EPA Examination Details

Since November 14, 1994, the EPA must certify refrigerant technicians. Only cert
ified technicians can purchase CFC and HCFC refrigerants. At this time you do no
t need to be certified to purchase HFCs but you are required to recover HFCs. Ma
instream is approved by the EPA as a certifying agency for Section 608 TYPE I, I
I, III, and Universal Exams as well as Section 609 Motor Vehicle A/C Technician
Exams. Mainstream also offers other training and certification exams including R
-410A Service Techniques, Preventative Maintenance Certification, and Indoor Air
Quality Certification. Information on these non-EPA training and certification
programs is also available on the www.epatest.com website.
The Type I exam consists of 25 Core questions and 25 specific Type I questions f
or a total of 50 multiple choice questions. Mainstream does not make-up the ques
tions, the questions have been prepared by the EPA.
Technicians can take the certification exams as many times as necessary (passing
grade for the open-book exam is 84% in both sections, that is, 21 of 25 correct
in each section). For technicians using this Type I Open-Book format the core q
uestions must be repeated in a proctored environment if other certifications (su
ch as Type II, Type III, or Universal) are later desired.
Technicians receiving a passing grade on the Type I (small appliance) examinatio
n are certified to recover refrigerant during the maintenance, service, or repai
r of refrigerators and freezers designed for home use, room air conditioners (in
cluding window air conditioners and packaged terminal air conditioners), package
d terminal heat pumps, dehumidifiers, under-the-counter ice makers, vending mach
ines, and drinking water coolers which are fully manufactured, charged, and herm
etically sealed in a factory with five pounds or less of refrigerant. Only Type
I or Universal certified technicians can recover refrigerant from these units. W
ith Type I certification you will be allowed to purchase refrigeration in any si
ze container except for CFC-12 which can only be purchased in containers of 20 p
ounds or more.
If you wish to purchase CFC-12 in containers holding less than 20 pounds of refr
igerant, such as one pound cans, or to purchase refrigerant from automobile whol
esalers then Section 609 Motor Vehicle certification is required. Only Section 6
09 Certified Motor Vehicle A/C (MVAC) technicians can purchase CFC-12 in contain
ers of 20 pounds or less. Furthermore, automotive wholesalers will typically onl
y honor 609 MVAC certification cards. The Section 609 Motor Vehicle Certificatio
n exam is a 25 question open book exam, also available from Mainstream on the in
ternet (www.epatest.com)
Any technician with an Open Book Type I certification must retake the Core Secti
on of the exam in a proctored environment (closed-book) if they are seeking addi
tional certifications such as Type II, Type III or Universal.
Refrigerant Purchase Restrictions

Allowed to Purchase*
Certification Type
CFCs
HCFCs
HFCs
None
No
No
Yes
608 Type I
20+ lb container
20+ lb container
Yes
608 Type II
20+ lb container
20+ lb container
Yes
608 Type III
20+ lb container
20+ lb container
Yes
608 Universal1
20+ lb container
20+ lb container
Yes
609 MVAC
Yes2
Yes2
Yes2
1Universal certification is simply possessing a Type I, Type II, and Type III ce
rtification
2Container can be any size but must be purchased from an automotive supply house
, which
typically will only sell R-12, R-134a, and replacement blends for R-12
* Individual Wholesaler's rules may be more restrictive than the EPA requirement
s.
Contact your local supply house for more information.
Serviceable Systems
Systems/Appliances
Certification Type
Small1
High/Very High Pressure2
Low Pressure3
Motor Vehicle
None
No
No
No
No
608 Type I
Yes
No
No
No
608 Type II
No
Yes
No
No
608 Type III
No
No
Yes
No
608 Universal4
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
609 MVAC
No
No
No
Yes
1Small Appliances (packaged terminal air conditioners) containing 5 lbs or less
of refrigerant
2High-pressure and very high-pressure appliances including split systems and all
other non-automotive
systems not covered under the category of unitary small appliance or low pressur
e appliance.
3Low-pressure appliances such as chillers
4Universal certification is simply possessing a Type I, Type II, and Type III ce
rtification

Refrigerant Recovery

Permitted to Recover*
Certification Type
CFCs*
HCFCs
HFCs
None
NONE*
NONE*
NONE*
608 Type I
Small Appliance
Small Appliance
Small Appliance
608 Type II
High/Very High
High/Very High
High/Very High
608 Type III
Low
Low
Low
608 Universal1
All above
All Above
All Above
609 MVAC
MVAC Only
MVAC Only
MVAC Only
1Universal certification is simply possessing a Type I, Type II, and Type III ce
rtification
*All refrigerants are required to be recovered. Only certified technicians are p
ermitted as per the table above.

Study Hints
We recommend you read this entire manual first and then use the interactive test
ing software on the CD to practice taking a simulated exam. When you can success
fully pass the practice exams you are ready to sit for the actual open-book exam
. If you are receiving failing scores on the practice exams, then I suggested yo
u consider practicing more before talking the actual exam! To study for one part
icular section of the exam, please refer to the following section-by section top
ic review:
The Core Section of the EPA Section 608 exam concentrates on the general knowled
ge of all types of refrigeration systems. Questions in this section relate to to
pics throughout the book. Carefully read each section and be sure to review the
subsection titled "Review Notes" at the end of each section. Pay special attenti
on to topics relating to EPA Regulations, especially the Clean Air Act, Montreal
Protocol and shipping and safety requirements, the basics of refrigeration syst
ems and techniques, all aspects of ozone depletion, replacement refrigerants and
oils, the three R's: Recover, Reclaim and Recycle, and recovery, leak detection
and dehydration techniques.
The Type I Section of the EPA Section 608 exam concentrates on safety and recove
ry requirements and techniques for unitary small appliances with five pounds or
less of refrigerant. Carefully review the subsection titled "Review Notes" at th
e end of each section.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
EPA EXAMINATION INFORMATION
INTRODUCTION
DEFINITIONS
SECTION I: Refrigerants Past, Present, and Future
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE AND TERMINOLOGY
CFCs
HCFCs
HFCs
THE REFRIGERANT DESIGNATION NUMBERING SYSTEM
REPLACEMENT REFRIGERANTS
DISPOSABLE REFRIGERANT CYLINDERS
REFILLABLE CYLINDERS
REFRIGERANT SAFETY
REVIEW TOPICS
SECTION II: The Basics of Ozone Depletion
STRATOSPHERIC OZONE
HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
GLOBAL NATURE OF THE PROBLEM
REVIEW TOPICS
SECTION III: Regulations
OBJECTIVES
INTRODUCTION
EARLY CONTROLS ON CFCs
THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL
CLEAN AIR ACT AND SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS
REVIEW TOPICS
SECTION IV: Refrigerant Conservation and Containment
BASIC VAPOR-COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION PRINCIPLES
REVIEW TOPICS
SECTION V: Recovery, Recycling, and Reclamation
REFRIGERANT PROCESSING OPTIONS
REFRIGERANT SPECIFICATIONS
REFRIGERANT RECOVERY METHODS
RECOVERY/RECYCLING SYSTEMS
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
REVIEW TOPICS
SECTION VI: Proposed EPA Rule Changes
PROPOSED EPA RULE CHANGES
TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION
CONVERSION FACTORS

