While it became illegal to produce or import virgin R-22 into the U.S. as of Jan. 1, 2020, it didn’t mean that the refrigerant suddenly became unavailable to service existing equipment. In fact, according to most refrigerant manufacturers, there is plenty of virgin and reclaimed R-22 currently available, and there will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
If or when it becomes difficult to find R-22, or if customers are seeking a more environmentally friendly alternative to HCFCs, there are many options available. However, not all alternatives are compatible with every type of cooling equipment, so it is always a good idea to check with the OEM before performing any type of refrigerant retrofit.