Yes, refrigerants are being phased out on a schedule, but it doesn't mean your working AC needs to be replaced overnight.
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Quick answer: If your AC uses R-22 (common in units installed before roughly 2010), that refrigerant is already off the market and repairs involving a recharge are difficult and costly. If your AC uses R-410A (most systems installed since then), it still works fine and is not banned from use in existing equipment, but new AC units are shifting to lower-impact refrigerants like R-32 and R-454B. You don't need to replace a working system just because of a refrigerant phase-out.
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There have been two separate refrigerant transitions, and it's easy to mix them up. R-22 (sometimes called Freon) was the standard refrigerant in air conditioners for decades but was phased out of production in Canada some years ago because of its impact on the ozone layer. If your AC still uses R-22, the refrigerant itself is no longer being manufactured, so any leak that requires a recharge gets expensive and harder to source.
R-410A replaced R-22 and has been the standard in most residential systems installed over roughly the past 10-15 years. R-410A isn't ozone-depleting, but it does have a higher global warming potential, so regulations are now pushing manufacturers toward newer refrigerants such as R-32 and R-454B in new equipment. This is a manufacturing-side phase-down, not a ban on using R-410A systems that are already installed.
If your system is running fine and not leaking refrigerant, there's nothing urgent to do. A phase-out affects the manufacturing and import of a refrigerant, not your legal right to keep operating equipment that already contains it. The practical issue only shows up if your system develops a refrigerant leak and needs a recharge — at that point, availability and cost of the refrigerant become part of the repair-versus-replace conversation.
For R-22 systems specifically, most contractors will tell you a major refrigerant leak is often the point where replacement starts to make more financial sense than repair, simply because sourcing R-22 has gotten difficult and expensive. For R-410A systems, this isn't a concern yet — it remains widely available and serviceable.
A licensed CANRO technician can take a look — honest assessment, no pressure.
📞 (604) 359-1081Request a free quoteLook at the data plate on your outdoor condenser unit — it lists the refrigerant type. If you can't find it or aren't sure what you're reading, a technician can identify it during a routine visit. Age is a rough guide too: units installed before about 2010 are more likely to run R-22, while anything newer typically runs R-410A.
If you're planning a replacement anyway — for age, efficiency, or a breakdown — it's worth asking your contractor what refrigerant the new equipment uses, since that affects long-term parts and service availability as regulations continue to shift.
If your AC is low on refrigerant, blowing warm air, or you notice hissing or oily residue near the lines, that points to a leak worth having diagnosed. CANRO can identify your refrigerant type, check for leaks, and give you a straightforward diagnostic assessment with a free written quote before any work begins — no pressure to replace a system that's still serviceable.
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📞 (604) 359-1081Request a free quoteReviewed by the CANRO Heating & Cooling service team — July 07, 2026. Technical Safety BC gas licence LGA0043870 · boiler licence LBP0046450 · Red Seal certified · WorkSafeBC and liability insured · 4.9★ from 85+ Google reviews · serving Metro Vancouver since 1999 · (604) 359-1081.
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