Table 1. Tank Color Coding for Common Refrigerants

Table 2. Pressure/Temperature Saturation Relationship for Common Refrigerants
Table 3. Pressure/Temperature Saturation Relationship for Replacement Refrigeran
t Blends

INTRODUCTION
On November 14, 1994, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented
the Clean Air Act, which requires certification of personnel who work with refr
igerants. Air conditioning and refrigeration personnel today are in a position o
f increasing responsibility, both to implement procedures resulting from refrige
rant regulations and to provide answers to customers' questions and technical pr
oblems. Safety continues to be a primary concern when using both new and familia
r methods and equipment.
Some users of this manual will also be aware of additional information that is n
ot included here. The intent is to present a course concentrating on practical,
basic information that is most needed, and that can be readily applied on the jo
b with the most effective results.
This manual is in a continual state of evolution and re-writing, partly because
of changing EPA regulations and partly because of information feedback from tech
nicians in the field. If you believe sections of this manual require improvement
or that additional information should be added, please write to us and we will
consider your suggestions for future editions. In the past, we have received ver
y useful comments and suggestions from refrigeration technicians in the field, a
nd to all those who have helped in the past, we owe a sincere debt of gratitude.
Suggestions on the improvement of this course or any Mainstream product are alw
ays welcome. For suggestions related to this course, please write to Robert P. S
caringe, Ph.D., P.E., Refrigeration Certification Program, Mainstream Engineerin
g Corporation, Pines Industrial Center, 200 Yellow Place, Rockledge, Florida 329
55 or e-mail your comments to rps@mainstream-engr.com.
It is also suggested, that you read the last section titled Proposed New Changes
, to get an idea of the direction the EPA is heading in terms of regulatory chan
ges.
DEFINITIONS
Appliance: Any device that contains and uses a refrigerant and that is used for
household or commercial purposes, including any air conditioner, refrigerator, c
hiller, or freezer. EPA interprets this definition to include all air-conditioni
ng and refrigeration equipment except units designed and used exclusively for mi
litary purposes.
Azeotrope: A blend of two or more components whose equilibrium vapor phase and l
iquid phase compositions are the same at a given pressure. These refrigerants ar
e given a 500 series ASHRAE designation and behave like a single refrigerant. Th
ey can be charged as a liquid or vapor.
CFC-12: dichlorodifluoromethane, (R-12).
Class I Refrigerant: CFC refrigerants such as R-12.
Class II Refrigerant: HCFC refrigerants such as R-22 and R-124.
Compound: A substance formed by a union of two or more elements in a definite pr
oportion by weight.
Disposal: The process leading to and including any of the following:
(1) The discharging, depositing, dumping, or placing of any discarded appliance
into or on any land or water.
(2) The disassembly of any appliance for discharging, depositing, dumping, or pl
acing of its discarded component parts into or on any land or water.
(3) The disassembly of any appliance for reuse of its component parts.
Fractionation: The separation of a liquid mixture into separate parts by the pre
ferential evaporation of the more volatile component.
Halocarbon: A halogenated hydrocarbon containing one or more of the three haloge
ns: fluorine, chlorine, and bromine. Hydrogen may or may not be present.
HCFC-22: chlorodifluoromethane, (R-22).
HFC-134a: 1,1,1,2,-tetrafluoroethane, (R-134a).
High-Pressure Appliance: (prior to March 12, 2004, referred to by the EPA as hig
her-pressure appliance) An appliance that uses a refrigerant with a liquid phase
saturation pressure between 170 psia and 355 psia at 104°F. This definition inc
ludes but is not limited to appliances using R-410A, R-22, R-401B, R-402A/B, R-4
04A, R-407A/B/C, R-408, R-409, R-411A/B, R-502 and R-507A.
Hydrocarbon: A compound containing only the elements hydrogen and carbon.
Hygroscopic: Affinity for water, so hygroscopic oils are oils that readily absor
b moisture.
Isomer: One of a group of substances having the same combination of elements but
arranged spatially in different ways.
Leak Rate: The rate at which an appliance is losing refrigerant, measured betwee
n refrigerant charges or over 12 months, which ever is shorter. The leak rate is
expressed in terms of the percentage of the appliance's full charge that would
be lost over a 12-month period if the current rate of loss were to continue over
that period. The rate is calculated using the following formula:
(Refrigerant added / Total Charge) x (365 days/year/D) x 100%
where D = the shorter of: # days since refrigerant last added or 365 days
Low-Loss Fitting: Any device that is intended to establish a connection between
hoses, appliances, or recovery/recycling machines, and that is designed to close
automatically or to be closed manually when disconnected to minimize the releas
e of refrigerant from hoses, appliances, and recovery or recycling machines.
Low-Pressure Appliance: (definition unchanged by the EPA's March 12, 2004 rule c
hange) An appliance that uses a refrigerant with a liquid phase saturation press
ure below 45 psia at 104°F. Evacuation requirements for the low-pressure categor
y apply to these appliances. This definition includes but is not limited to appl
iances using R-11, R-113, and R-123.
Major Maintenance: Maintenance, service, or repair that involves removal of the
Service or Repair appliance compressor, condenser, evaporator, or auxiliary heat
exchanger coil.
Medium-Pressure Appliance: (prior to March 12, 2004, referred to by the EPA as h
igh-pressure appliance) An appliance that uses a refrigerant with a liquid phase
saturation pressure between 45 psia and 170 psia at 104°F. R-114 appliances are
at the low-pressure end since the saturation pressure of R-114 at 104°F is slig
htly above 45 psia. This definition includes but is not limited to appliances us
ing R-12. R-114, R-124, R-134a, R-401C, R-406A and R-500.
Mixture: A blend of two or more components that do not have a fixed proportion t
o one another and that no matter how well blended, still retain a separate exist
ence (oil and water for example).
Motor Vehicle Air Conditioner (MVAC): Mechanical vapor compression refrigeration
equipment used to cool the driver or passenger compartments of any motor vehicl
e. This definition is NOT intended to encompass the hermetically sealed refriger
ation system used on motor vehicles for refrigerated cargo or the air conditioni
ng systems on passenger buses. Section 609 certification is required for working
on MVAC systems while either Section 608 Type II or Section 609 certification i
s required for MVAC-like A/C systems (e.g. farm equipment and other non-roads ve
hicles). Section 608 certification is required for working on hermetically seale
