Yup. My neighbor has an HVAC company and warned me about this. He's starting to stock up on 410, but doesn't think he's gonna bother to work too much after this switch because he can't sell new systems in good conscience.
consumers are not going to be excited about the new HVAC regulations coming to the US at the end of this year.
The current coolant is being swapped out for a new coolant that is more "environmentally friendly" but comes at the expense of repairability.
No ability to patch leaks in the new systems, automatic shutoff of the entire unit if there is any leak detected, no ability to "top off" a system if it is leaking while working on a repair, no ability to run with a partial leak.
the old units that use r410 coolants will no longer be allowed for new installs in favor of the r32. all of the issues with repairability and usability come from the flamability of the new coolant.
home owners who could have previously done repairs and extended the longevity of their units will now be forced into simply buying an entire new system.
Discussion
yeah it is wild. few hvac installers are encouraging early replacement of old units with the 410s since you will have at least 10 years. i believe all new r32 only get 5 year lifetimes despite greater cooling efficiency
That's so effing stupid.
Yeah my guy is in the same boat. Says everything is gonna be outrageously expensive and common folks won’t be able to afford it. I have a system that I’m gonna need to replace this fall, which sucks but will suck less than if I have to use the new stuff.