What is Freon, and why should you care what type your AC uses?
Freon is not one thing. It's a 95-year-old brand name that covers several different refrigerants, and the one sealed inside your system matters because two of the common types are now banned from production. That single detail decides whether a leak is a cheap recharge or a sign your whole system is near the end.
The word "Freon" stamped on your AC is a brand name from 1930, not a chemical - and the refrigerant actually hiding behind it decides whether a leak costs you a few hundred dollars or ends the system.
The facts
- "Freon" is a registered trademark (owned by Chemours, formerly DuPont) used since 1930 for a whole family of refrigerants - R-22, R-410A and others - not a single chemical. (Source: Freon (Chemours) overview)
- R-22, the old refrigerant most people mean by "Freon," has been banned from U.S. production and import since January 1, 2020; older systems can only be topped off with recycled or stockpiled supply, which keeps getting scarcer and pricier. (Source: R-22 phase-out (Trane / EPA Section 608))
- R-410A (branded "Puron"), the refrigerant that replaced R-22, is itself now on the way out - new R-410A residential systems have been banned from manufacture since January 1, 2025 under the EPA AIM Act. (Source: EPA AIM Act refrigerant phase-out)
- New systems in 2025 and later use A2L refrigerants - R-454B (Carrier, Rheem) or R-32 (Daikin, Goodman) - and you cannot retrofit a system from one refrigerant to another; the equipment is built for one. (Source: A2L refrigerant transition)
| Refrigerant | Roughly when installed | What a leak means today |
| R-22 (old "Freon") | Before ~2010 | Banned since 2020; recharge is scarce and expensive - usually a replace signal |
| R-410A ("Puron") | ~2010-2024 | New units banned since Jan 2025; recharge still sold but climbing 20-40% |
| R-454B / R-32 (A2L) | 2025 and later | The current standard - what a new system uses |
If your AC still runs on R-22 or R-410A and it's losing refrigerant, a top-off is buying time, not solving it. Snap the label on your outdoor unit and get one real Florida price for a new system - the on-site tech only confirms it.
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