If you've been following the refrigerant transition news, you know it's been a slow-moving train that's now picking up speed. R-22 (Freon) took decades to phase out. The R-410A transition is happening faster, driven by global climate agreements and EPA rule changes. If you haven't started preparing, this is the year to do it.
Where We Are
The EPA's final rule under the AIM Act effectively ends production of new R-410A equipment starting in 2025 for most product categories. Equipment manufacturers have been transitioning product lines to R-32 (Daikin, Mitsubishi, and others) or R-454B (Carrier, Trane, and others), both of which have lower Global Warming Potential scores.
Existing R-410A systems don't need to be converted. You can still service, repair, and recharge them with R-410A purchased from existing supply chains. But new equipment you install going forward will use the new refrigerants, and your techs need to know how to handle them.
What's Different About A2L Refrigerants
R-32 and R-454B are classified as A2L: mildly flammable. This is a meaningful change from R-410A, which is A1 (non-flammable). The flammability risk is low under normal handling conditions, but it changes some practices. You'll need leak detectors capable of detecting A2L refrigerants. Certain confined space procedures change. Brazing practices may be different depending on manufacturer guidance.
The good news is that A2L training is widely available, including from equipment manufacturers and ACCA. Get your team through it before they encounter the new refrigerants in the field for the first time. Not afterward.
Tool and Equipment Updates
Your existing gauges, recovery machines, and vacuum pumps may or may not be compatible with the new refrigerants depending on the specific refrigerant and manufacturer. Check your equipment against the refrigerant specs before using them. Some manufacturers are providing compatibility lists. When in doubt, contact the tool manufacturer directly.
Recovery tanks are refrigerant-specific. Don't mix. Cross-contamination of refrigerants creates a hazardous material situation and ruins the refrigerant for reuse. Label everything clearly and train your techs on why this matters.
The Business Opportunity
Transitions like this create market gaps. Contractors who get trained early become the go-to for customers with new equipment questions. The early adopters of heat pump expertise had an advantage for two years before the market caught up. The same dynamic will play out with A2L refrigerant handling. Get ahead of it.
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Written by
Dina Good
Founder, WerkOps
Dina grew up in the trades. Her father was a contractor, then a building inspector, and the job site was her classroom long before any formal one was. She went on to own her own contracting company, which is where she first felt the pain of running a skilled trade business on bad software and worse spreadsheets. A love of data pulled her into programming, and the two worlds eventually collided into WerkOps - software built by someone who has actually been on the truck.