The system was a 2009 Carrier 3-ton split system. It still ran — barely maintaining setpoint on the hottest days, recovering slowly at night, and showing the elevated electric bills that come with a coil that hasn't been able to hold proper charge. The diagnostic found a slow leak at the evaporator coil, refrigerant down by roughly two pounds.
The refrigerant was R-22. That changes the conversation entirely.
The R-22 situation, plainly
R-22 (marketed as Freon) was phased out of production in the United States on January 1, 2020, under the Clean Air Act. No new R-22 has been manufactured domestically since. What exists in the supply chain is recovered/recycled refrigerant from decommissioned systems — a finite and shrinking supply.
The practical result: R-22 that cost $8–12 per pound a decade ago now runs $60–120 per pound depending on availability and season. A 3-ton residential system holds 8–10 pounds. Recharging a system that's two pounds low costs $120–240 in refrigerant alone — before the leak repair, before the labor. And if the coil is the leak source, a coil replacement on a 17-year-old system often runs $1,500–2,500 for parts and labor, plus refrigerant on top.
The homeowner's math: spend $2,000+ to stabilize a system running on phase-out refrigerant that will leak again, on a 17-year-old compressor operating in coastal salt air — or replace it. We didn't have to push. The numbers pushed for us.
The replacement
We installed a Trane 4TTR6036J 3-ton 16 SEER2 split system on the new R-454B refrigerant platform. Walton County permit pulled. Old system recovered and evacuated per EPA Section 608. New system commissioned with gauges — refrigerant charge verified, static pressure checked, airflow balanced across all registers.
The condenser was positioned on the north side of the house. The line set was replaced — original copper line sets on a 17-year-old system are worth replacing at the same time; the fittings age and the insulation deteriorates.
Total installed: roughly $7,200 installed, including the line set replacement. First summer on the new system: electric bills down roughly 19% versus the previous summer.
If you have an R-22 system and aren't sure whether to repair or replace, the refrigerant question alone usually answers it. Call us and we'll walk through the math with you — no pressure, just the numbers.
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