What is 410 Refrigerant?

410 refrigerant R-410a is a refrigerant widely used in residential air conditioning systems in the United States. 410 refrigerant replaces refrigerants deemed environmentally damaging because they can damage the ozone layer.

Chlorine

Prior to the introduction of 410 refrigerant in 1995, the majority of air conditioning units used refrigerants containing hydrochloro-fluorocarbons. 410 refrigerants do not contain HCFCs and are chlorine-free, making them less damaging to the environment.

Brands

410 refrigerants are sold under a variety of brand names, including Puron, Suva, 410a, Forane and Klea 66. Residential heating and cooling systems in the U.S. use 410 refrigerants as a replacement for HCFC-based refrigerants, while Europe uses different chlorine-free refrigerants like r-134a and r-407c.

Laws

An international treaty known as the Montreal Protocol required the gradual phasing out of HCFC-based refrigerants; in the U.S. this was placed into federal law under the Clean Air Act. Under the CAA all heating and cooling manufacturers are required to produce air conditioning systems using nonchlorine-based refrigerants by the year 2010.

References

• Tool Base: What is Puron?
• Goodman: R-410a: The Basics