d refrigeration systems used on motor vehicles for refrigerated cargo or the air
conditioning systems on passenger buses. Due to the similarities between MVAC a
nd MVAC-like appliances, EPA recommends that technicians servicing MVAC-like app
liances consider certification under Section 609. Note that buses using CFC-12 o
r HFC-134a to cool the driver are MVACs, however buses using HCFC-22 are not MVA
Cs or MVAC-like appliances, but rather high-pressure equipment covered under Typ
e II of the section 608 test. Therefore if you service service both the drivers
AC system (MVAC) and the passenger AC system both a 609 MVAC and a 608 certifica
tion are required. Likewise if your service the AC system for the cab of a truck
(MVAC) as well as the refrigerated cargo container then again, you need both a
609 MVAC and a 608 certification.
MVAC-Like Appliances: Mechanical vapor compression, open-drive compressor applia
nces used to cool the driver's or passenger's compartment of a non-road vehicle,
including agricultural and construction vehicles. This definition excludes appl
iances using HCFC-22 refrigerant or their substitutes, such as R-410a or R-407.
The regulations implementing Sections 609 and 608 treat MVACs and MVAC-like appl
iances (and persons servicing them) slightly differently. A key difference is th
at persons who service MVACs are subject to the Section 609 equipment and techni
cian certification requirements only if they perform "service for consideration"
, while persons who service MVAC-like appliances are subject to the equipment an
d technician certification requirements set forth in the Section 608 and 609 reg
ulations regardless of whether they are compensated for their work.
Another difference is that persons servicing MVAC-like appliances have the optio
n of becoming certified as Section 608 Type II technicians instead of becoming c
ertified as Section 609 MVAC technicians under subpart B. Persons servicing MVAC
s do not have this choice. They must be certified as Section 609 MVAC technician
s if they perform the AC service for compensation.
Non-Azeotropic Refrigerant: A synonym for zeotropic, the latter being preferred
though less commonly used descriptor. Zeotropic: blends comprising multiple comp
onents of different volatilities that, when used in refrigeration cycles, change
volumetric composition and saturation temperatures (exhibit temperature glide)
as they evaporate (boil) or condense at constant pressure. These refrigerants ar
e given a 400 series ASHRAE designation.
Normal Charge: The quantity of refrigerant within the appliance or appliance com
ponent when the appliance is operating with a full charge of refrigerant.
Opening an Appliance: Any service, maintenance, or repair on an appliance that c
ould be reasonably expected to release refrigerant from the appliance to the atm
osphere unless the refrigerant were previously recovered from the appliance.
Person: Any individual or legal entity, including an individual corporation, par
tnership, association, state, municipality, political subdivision of a state, In
dian tribe, and any agency, department, or instrumentality of the United States
and any officer, agent, or employee thereof.
Process Stub: A length of tubing that provides access to the refrigerant inside
a small appliance or room air conditioner that can be resealed at the conclusion
of repair or service.
PSIA: The absolute pressure in pounds per square inch, where 0 PSIA corresponds
to 29.9 inches of mercury vacuum and 14.7 PSIA corresponds to 0 PSIG (pounds per
square inch gauge).
PSIG: The gauge pressure in pounds per square inch, where 0 PSIG corresponds to
atmospheric pressure (14.7 PSIA). A positive PSIG value indicates the pressure i
n pounds per square inch above the ambient pressure.
Reclamation: To reprocess refrigerant new product specifications, that is to at
least the purity specified in the ARI Standard 700, Specifications for Fluorocar
bon Refrigerants, and to verify this purity using the analytical test procedures
described in the Standard.
Recovery: To remove refrigerant in any condition from an appliance and to store
it in an external container without necessarily testing or processing it in any
way.
Recovery Efficiency: The percentage of refrigerant in an appliance that is recov
ered by recycling or recovery equipment.
Recycling: To extract refrigerant from an appliance and to clean refrigerant for
reuse without meeting all of the requirements for reclamation. In general, recy
cled refrigerant is refrigerant that is cleaned using oil separation and single
or multiple passes through devices such as replaceable-core filter driers, which
reduce moisture, acidity, and particulate matter.
Refrigerant: Any class I or class II substance used for heat transfer purposes,
or any substance used as a substitute for such a class I or class II substance b
y any user in a given end-use, except for the following substitutes in the follo
wing end-uses:
ammonia in commercial or industrial process refrigeration or in absorption units
hydrocarbons in industrial process refrigeration (processing of hydrocarbons)
chlorine in industrial process refrigeration (processing of chlorine and chlorin
e compounds)
carbon dioxide in any application
nitrogen in any application
water in any application
Self-Contained Recovery: Recovery or recycling equipment that is capable of remo
ving refrigerant from an appliance without the assistance of components containe
d in the appliance.
Small Appliance: Any of the following products that are fully manufactured, char
ged, and hermetically sealed in a factory with five pounds or less of refrigeran
t: refrigerators and freezers designed for home use, room air conditioners (incl
uding window air conditioners and packaged terminal air conditioners), packaged
terminal heat pumps, dehumidifiers, under-the-counter ice makers, vending machin
es, and drinking water coolers.
System Dependent Recovery Equipment: Recovery equipment that relies upon the com
pressor in the appliance and/or the pressure of the refrigerant in the appliance
.
Substitute: Any chemical or product substitute, whether existing or new, that is
used by any person as a replacement for a class I or II compound in a given end
-use.
System-Dependent Recovery: Recovery equipment that requires the assistance of re
covery components contained in an appliance to remove the refrigerant from the a
ppliance.
Technician: Any person who performs maintenance, service, or repair that could r
easonably be expected to release refrigerant into the atmosphere, including but
not limited to installers, contractor employees, in-house service personnel, and
in some cases, owners. Technician also means any person disposing of appliances
except for small appliances.
Very High-Pressure Appliance: (definition unchanged by the EPA's March 12, 2004
rule change) Appliance An appliance that uses refrigerants with a critical temp
erature below 104°F or with a liquid phase saturation pressure above 355 psia at
104°F. This category includes but is not limited to appliances using R-13, R-23
, R-503.

