Refrigerant changes, permits, carbon monoxide, Michigan basements, and how long equipment really lasts here.
R-22 (Freon) has not been manufactured or imported into the United States since January 1, 2020. Systems that use it can still be legally repaired and recharged, but only with reclaimed or stockpiled gas, which is scarce and expensive. If your Michigan air conditioner was installed before 2010 and needs more than a minor repair, replacement usually makes more financial sense than a recharge.
Since January 1, 2025, new residential split-system air conditioners and heat pumps must be manufactured with low-global-warming-potential A2L refrigerants, mainly R-454B and some R-32, instead of R-410A. A2L refrigerants are classified as mildly flammable, so new equipment includes leak-detection sensors and revised installation rules. Existing R-410A systems can still be serviced and recharged indefinitely.
A general home inspection confirms the furnace, air conditioner and water heater turn on. A dedicated pre-purchase HVAC inspection goes further: heat exchanger inspection, combustion analysis, refrigerant pressures, duct condition, age verification and remaining life estimates. In Washtenaw County, where many homes carry 15-to-25-year-old equipment, it is one of the cheapest ways to avoid a mid-four-figure surprise in your first winter.
A gas furnace produces carbon monoxide whenever it burns, and a sound heat exchanger and flue carry it safely outdoors. The risk comes from cracked heat exchangers on furnaces over 15 years old, blocked or disconnected flues, and backdrafting. Install CO alarms on every level and outside bedrooms, and if one sounds, get everyone out of the house and call 911 before anything else.
In Michigan, replacing a furnace, air conditioner, heat pump or water heater requires a mechanical permit and a follow-up inspection. The City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township each issue their own; the Washtenaw County Building Department handles most other townships; Ann Arbor has its own office. A licensed contractor normally pulls the permit, and some jurisdictions let homeowners pull their own.
Southeast Michigan basements run damp because of clay soil, high water tables near the Huron River, summer dew points in the upper 60s and open sump pits. That moisture rusts furnace cabinets and heat exchangers, corrodes water heater burners, and gets pulled into leaky return ducts and spread through the house. Sealing the sump, fixing duct leaks and running a dehumidifier in summer protects the equipment and the air.
In pre-1980 Southeast Michigan homes, ductwork commonly leaks 20 to 30 percent of the air the furnace moves, mostly at unsealed sheet-metal seams, panned joist-bay returns and crushed or disconnected branch runs in basements and crawlspaces. The result is rooms that never warm up, a dusty house, higher DTE bills and a furnace that runs longer than it should. Sealing with mastic and reconnecting runs fixes most of it.
A gas furnace in Southeast Michigan typically lasts 15 to 25 years. Standard 80-percent units with simple controls tend toward the longer end; 90-percent condensing furnaces average closer to 15 to 20 because of the secondary heat exchanger and condensate system. Annual maintenance, correct sizing and regular filter changes are what push a furnace past 20; a damp basement, short cycling and neglect pull it under 15.
A central air conditioner in Southeast Michigan typically lasts 15 to 20 years, with the short cooling season helping it outlast the same unit installed in Florida. The compressor is the component that ends a system's life; capacitors, contactors and fan motors are routine repairs. Pre-2010 R-22 systems and any unit past year 15 with a refrigerant leak are usually better replaced than repaired.
Call or text and you reach Al, not a call center. Same-day service whenever possible, flat-rate pricing quoted before any work, and the same rate at 2 a.m. as 2 p.m.
