 no one will be allowed to use this substance. Once this happens, you are going to have to convert your AC unit to use a different type of cooling gas. Remember, when R-22 freon gas is finally phased out it will be hard for anyone to produce, sell or work with this substance. While it might not be technically illegal to deal with this substance, you can still get in trouble for dealing this gas. You need to keep reading the rest of this article to understand why this is happening.
The Problem With The Ozone and Life on Earth
The ozone hole in the sky is damaging the Earth. This hole is detrimental to life on Earth because it is slowly heating up the Earth and increasing radiation contamination. More accurately, the ozone is losing its ability to stop the sun’s harmful effects from damaging the Earth. The sun is what causes these damaging effects to the surface of our planet.
UV light from the sun raises the Earth’s temperatures. This causes the sea levels to rise. This in turn changes ecosystems and environments around the globe. Waterways and coastal areas are impacted first and then the inland regions are impacted afterword. The surface of the world is changing since more since a greater amount of UV light is coming through the atmosphere.
Since the ozone is letting in more harmful UV light; an increased number of people are suffering from health problems. Cancer statistics have increased significantly since the 2000s. While the weakened ozone layer isn’t the only factor contributing to the rise in this disease, it does play a part. Animal and plant life are impacted by this disease and human health is also impacted by it as well. The whole point is that the ozone layer makes sure the sun’s power, heat and energy does not completely overheat the Earth or bombard it with too much deadly radiation.
So, What Does The Ozone Have To Do With Freon Gas or R-22?
Freon gas is responsible for damaging the atmosphere or the ozone layer. This gas is classified as a CFC or chlorofluorocarbon. Other CFCs include refrigerants, solvents and propellants. These substances are commonly used in disposable commercial products and in appliances or machines such as freezers or vehicles.
There are billions of homes around the world using freon based cooling systems and billions of vehicles utilizing freon based AC units. Refrigerator and freezing units in homes and commercial transportation vehicles also use this substance. With so many people using these gases, the freon emissions they produce damages the atmosphere.
This process has been happening since the early part of the 20th century. Sometime around the late 1930’s refrigerators were commonly being used in homes. Freon gas made this possible. Freon use in most cars wasn’t commonplace until the late 1960s. However, car manufacturers were starting to use it as early as the 1940s for this purpose.
While freon was being used with greater frequency for about half of the 20th century, no one knew it was destroying the ozone layer. NASA and other aero based organizations eventually figured this out. This happened during the height of the space exploration program in the late 1960s. While they were distracted by putting a man on the moon, they were indirectly paying attention to what was happening in the sky.
Eventually, many scientists and nations started to slowly catch on to the fact that the depleting ozone was becoming a huge problem. By the late 1970s NASA really started to understand the problems that were happening within the sky. Once 1987 arrived the whole world agreed that the ozone was being harmed and the Earth was in danger of being overheated. This realization is what created the situation that you are facing today.
An Important International Summit that Impacts your Home Life
In 1987 there was a huge international gathering within the nation of Canada. This gathering was a summit that was called the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This summit was attended by most nations on Earth. These governments agreed to slowly phase out the use of freon. By January 1, 2020 the phaseout will be completed. They already have alternatives for r22 freon.
Will Freon Be Illegal To Use Come January 1, 2020?
Maybe it will be but then again, maybe it won’t. There is no confusion over this point. You just have to understand what is going on with this law. Companies that make freon gas will no longer be able to make this substance. If a company is discovered to be producing more freon, it could cost them financially or they could be in serious legal trouble.
Businesses cannot order more supplies of freon. However, they can continue to sell existing supplies until there is no more of this substance left in their stock. Contractors can use existing freon supplies to service homes. However, once this substance dries up and supplies dwindle; they will no longer be able to service AC units that use freon gas. As a result, any homeowner that has not converted heir AC units to accept a newer gas type; will have to pay more for service.
Anyone that sells or services homes with this gas illegally; can be prosecuted by the law for this action. Ultimately, freon use is not necessarily illegal but a business or person can get into trouble if it has been discovered they’re producing, selling or using it after the ban has gone into effect.
The Future Problem with Freon in Response to the Ban
Freon supplies are going to be seriously diminished by 2025. Since they are in the process of becoming rare, the price for this gas is going up. If you decide not to switch your AC unit over to an updated gas, then you are going to have to pay more for a contractor to service your unit. Even if you know how to service your own unit, you will still have to pay more for the freon. There are alternatives for r22 freon.
Once the freon supplies run out this commodity will become rare. Once freon becomes rare, it will become harder and harder for you to get this substance. Eventually, you will reach a point to where maintenance and repair will be too expensive. Once this happens, you will either go without AC or pay out a lot of money for a newer styled unit. Unfortunately, many homeowners will end up in a situation like the one previously mentioned.
To sum things up, you should get your AC units changed over to accept Puron (or R410A) as soon as possible. Again, it won’t necessarily be illegal to use Freon after the ban date, but a person could get into legal trouble if they are producing, selling or using it in the wrong way.