SECTION I: Refrigerants Past, Present, and Future

MOLECULAR STRUCTURE AND TERMINOLOGY

Except for ammonia and a few other substances, most refrigerants currently in us
e are compounds containing carbon, fluorine, usually chlorine, and sometimes hyd
rogen, bromine, or iodine. When a refrigerant is referred to as a "CFC", the ref
rigerant contains Chlorine, Fluorine, and Carbon. When a refrigerant is referred
to as a "HCFC", the refrigerant contains Hydrogen, Chlorine, Fluorine, and Carb
on. When a refrigerant is referred to as a "HFC", the refrigerant contains Hydro
gen, Fluorine, and Carbon. When bromine is present in place of all or part of th
e chlorine, the capital letter "B" after the designation for the parent compound
shows the presence of the bromine (Br), for example "R-13B1". Compounds contain
ing bromine are sometimes referred to as "BFCs" if they contain Bromine, Fluorin
e, and Carbon (no chlorine). That is, R-13B1 is also known as BFC-13B1. Similarl
y a compound such as R-30B1, which contains Hydrogen, Bromine, Chlorine, Fluorin
e, and Carbon, is sometimes referred to as a "HBCFC", so R-30B1 is HBCFC-30B1.
CFCs
The refrigerants heard about the most are the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). As the
name says, these refrigerants consist of chlorine, fluorine, and carbon, thus t
he abbreviation "CFC". Since they contain no hydrogen, CFCs are chemically very
stable, even when released into the atmosphere, but since they contain chlorine,
CFCs are damaging to the ozone layer high above the Earth's surface. The ozone
layer shields the Earth from excessive ultraviolet solar radiation.
The combination of these two characteristics gives CFC refrigerants a high ozone
-depletion potential (ODP), and has made these refrigerants the target of legisl
ation that has reduced their availability and use. Thus, manufacture of CFC refr
igerants was discontinued after December 31, 1995. R-12 is a CFC and often refer
red to as CFC-12.

HCFCs
A second category of refrigerants which are currently available are the hydrochl
oro-fluorocarbons (HCFCs). Although they contain chlorine which is damaging to t
he ozone layer, they also contain hydrogen which makes them chemically less stab
le when they enter the atmosphere. These refrigerants decompose when released in
the lower atmosphere so very little ever reaches the ozone layer. HCFCs, theref
ore, have a lower ozone-depletion potential. HCFC-22 also know as R-22 has been
in widespread use for many years. Most residential and small commercial air cond
itioning systems use HCFC-22.

