R-22 Refrigerant Is Gone: What Upstate SC Homeowners Need to Know in 2026

If your air conditioner or heat pump uses R-22 refrigerant — commonly known as Freon — you’re operating on a finite, shrinking supply of a substance that hasn’t been manufactured since January 1, 2020. Our technician Gage encounters R-22 systems on a weekly basis across Spartanburg and Greenville counties, particularly in the subdivisions built during the late 1990s and early 2000s — Boiling Springs, Five Forks, Taylors, and the Highway 290 corridor are full of them. “The homeowner usually doesn’t know what refrigerant their system uses until I tell them,” Gage says. “And then the math changes the whole conversation.”

Here’s the current reality and your options.

The R-22 Timeline

R-22 was the standard residential refrigerant from the 1960s through the early 2000s. Due to its ozone-depleting properties, it was phased out under the Montreal Protocol:

2010: Production capped; new systems required to use R-410A or other alternatives
2020: All production and import of R-22 banned in the United States
2026 (now): Only reclaimed or stockpiled R-22 exists. Supply continues to shrink.

What This Means for Your System

If Your System Uses R-22 and Works Fine

Your system will continue to operate as long as the refrigerant charge is intact. R-22 systems don’t have an expiration date – they run until they develop a leak or a major component fails.

However, you should know:

Any refrigerant leak means you’ll need R-22 to recharge – and the price is $50-$150+ per pound (a typical residential system holds 6-12 pounds)
A significant leak that requires a full recharge could cost $600-$1,500+ just for the refrigerant – before the leak repair itself
Finding R-22 will only get harder and more expensive each year

If Your System Develops a Leak

This is the decision point. A system that’s low on R-22 has a leak, and leaks only get worse. Your options:

Option 1: Repair the leak and recharge with R-22

Pros: Keeps your current system running
Cons: Expensive refrigerant, no guarantee the next leak won’t happen soon, diminishing return on an aging system
Best for: Systems under 12 years old with a minor, easily accessible leak

Option 2: Replace the system

Pros: New R-410A or R-454B system with modern efficiency, full warranty, available refrigerant, federal tax credits
Cons: Higher upfront cost
Best for: Systems over 12 years old, systems with large leaks or compressor issues

Option 3: Drop-in refrigerant substitute

Pros: Lower cost than R-22, no system modification needed
Cons: Not manufacturer-approved, may void remaining warranty, performance differs from R-22, potential compatibility issues with existing oil and seals
Our recommendation: We generally advise against drop-in substitutes. The performance and reliability trade-offs aren’t worth the modest savings.

How to Know If Your System Uses R-22

Check the data plate on the outdoor condenser unit. It lists the refrigerant type:

R-22 / HCFC-22: Your system uses R-22
R-410A / Puron: Your system uses the current standard – no issue
R-454B: Newest generation refrigerant – you’re current

If your outdoor unit was installed before 2010, it almost certainly uses R-22. Systems installed between 2010 and 2015 could be either R-22 or R-410A – check the label.

Our Recommendation

If your R-22 system is working well today, you don’t need to panic – but you should start planning. The worst scenario is an R-22 system failing during a July heatwave with no replacement plan, forcing an emergency decision under pressure.

Start the conversation now:

Get a load calculation for your home
Understand your equipment options and pricing
Know what tax credits and rebates are available
Plan the replacement on your timeline, not the system’s

The $8,000-$15,000 investment in a new system looks a lot more manageable when you’ve planned for it versus scrambling for it during an emergency.

YOUTUBE EMBED: AC Spring Tune – Waldrop Plumbing & Electric TV Commercial — @YallCallWally

Call Waldrop Plumbing Air Electric at (864) 536-0887 to discuss your R-22 system options.

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