Hold on....there is plenty of scientific evidence, proof and testing that clearly showed HFC are and have been creating a hole in the ozone. Just recently, the hole has gotten way smaller. Clearly a result of the ban on HFC's. I too was a believer that the ozone hole thing was just some garbage that EPA put out and I work for them for a living, but I've seen way too much evidence to suggest otherwise. Not from Texas, but from Oklahoma where it gets pretty dang warm here too. Ironically, I had a very similar problem with my HVAC a few years back whereas the high pressure side had somehow rubbed a hole on itself from rubbing against a metal support rail. Found a good tech and he did a pretty good job welding that part back up. I've had my system checked out a lot since then because I'm terrified it will fail right smack dab in the summer. So much, that I got bought a small window unit to keep at least one bedroom cool when that happens and takes 4-5 days to either fix or just buy a new one. Mine system is a 4 ton Lennox that was built in 1997 with R22. Of all the different AC techs that have been to my house to check my system and all the AC techs that I personally work with as the Air Manager at an army installation, everyone of them have said NOT to use a R22 replacement. Either spill the money on a R22 or just replace the whole system.