HFCs
Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants contain no chlorine at all. Although these
refrigerants have an ozone-depletion potential of zero, they probably still cont
ribute to the global warming problem. Two new HFC's that are replacing CFC-12 an
d HCFC-22 are HFC-134a (1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane CF3CH2F) and HFC-410A (HFC-32
&HFC-125). Mandatory recovery is required for all refrigerants (including HFC's)
before opening or disposing of appliances, because of their potential to cause
global warming. No "drop-in" substitute refrigerants are available for any equip
ment category.
THE REFRIGERANT DESIGNATION NUMBERING SYSTEM
Because the chemical names of typical refrigerants are long and complex, DuPont
developed a method of referring to refrigerants by number . The DuPont numbering
system was released for general use in 1956 and has become an industry standard
. A complete discussion of the number designation and safety classification of t
he refrigerants is presented in ASHRAE Standard 34-1992.
Briefly, the method of designating a refrigerant by number is as follows. (Note
that the numbering system begins on the right.)
First digit on the right = Number of fluorine atoms
Second digit from the right = Number of hydrogen atoms plus one
Third digit from the right
= Number of carbon atoms minus one
(not used when equal to zero)
Fourth digit from the right
= Number of unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds in the compound
(not used when equal to zero)
When bromine is present in place of all or part of the chlorine, the same number
ing rules apply except that the capital letter "B" after the designation for the
parent compound shows the presence of the bromine (Br). The number following th
e letter "B" shows the number of Bromine atoms present.
The lower-case letter that follows the refrigeration designation refers to the f
orm of the molecule when different forms (isomers) are possible, with the most s
ymmetrical form indicated by the number alone. As the form becomes more and more
asymmetrical, the letters a, b, and c (lower case) are appended (for example, H
FC-134a).
If all of the carbon bonds are not occupied by fluorine or hydrogen atoms, the r
emainder are attached to chlorine.
Because the structure of a refrigerant, whether CFC, HCFC, or HFC, has become so
important, it is often referred to in this way (for example, R-12 is CFC-12; R-
22 is HCFC-22; R-134a is HFC-134a.) Thus, their chemical structure and their rel
ative ozone-depletion potential are highlighted.
Example 1. CHClF2
Number of F atoms = 2
Number of H atoms + 1 = 2
Number of C atoms - 1 = 0
The refrigerant in Example 1 is designated HCFC-22. Since carbon has four bonds
and the total of F and H = 3, there is one Cl atom.
Example 2. CCl2FCClF2
Number of F atoms = 3
Number of H atoms + 1 = 1
Number of C atoms - 1 = 1
The refrigerant in Example 2 is designated CFC-113. Since two carbon atoms conne
cted together have six bonds remaining and the total of F and H = 3, there are t
hree Cl atoms present.
Example 3. The Designation of Refrigeration Isomers
Isomer Formula
CFC-216 CF3CCl2CF3
CFC-216a CF2ClCF2CF2Cl
CFC-216b CF2ClCFClCF3
CFC-216c CFCl2CF2CF3
REPLACEMENT REFRIGERANTS
EPA concerns about depletion of the Earth's protective stratospheric ozone layer
and the effect of CFC on this depletion have resulted in a halt in CFC producti
on since December 31, 1995. According to the EPA, recent ozone depletion studies
indicate that the current situation is far worse than originally thought. HCFC
refrigerants such as R-22 are currently scheduled for phase-out by the year 2030
. However, this too will probably be accelerated before the year 2030 is actuall
y reached. Azeotropes such as R-502 are, of course, also affected.
As stated in the last section, mixtures or blends of refrigerants can exhibit a
distinct boiling point or they can exhibit a boiling range. When a refrigerant m
ixture exhibits a distinct boiling point, that is it behaves as a single "new" r
efrigerant, it is designated as an azeotropic blend and is given a 500 series AS
HRAE designation. When the refrigerant mixture has a boiling range it is referre
d to as a non-azeotropic or zeotropic refrigerant and is given a 400 series ASHR
AE designation.
Key considerations for any new refrigerant are chemical stability in the system,
toxicity, flammability, thermal characteristics, efficiency, ease of detection
when searching for leaks, environmental effects, compatibility with system mater
ials, compatibility with lubricants, and cost. In general, HCFC-123 is intended
to replace CFC-11, and HFC-134a has replaced CFC-12 in most applications and HFC
-410A is replacing HCFC-22 in many applications.
HFCs such as R-134a do not lead to ozone depletion but do contribute to global w
arming due to the greenhouse effect. So refrigerant recovery and recycling are h
ere to stay regardless of the new refrigerants developed. Recycling also makes s
ense economically because of the cost of the new refrigerants and taxes on the m
ore traditional refrigerants.
Briefly, for the short term, heavy reliance will probably be placed on continued
use of HCFC-22 until it is no longer allowed. As an HCFC, R-22 has only a small
fraction of the ability of the CFC refrigerant to destroy stratospheric ozone.
However, R-22 does contribute to global warming. Mandatory recovery is required
for all refrigerants (including HFCs) before opening or disposing of appliances,
because of their potential to cause global warming.
Manufacturers are beginning to offer HFC-410A air conditioning and heat pump sys
tems as an alternative to HCFC-22 units. The EPA has established the phase out o
f the HCFC-22 with no production or importing beginning in 2020. However, manufa
cturers of air conditioning equipment must phase out the use of HCFC-22 in new e
quipment by January 1, 2010. In general, existing R-22 systems will probably be
converted to R-407C, however new air conditioning equipment is being designed to
operate on R-410A. Both R-407C and R-410A are non-azeotropic HFC refrigerant bl
ends. Non-azeotropic blends (400 series) means that they experience a temperatur
e glide during evaporation and condensation. In contract, a pure refrigerant or
an azeotropic (500 series) refrigerant blend has a single boiling point temperat
ure at a given pressure. However, as discussed below R-410A is a near azeotropic
refrigerant.
No "drop-in" substitute refrigerants are available for any equipment category. T
his means that some changes in a system's equipment or materials of construction
are always necessary when converting the equipment to using a replacement refri
gerant. An existing refrigerant cannot simply be removed from a system and repla
ced with another. Usually the changes involve replacement of incompatible seals
and changes in lubricant. Filter/dryers, compressors, and seals that are compati
ble with CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs have been developed.
DISPOSABLE REFRIGERANT CYLINDERS
Size and Color Codes
New virgin refrigerant for use by air conditioning and refrigeration service per
sonnel are usually packaged in disposable containers. Disposables are manufactur
ed in three sizes: 15-, 30-, and 50-pound capacities and should never be refille
d. New disposable containers use a check valve and cannot be refilled. Refrigera
nt manufacturers voluntarily color code cylinders for their chlorofluorocarbon p
roducts. Table 1 lists the color-coding for common chlorofluorocarbon refrigeran
ts; however, the shade of color may vary somewhat among manufacturers.

