R-410A…Ready or Not?
Just in case someone hasn’t been keeping up, 12/31/09 is the last day for legal manufacture of R-22 equipment…and may end up being the last day of legal installation of R-22 equipment. I’m no authority on the EPA regulations governing the phase-out of R-22 or R-22 equipment, but from what I read the EPA has “adjusted” the definition of “date of manufacture” from when it was made, to when it’s installed…
If you remember, when the 10 SEER equipment efficiency standard was plowed under to make room for the 13 SEER standard, many wholesalers and contractors stockpiled a lot of 10 SEER equipment to sell after the new standard went into effect, with no legal ramifications to contend with. But if you were thinking about filling up the company shop and parking lot (or garage in my case) with a bunch of Goodman 22 units the last week of December, 2009 …better reflect on that course of action a little longer. And stay more in tune with the ongoing internal activities of our friends at the EPA. I don’t believe the final ruling has been set in 15% silver yet, but again don’t take my word for what is or isn’t.
For many, the execution date set for 22 equipment will be just another ho-hum day… no parades, no memorial services. The combination of nixed mismatches of 13 SEER equipment with pre-13 SEER equipment, plus the already existing availability of 410A equipment, led some percentage of contractors to accepting the inevitable and ditching R-22 powered systems long past. But there are always those reluctant to change, if for no reason other than human nature. For me, I didn’t want to continue selling something that was about to become, essentially, obsolete. Nor did I want to speculate as to what it might cost to add a couple of pounds of “Freon-22″ (or Nu-22 for that matter) in 2015+…
And I’m not passing judgment on what anyone has or has not, is or is not doing. It remains, after all, a free country. And for sure, if the manufacturer’s keep making the stuff, somebody will keep buying it…just don’t get caught without a chair when the music stops.
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February 14, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Wayne,hello sir!! I do have some comments to make about the forthcoming adaptation to 410-a,but that isnt the main reason for this comment.I have been involved in the trade for about a year now, and have been a member of the PROTECH family for a month or two.Mostly with the gentle nudging from my new service manager, RAT.His arrival at my company has been a Godsend for me, personally.I have read and watched everything I could possibly find about your philosophy and videos, and man ,you had me at hello.Obviously ,I dont have a whole lot of experience.I have mostly been doing P.M.’s for about a year now.Well ,recently I found out I am fixing to join the ranks of the dedicated service techs,ready or not!! I always knew I would eventually have to “leave the nest and fly” , but not when. Looks like, soon. So, I want to buy your videos, because you seem like the tech I wish I had by my side to teach me all day as I journey further into the great vastness of HVAC troubleshooting and repair. I know that RAT recently bought your vids to show all of us in the service dept. in a group setting , one of these days, but I want to be able to absorb the info through the only method that seems to work for me, which is multiple viewings or readings or whatever…Plus, I want to support you and your noble cause of giving your hard won knowledge to those of us with enough sense to reach out and recieve it. I love the way you put things that are inherently complex into a format that is easily understood. Thank you brother!!! Please email me the address that I can mail a money order payment to along with the exact amount needed to order both videos. Looking forward to hearing from you.
February 15, 2009 at 9:15 am
You are correct in that Rat is a “plus” for the service dept…his knowledge and people skills will make your transition much easier. I appreciate that you find the DVD’s useful. Your assessment is what I had hoped to accomplish…I thank you for taking the time to include your thoughts here…