R32 vs R410A

1. 1 2,090 against 675. Not a refinement, a different order of harm for the same job, and it is why new units here are sold with R-32. It changes nothing about how cold your room gets.
2. 2 A blend of two gases against one. When a blend leaks, the two parts do not leave in equal measure, so what remains is no longer the gas the unit was designed around. That is why an honest repair on R-410A empties the circuit and recharges it by weight rather than topping it up, and why a quote that says "top up" is telling you something about the technician.
3. 3 A1 against A2L. Both are low toxicity. A2L means lower flammability, which is a handling classification for whoever works on it and not a hazard sitting on your wall.

The differences that matter

 

R-410A

R-32

Safety classification

R-410A: A1

R-32: A2L

What that group means

R-410A: Lower toxicity, no flame propagation

R-32: Lower toxicity, lower flammability

Global warming potential

R-410A: 2,090

R-32: 675

Make-up

R-410A: A blend of two gases

R-32: A single gas

Typical age of system

R-410A: The common one on units of the last fifteen years

R-32: The common one on newer units

Safety classifications and global warming potentials as listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for residential and light commercial air conditioning, under the column headed ASHRAE Designation (Safety Classification), which follows ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34.

Why the blend matters more than it sounds

R-410A is two gases mixed. When a blend escapes, the parts do not leave in equal measure, so what remains in the system is no longer quite the same substance it started as. That is the reason a technician on an R-410A system will often recover what is left and put a fresh, weighed charge in rather than adding to it. R-32 is a single gas and does not have that problem, which is one of the quieter reasons newer equipment uses it.

It is worth knowing because it explains a line on a quote that otherwise looks like somebody being awkward.

1. 1 As charged, it is a mixture. Two gases in a set proportion, and the unit was designed around that proportion rather than around either gas on its own.
2. 2 A leak does not take them equally. More of one part leaves than the other, which is the whole difference between a blend and a single gas.
3. 3 What is left is a different substance. Adding fresh blend to it does not restore the original mixture, it makes a third one. So the honest repair recovers what is in there and puts a fresh weighed charge in, and that is the line on a quote this explains. R-32 is one gas and has none of this.

What A2L means, and what it does not

A2L is the lower flammability group in the standard. It is not the non-flammable group, and it is not the same as the gases people picture when they hear the word. What it changes is how the refrigerant must be stored, carried and worked with, which is a matter for whoever services the unit rather than for the room it is in. A sealed system on your wall is a sealed system either way.

The practical consequence for a homeowner is small and specific: it is a reason to use somebody equipped for the gas your unit actually takes, and a reason the answer to the last question on this page is no.

What to ask the technician

Five questions. None of them is a challenge, and the answers tell you quickly whether the person in front of you has looked at your unit or is quoting from habit.

Which refrigerant does this unit take?

It is printed on the nameplate of the outdoor unit. A technician who has looked will answer without pausing.

Is it actually losing gas, and do you know where?

A system that is low is leaking, because refrigerant is not consumed. Gas without a leak found is gas that will be gone again.

Are you recovering the old charge or adding to it?

It matters more on R-410A, which is a blend of two gases. When a blend leaks the mix left behind is no longer the same gas, which is why the usual answer on a blend is to recover and recharge rather than top up.

Will the charge be weighed in?

The correct amount is a weight, and it is on the nameplate too. "We put in some freon" is not a measurement of anything.

Is your equipment right for this refrigerant?

The two run at different pressures and A2L gas has its own handling requirements. This is a fair question and a competent technician will not mind it.

What a quote should say about the gas

• The refrigerant named by its designation, R-32 or R-410A, rather than the word freon.
• Whether the work is a top-up or a recovery and recharge.
• The charge weight going in.
• Whether a leak was found, and what was done about it.
• If no leak was found, a plain statement that the gas is expected to go again.

A quote that says only "freon" has not told you which gas, how much, or whether the reason it is needed has been dealt with. Those three are the whole job.

Questions people ask

Is R32 better than R410A?

For a new unit, generally yes on environmental grounds. R-32 has a global warming potential of 675 against 2,090 for R-410A on the US EPA listing, and it is a single gas rather than a blend, which makes servicing more straightforward. That does not make an existing R-410A system a problem. It is the refrigerant that system was designed around and it works.

Can R32 be put into an R410A system?

No. They are different gases at different pressures and each system is built around one of them. Substituting or mixing them is unsafe, and it also destroys any chance of diagnosing the system properly afterwards, because nothing it reads can be trusted. If someone offers to do it, that is the moment to get somebody else.

Is R32 flammable?

It is classified A2L under ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34, which is the lower flammability group, not the non-flammable one. R-410A is A1, which has no flame propagation. In practice this is a statement about how the gas must be handled and transported rather than about the unit on your wall, which is a sealed system either way. It is the reason servicing it has rules.

How do I know which refrigerant my aircon uses?

The nameplate on the outdoor unit says so, along with the charge weight it left the factory with. It is worth photographing that plate once, because it answers this question and several others before anyone has to open anything.

Why does my aircon keep needing gas?

Because it is leaking. Refrigerant is not used up the way fuel is; a sealed system that is short of it has a hole somewhere. Repeated top-ups without a leak search are money spent on gas that leaves again, and on a blend they also change what is left in the system. Ask for the leak to be found.

Can I buy a can and top it up myself?

No, and it is not a matter of confidence. Getting the charge right is a weighed measurement against the nameplate on equipment built for that gas, and the common outcome of guessing is a system that runs worse than the one you started with, plus a compressor doing damage nobody can see. This is a call-somebody job.