Table 1. Tank Color Coding for Common Refrigerants

CFC-11 orange
CFC-12 white
HCFC-22 green
CFC-113 purple
CFC-114 dark blue
HFC-134a light blue
CFC-500 yellow
CFC-502 Orchid (purple)
R-717(ammonia) Silver
R-401A light purple
R-401B yellow-brown
R-401C blue-green
R-402A light green-brown
R-402B green-brown
R-404A orange
R-407C medium brown
R-410A pink
Regulations
Disposable cylinders are manufactured to specifications established by the U.S.
Department of Transportation (D.O.T). The D.O.T. has regulatory authority over a
ll hazardous materials in commercial transportation.
Hot-weather recovery operations can result in very high storage-tank pressures a
nd therefore disposable cylinders should never be refilled or used as a recovery
tank. Rust, dents, and other damage can significantly reduce the burst pressure
of disposable cylinders.
Transportation of refilled D.O.T. 39 cylinders is illegal and subject to a penal
ty of a fine up to $25,000 and five years imprisonment. The use of a refilled D.
O.T. 39 cylinder also violates OSHA workplace regulations and may violate state
laws.
Safety
Every cylinder is equipped with a safety-relief device that will vent pressure f
rom the cylinder before it reaches the rupture point. Cylinders can become over-
pressurized for several reasons. However, the primary cause is overheating. When
a cylinder ruptures, the pressure drop causes the liquid refrigerant to flash i
nto vapor and sustains the explosive behavior of the rupture until all the liqui
d is vaporized. The rupture of a refrigerant cylinder containing liquid refriger
ant that flashes into vapor is far worse than the rupture of a compressed-air cy
linder under the same pressure.
If a refrigerant cylinder reaches a full-of-liquid (no vapor space) condition, t
he internal pressure rises very rapidly under minor increases in temperature. If
the safety valve is not able to vent this rapid increase in pressure, the cylin
der will explode. Safety valves are very important. Never tamper with a cylinder
safety device.
Hazards of Reuse
Disposable cylinders are manufactured from steel. Rust can eventually weaken the
cylinder to the point where the cylinder wall can no longer contain the compres
sed refrigerant. Consequently, cylinders must be stored and transported in dry e
nvironments. Cylinders exhibiting extreme rust should be emptied of contents and
properly discarded.
Disposal
Disposable cylinders should be emptied of all contents using a refrigerant recov
ery device. Once emptied the cylinder's valve should be opened to allow air to e
nter, and the cylinder should be punctured with the valve still open (rendered u
seless). Used cylinders can be recycled with other scrap metal. Never leave used
cylinders with any residual refrigerant either outdoors or at a job site. The i
nternal pressure of a cylinder with one ounce of liquid refrigerant is exactly t
he same as a full cylinder. An abandoned cylinder will eventually deteriorate an
d can explode if the cylinder wall weakens. Never refill a disposable cylinder.
REFILLABLE CYLINDERS
Refillable cylinders, also referred to as "recovery cylinders" or "recovery tank
s", are now available for the transportation of refrigerants used in the air con
ditioning and refrigeration industry. These refillable cylinders are used for th
e same refrigerants as the disposable cylinders. In addition to disposable and r
eturnable cylinders, refillables also are regulated in their design, fabrication
, and testing by the D.O.T. for use in transportation of refrigerants.
Recovery cylinders are painted yellow in the shoulder area and 12 inches down th
e side; the manufacturer paints the remainder of the cylinder body gray.
D.O.T. Requirements
Refillable cylinders satisfy the requirements of either 4BA or 4BW specification
s, Ref. 49 CFR 178.51 and 49 CFR 178.61, respectively. The 4BA cylinder is compr
ised of two deep-drawn carbon-steel heads welded together with one girth seam; t
he 4BW cylinder is comprised of two separate heads on opposite ends of a center
cylindrical section.
The 4BA cylinders are generally sized for refrigerant capacities of 50 lb. or le
ss, with the most widely used sizes being 15-lb., 30-lb., 37-lb., and 50-lb., re
spectively. The design pressure is typically 340 psig for the 15-lb. and 30-lb.
unit, 302 psig for the 37-lb. unit, and 400 psig for the 50-lb. unit. Newer tank
s which can accommodate R-410A must be rated for at least 400 psig. Recovery tan
ks rated for 400 psig are available in 15, 30, and 50 pound sizes but not every
recovery tank is rated for these higher pressures. Be careful, and read the name
plate, only use recovery tanks rated for at least 400 psig with R-410A.
WARNING: According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Pressure Vess
el Code, the pressure rating must be 285 psig or higher for R-407C and 400 psig
or higher for R-410A. Do not use any storage or recovery tank with a maximum pre
ssure rating less than 400 psig for R-410A. Recovery tanks for R-410A should be
specified as DOT 4BA400 or 4BW400.
Cylinder Re-testing
The use of various refrigerants in cylinders that are exposed to the environment
is reason for concern. Although the interior of these cylinders must be void of
moisture, the exterior cannot avoid it. Thus, corrosion can and does occur, as
well as damage due to mishandling. These are a few of the reasons why cylinders
must be re-tested at five-year intervals.
The valves should be examined regularly, especially the relief valve. Check to b
e sure that nothing is obstructing the relief valve and that no visual deteriora
tion or damage has occurred to the cylinder. If any damage is visible, empty the
cylinder and have the tank repaired. NEVER use a cylinder with a faulty pressur
e-relief valve or with obvious structural impairments.
REFRIGERANT SAFETY
ASHRAE Safety Classification of Refrigerants
As stated earlier in this section, the ASHRAE standard on Refrigerant Number Des
ignation also includes a Safety Classification of Refrigerants. Specific product
safety information is always available from the manufacturer, and by law a Mate
rial Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) must accompany the delivery of all chemicals. The
newer ASHRAE 34a-1992 standard includes two alphanumeric characters. The capital
letter (either A-Non-Toxic or B-Toxic) indicates the toxicity and the numeral (
1-non-flammable, 2-slightly-flammable, 3-highly-flammable) denotes the flammabil
ity.
Health Hazards
Skin or eye contact with fluorocarbon refrigerants can result in irritation and
frostbite. Although the toxicity of traditional fluorocarbon refrigerants is low
(due to their chemical stability), the possibility of injury or death always ex
ists in unusual situations and if they are deliberately misused. The vapors are
several times heavier than air. Good ventilation must be provided in areas where
high concentration of the heavy vapors might accumulate and exclude oxygen. Inh
alation of concentrated refrigerant vapor is dangerous and can be fatal. Exposur
e to levels of fluorocarbons above the recommended exposure levels can result in
loss of concentration and drowsiness. Cases of fatal cardiac arrhythmia have be
en reported in humans that were accidentally exposed to high levels. The exposur
e levels for some of the new replacement refrigerants may be lower than for thos
e with which you may be familiar. Less-stable compounds can break down more easi
ly and can potentially form harmful substances within the body. Treat replacemen
t refrigerants with care!
First Aid
If refrigerant vapor has been inhaled, remove the victim to fresh air. If the vi
ctim is not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, g
ive oxygen. Avoid stimulants. Do not give adrenaline (epinephrine) because this
can complicate possible effects on the heart. Contact a physician.
In the case of eye contact, flush eyes promptly with plenty of water for at leas
t 15 minutes. Contact a physician. Flush exposed skin with warm water (not hot)
or use other means to warm the skin slowly.
Other Hazards
Most halogenated compounds will decompose at high temperatures such as those ass
ociated with gas flames or electric heaters. The chemicals that result under the
se circumstances always include hydrofluoric acid. If the compound contains chlo
rine, hydrochloric acid will also be formed, and if a source of water (or oxygen
) is present, a smaller amount of phosgene will be formed. Fortunately, the halo
gen acids have a very sharp, stinging effect on the nose and can be detected by
odor at concentrations below their toxic level. These acids serve as a warning t
hat decomposition has occurred. If they are detected, the area should be evacuat
ed until the air has been cleared of decomposition products. Some replacement re
frigerants have lower exposure limits, so read the manufacturer's warnings caref
ully and take the precautions seriously.

REVIEW TOPICS
- Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants are so named because they contain the el
ements Chlorine, Fluorine, and Carbon.
- CFCs have the highest ozone depletion potential (ODP) and are the most harmful
to stratospheric ozone.
- Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerants contain Hydrogen, Chlorine, Fluori
ne, and Carbon.
- Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants contain Hydrogen, Fluorine, and Carbon. R
-134a, also known as HFC-134a, a chlorine-free refrigerant.
- HFC refrigerants cause no harm to stratospheric ozone; they have a zero ODP. T
hey do however contribute to global warming (like any refrigerant) and cannot be
vented.
- Oils that will be used with most HFC-134a refrigeration and HFC-410A air condi
tioning applications are ester-based synthetic (POE) oils.
- The synthetic lubricant presently used with ternary blends is alkylbenzene.
- Ester-based synthetic oils cannot be mixed with other oils.
- A non-azeotropic (or azeotrope) refrigerant blend, sometimes referred to simpl
y as a blend refrigerant, has a range of boiling points or condensing points thr
oughout the evaporator and condenser, respectively; the terms used to describe t
his are "temperature glide" or "gliding-temperature."
- A compound pressure gauge for the low side of a refrigeration system measures
pressure in psig and vacuum in inches of mercury.
- Refrigerant will travel to a compressor's crankcase because of the difference
between the oil and refrigerant's vapor pressure.
- A binary blend is a two-part mixture and a ternary blend is a three-part mixtu
re.
- When transporting cylinders containing used refrigerant, the D.O.T. requires t
hat you attach D.O.T. classification tags.
- On a typical gauge manifold set, the high pressure gauge is color coded red an
d the low pressure gauge is color coded blue.
- The high pressure gauge on a service manifold set has a continuous scale, usua
lly calibrated to read from 0 to 500 psig. This does not mean the gauge set is a
ctually rated for use up to 500 psia. Typical ratings on older gauge sets and/or
hoses is only 340 psig. When using R-410A you must use a gauge set rated for at
least 800 psig (with a 4,000 psig burst pressure on the manifold and the hoses)
.
- Containers designated "refillable" by DOT must be used to transport recovered
pressurized refrigerant to meet safety requirements.

