Angie's List: Unapproved Coolants Being Used To Recharge AC Units

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Just as summer really heats up, Angie's List is warning consumers to be on the lookout for companies or technicians using unapproved refrigerants to recharge their air conditioners. Potential risks include damaging your HVAC system or even causing a fire.

For more than 60 years, most home air conditioning systems have used a refrigerant known as R-22, commonly known as Freon. But the Environmental Protection Agency is phasing that out in favor of a more efficient coolant, making R-22 harder to come by, but still in high demand, and its price is now soaring.

"One of the rules in our industry is you don't ever mix refrigerants. That's a big no-no," said HVAC professional Charles Holden.

But that's exactly what some service companies have been caught doing – using alternative coolants that are easier to get and cheaper to buy. They're also much more dangerous.

"A lot of them have propane or butane in them, which obviously can create a fire hazard or an explosion hazard, so it's dangerous for homeowners to handle those refrigerants, and it's illegal to put them in your system," Holden said.

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"If you have an air conditioning system that still requires R-22 refrigerant, you want to be sure that's actually what you're getting when you hire a repairman to do work on your house. We're hearing trends of people getting R-22A instead, and that can actually damage your system or void your warranty," Angie's List founder Angie Hicks said.

R-22 comes in a light green tank and is clearly marked. Ask your technician to show it to you before he recharges your system.

"Most reputable contractors are not going to sacrifice their good standing in the industry for something like that. That being said, there's shady contractors and shady technicians everywhere," Holden said.

R-22 Prices can vary wildly – anywhere from 50 dollars-per-pound to hundreds of dollars-per-pound – and that figures to increase as production dwindles until it's completely phased out over the next few years. A typical home system needs four to 10 pounds of Freon. Angie says you should consider upgrading your system if the cost of the service multiplied by the age of your system is greater than five thousand dollars.