Letters From Our Readers: July 29, 2013

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Mixing Alternative Refrigerants with R-22

The dramatic market shift away from R-22 has given rise to a number of new refrigerant options for distributors to sell and technicians to use. Many in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry were not prepared for the transition to an alternative refrigerant, and the bombardment of new refrigerant options to choose from continues to make their jobs even harder.

The fastest-growing and most troubling concern being reported today is the practice of mixing alternative refrigerants with R-22. This practice is considered highly irresponsible and unacceptable by the mainstream refrigerant industry, and for a number of good reasons. ICOR has received numerous reports from technicians claiming they were told by a distributor, or even worse, a refrigerant manufacturer’s representative, that it is acceptable to mix an alternative refrigerant with R-22. Although several individuals claim they were given a green light to mix directly from a manufacturer’s representative, we believe it is the result of selective listening or miscommunication rather than a conscious effort by anyone to encourage mixing.