SECTION II: Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Stratospheric Ozone
Ozone is a gas, slightly bluish in color, with a pungent odor. It consists of th
ree atoms of oxygen in each molecule. The oxygen we breathe contains two atoms i
n each molecule. Chemically, oxygen is O2, and ozone is O3. The "ozone layer" co
nsists of ozone in the stratosphere, high above the Earth at an altitude of betw
een 7 and 28 miles. It is formed by ultraviolet light (UV) from the sun acting o
n oxygen molecules. The ozone layer absorbs and scatters ultraviolet light from
the sun, thus preventing harmful amounts of ultraviolet light from reaching the
Earth. For this reason, it is often referred to as the Ozone Shield or the Earth
's Protective Shield.
Atmospheric Ozone
Ozone is also found at times in the lower atmosphere where we breathe it. Here i
t is caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun acting on smog and air polluta
nts on hot summer days. This situation should not be confused with the protectiv
e ozone layer in the stratosphere. Ozone at ground level is a harmful pollutant;
in the stratosphere it is a protective shield.

Depletion of Stratospheric Ozone

In June 1974, Professor Sherwood Rowland and Dr. Mario Molina of the Department
of Chemistry at the University of California at Irvine first proposed the theory
that certain chlorine-containing compounds could pose a threat to the ozone lay
er above the Earth. The Rowland-Molina theory states that CFCs would ultimately
cause damage to the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from harmful levels of
ultraviolet radiation from the sun. What follows is a summary of the current th
eory held by the EPA.
Refrigerants that contain chlorine but not hydrogen are so stable that they do n
ot break down in the lower atmosphere not even one hundred years or more after b
eing released. These chemicals gradually float up to the stratosphere, where the
chlorine or bromine reacts with ozone, causing it to change back to oxygen.
The "Ozone Hole" is a thinning in the ozone layer over Antarctica and occurs dur
ing the Antarctic spring season (autumn in the Northern Hemisphere). It occurs o
ver the Antarctic continent due to its unique climate. Powerful winds encircle A
ntarctica during its winter, isolating the continent from warmer winds that woul
d otherwise migrate from lower latitudes on the Earth's surface, and the contine
nt is in darkness during the winter. These two effects combine to produce the co
ldest temperatures on Earth, colder than the Arctic.
The stratosphere is normally too dry to form clouds, except at the bitterly cold
temperatures reached during the Antarctic winter. At these frigid temperatures,
clouds of ice and nitric acid, called "polar stratospheric clouds" (PSCs), form
in the stratosphere over the continent of Antarctica. Chemical reactions take p
lace on the surfaces of these clouds, converting chlorine and bromine from forms
that do not react with ozone to other, less stable forms that readily break up
in the presence of sunlight and destroy ozone.
Both cold temperatures and sunlight are critical to the ozone depletion process.
So in the spring, when the sun again rises and when the PSCs are still present,
the Antarctic ozone hole is found. As the sun warms the region in the spring, t
he clouds dissipate.
This area is being carefully monitored for the degree to which the ozone thins b
ecause it has been found to lead to ozone depletion in other parts of the world
as well. Significantly reduced ozone levels were detected in 1985, and high chlo
rine levels were found in 1986. Since that time, aircraft flights through the st
ratospheric ozone layer and ground-based instruments have indicated that the ozo
ne depletion problem may be more serious than initially thought.
When ozone depletion occurs, more UV radiation penetrates to the Earth's surface
. Moreover, because of the long atmospheric lifetimes of CFCs, it will take many
decades for the ozone layer to return to past concentrations. As stated earlier
, bromine-containing compounds, which are contained in typical Halon fire exting
uishers, react the same way as chloride atoms in destroying the ozone. In the ye
ars since the ozone-depletion theory was first proposed, substantial scientific
research has supported the general concern that an increased concentration of ch
lorine and bromine in the stratosphere poses substantial risks of ozone depletio
n, which results in harm to both human health and the environment. The EPA state
s that each chlorine atom has the ability to destroy 100,000 ozone molecules in
the stratosphere.
The CFC refrigerants and the halons have been assigned factors that represent th
eir relative ability to destroy stratospheric ozone, called the Ozone Depletion
Factor, or Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP). This scale is based on CFC-11 having
been assigned a factor of 1. CFC-12 has an ODP of 1, HCFC-22 has an ODP of 0.05
, and HFC-134a has an ODP of 0.Note that the bromine-containing halons have fact
ors many times those of the CFC refrigerants.

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

Since it shields the Earth from much of the damaging part of the Sun's radiation
, the ozone layer is a critical resource safeguarding life on this planet. Shoul
d the ozone layer be depleted, more of the Sun's damaging rays would penetrate t
o the Earth's surface. Some scientists have claimed that each 1% depletion of oz
one increases exposure to damaging ultraviolet radiation by 1.5-2%. EPA's assess
ment of the risks from ozone depletion focus on the following areas:
- Increase in skin cancers
- Suppression of the human immune response system
- Increase in cataracts
- Damage to crops
- Damage to aquatic organisms
- Increases in ground-level ozone
- Increased global warming

GLOBAL NATURE OF THE PROBLEM

Stratospheric ozone protection is a global problem. CFCs and halons are used in
many nations, and because of their long atmospheric lifetimes, they become widel
y dispersed over time. As a result, the release of these chemicals in one countr
y will adversely affect the stratosphere above other countries and therefore the
health and welfare of their citizens. To protect the ozone layer from damage th
at may be caused by CFCs and halons, an international solution is critical.

