R-22 phase-out

The dates

R-22 (HCFC-22) is a class II ozone-depleting substance, phased out under the Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol. EPA’s Class II phaseout page gives the US schedule:

Some sites give 2015 as the year R-22 production stopped. EPA’s table puts the end of R-22 production and import at 2020.

2010: no new R-22 equipment

Since January 1, 2010, 40 CFR 82.15(g)(2) has limited new HCFC-22 (other than used, recovered and recycled) to a few uses, mainly “use as a refrigerant in equipment manufactured before January 1, 2010.”

Two rules issued December 15, 2009 covered pre-charged equipment. EPA summarizes them in the 2026 Technology Transitions preamble:

• Self-contained, factory-charged R-22 appliances (window units, PTACs, some commercial refrigeration) manufactured on or after January 1, 2010 may not be sold or distributed.
• Pre-charged R-22 components (condensing units, line sets, coils) could be sold if manufactured before January 1, 2010. They may be used to service appliances made before 2010, but may not be assembled into new appliances.

2020: production and import end

From January 1, 2020, HCFC-22 production and import allowances went to zero (40 CFR 82.16). The only R-22 left for service is what was already made, plus what is recovered from existing systems.

Is it legal to service an R-22 system?

Yes. No federal rule requires an owner to replace a working R-22 system, and a technician may repair and recharge it. The refrigerant must come from:

• recovered and recycled R-22, reused in equipment of the same owner,
• reclaimed R-22, or
• stock produced or imported before 2020.

The usual Section 608 rules apply. No venting, and sale is restricted to certified technicians under 40 CFR 82.154. Before opening the system, recover to the 82.156 Table 1 level. A residential R-22 system is a high-pressure appliance under 200 lb, so that means 0 in Hg with recovery equipment made on or after November 15, 1993.

The HFC leak repair rule (40 CFR 84.106) does not apply to equipment containing only an ozone-depleting refrigerant such as R-22.

Recovered vs recycled vs reclaimed

These words are defined in 40 CFR 82.152, and they decide where the refrigerant can go.

• Recover: remove refrigerant in any condition from an appliance and store it in an external container, without necessarily testing or processing it.
• Recycle: extract refrigerant and clean it “for reuse in equipment of the same owner” without meeting all of the reclamation requirements. In general that means oil separation and passes through devices such as replaceable-core filter-driers.
• Reclaim: reprocess recovered refrigerant to the Appendix A specifications (based on AHRI Standard 700-2016) and verify it meets them using the prescribed analysis.

Under 40 CFR 82.154(d), no one may sell or distribute used refrigerant for use as a refrigerant unless it has been reclaimed by a reclaimer certified under 40 CFR 82.164. There are narrow exceptions, for example refrigerant contained in an appliance sold with a fully assembled refrigerant circuit.

In practice: recycled R-22 is for the same owner’s equipment, and R-22 that is sold to another customer must have gone through a certified reclaimer first.

Your options for an R-22 system

1. Repair and recharge with R-22

This keeps the system as designed. Fix the leak first: with no new production, every pound lost comes out of a fixed supply. Reclaimed R-22 is the legal route for buying R-22 that came out of other systems.

2. Retrofit to a service blend

Several HFC blends are sold as R-22 retrofit refrigerants, including R-407C, R-438A (MO99), R-422D, R-422B, R-427A, R-417A, R-421A and R-453A. They differ in oil compatibility, capacity, glide and which components must change. Chemours’ MO99 and NU-22B retrofit guidelines are an example of a manufacturer procedure.

Chemours’ procedure, for example, has you record baseline data, recover the R-22 (weighing it if the charge is unknown), replace the filter-drier and critical elastomeric seals, evacuate and leak check with nitrogen, charge the blend as liquid, monitor oil level and oil return, and label the system. Compare options in R-22 replacement refrigerants, R-22 vs R-407C and R-22 vs MO99. Oil questions are covered in refrigerant oil types.

These blends are HFC-based, so their supply falls under the AIM Act production cap.

3. Replace the system

R-410A and R-454B are not retrofit refrigerants for R-22: they run at much higher pressures and need equipment designed for them (see R-22 vs R-410A). Replacing an R-22 system now usually means a new R-454B or R-32 system, or pre-2025 R-410A equipment where available (R-410A phase-out).

Rheem’s R-454B instructions list what changes when an R-454B unit replaces an R-22 system:

• An R-22 indoor coil has not been evaluated for R-454B and may lack a refrigerant detection system needed for safe operation, so use only an approved coil.
• A reused R-22 line set must be purged and flushed with nitrogen, and Rheem recommends replacing it.
• Joints must be brazed, welded, or UL 207-listed mechanical fittings, and must comply with local code.
• A liquid line filter-drier must be installed on new and replacement units. Test the oil for acid; if it tests positive, a suction line filter-drier is mandatory.

What happens to the R-22 you recover

Recover it into a cylinder dedicated to R-22, weigh it, and do not mix it with other refrigerants (see recovery machine compatibility for cylinder fill limits). It can be recycled for the same owner’s equipment or sent to a certified reclaimer. With production ended, recovered and reclaimed R-22, along with pre-2020 stock, is all that is left to service the R-22 equipment still in use.