REVIEW TOPICS
- Ozone in the stratosphere above the Earth consists of molecules containing 3 o
xygen atoms (O3).
- Chlorine and bromine in refrigerants cause stratospheric ozone depletion.
- The EPA states that each chlorine atom has the ability to destroy 100,000 ozon
e molecules in the stratosphere.
- CFCs are chemically very stable; they do not dissolve or break-down in water (
so they are not removed by rain). Because of this chemical stability, CFCs are a
ble to reach the stratosphere.
- CFCs have the highest ozone depletion potential (ODP) and are the most harmful
to stratospheric ozone.
- R-134a, also known as HFC-134a, is a chlorine-free refrigerant.
- HFC fluorocarbon refrigerants cause no harm to stratospheric ozone, and have a
zero ODP.
- The ozone layer protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Sk
in cancer, increased cataracts, and damage to crops are just some of the results
of damage to the Earth's ozone layer.
- Actual measurements of CFCs in air samples from the stratosphere are positive
evidence that CFCs are in the stratosphere.
- Chlorine in the stratosphere is believed to come primarily from CFCs rather th
an from natural sources such as volcanoes. The rise in the amount of chlorine me
asured in the stratosphere over the past 20 years has been shown to match the ri
se in CFCs over the same period. Samples of air taken from the stratosphere over
erupting volcanoes show that volcanoes contribute only a small quantity of chlo
rine to the stratosphere when compared to CFCs.
- The existence of chlorine monoxide in the upper stratosphere indicates that th
e ozone layer is being destroyed.
- Capturing and eliminating the use of chlorofluorocarbons is being done in the
United States to stop damage to the stratospheric ozone layer.
- When addressing consumer complaints regarding additional service expense cause
d by recovery efforts, the technician needs to explain to the customer that reco
very is necessary to protect human health and the environment.

SECTION III: Regulations

INTRODUCTION
There is tremendous confusion in the refrigeration industry as to what the curre
nt regulations are. This chapter will attempt to provide the background for the
regulations and to summarize the regulations in the last section, "Clean Air Act
and Subsequent Amendments." If you suspect further changes in the law call the
EPA Information hot-line at 800-296-1996.
The Montreal Protocol Regulations are not U.S. laws, but rather an agreement (Tr
eaty) between nations to follow some rules. Each nation that agrees with the Mon
treal Protocol (termed signatory nations) must pass its own laws to enforce the
protocol ideals. U.S. laws that apply to refrigeration technicians in the United
States are part of the U.S. Clean Air Act and subsequent revisions to the Clean
Air Act. EPA proposed rulings are rules proposed by the EPA to enforce the Clea
n Air Act. The EPA proposes the rules, and then, after public comment, refines t
hese rules. Some people incorrectly assume that the proposed rulings are law; th
ey are not. Many of the proposed rules have been modified after public input, in
cluding input by equipment manufacturers and technical groups. The actual laws t
hat must be followed concerning stratospheric ozone protection (including ventin
g, recovery, recycling, equipment certification, technician certification, dispo
sal, record keeping, and enforcement). EPA Final Rule Summaries are published in
the Federal Register and posted on the EPA website.
EARLY CONTROLS ON CFCs
During the early 1970s, CFCs that were used as aerosol propellants constituted o
ver 50% of total CFC consumption in the United States. Following concerns initia
lly raised by the Rowland-Molina theory in 1974, the EPA and the Food and Drug A
dministration in 1978 banned the use of CFCs as aerosol (spray can) propellants
in all but a few essential (mostly medical) applications. Two new factors brough
t CFCs back into public concern in 1986. One was the connection between CFCs and
the theory of global warming, or the greenhouse effect. The other was new scien
tific evidence that CFCs deplete stratospheric ozone and that a "hole" had devel
oped in the ozone layer over Antarctica.
THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL
Recognizing the global nature of the problem, on September 16, 1987, in Montreal
, Canada, 24 nations and the European Economic Community (EEC) signed the Montre
al Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Most of the major CFC an
d Halon producing and consuming nations signed this agreement. Other nations, in
cluding the then Soviet Union, indicated that, following further consultations a
t home, they might possibly become signatories. On August 1, 1988, the U.S. EPA
enacted the provisions of this agreement into regulations for the United States.
CLEAN AIR ACT AND SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS
The 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act were signed by former President Bush on
November 15, 1990. The amendments establish a National Recycling and Emissions
Reduction Program to regulate the use and disposal of substances, including CFCs
and HCFCs, which are harmful to humans and the environment. Title VI of this pr
ogram is titled Stratospheric Ozone Protection; Section 608 of Title VI contains
the National Recycling and Emission Reduction Program. Title VII is titled Prov
isions Relating to Enforcement. Final EPA regulations were published on May 14,
1993 and most recently revised with the EPA's March 12, 2004 rule change..
The objectives of this program are to reduce the use and emissions of abusive su
bstances to the lowest achievable level and to maximize the recapture and recycl
ing of such substances. In addition, the amendments establish new standards for
safe disposal of these substances and new federally mandated certification proce
dures for those engaged in servicing refrigeration systems. The EPA regulations
also require that new refrigeration and air conditioning appliances are equipped
with a servicing aperture, or similar device, to facilitate recapture of refrig
erants during service and repair.
The amendments also affect personnel repairing or servicing an appliance or indu
strial process refrigeration. Under the statute, HVAC service personnel or any o
ther individual may not "knowingly vent or otherwise knowingly release or dispos
e of any substance used as a refrigerant in such appliance in a manner which per
mits such substance to enter the environment." "De minimis" releases associated
with good-faith attempts to recapture and recycle or safely dispose of any such
substance shall not be subject to prohibition set forth in the preceding sentenc
e. In other words, if you are attempting to minimize refrigerant losses, any min
imal losses associated with recovery and recycling are allowed. This prohibition
became effective July 1, 1992. The penalties and fines for violating the EPA pr
ovisions can be severe. The EPA is authorized to seek various levels of legal re
dress against any person who violates the above prohibitions.
- The EPA is authorized to obtain an injunction against the offending parties
prohibiting them from discharging refrigerants into the air.
- The EPA may impose a $32,500-per-day penalty on the offender with the appro
val of the U.S. District Court. In addition, the EPA may seek to have criminal p
enalties and prison terms not exceeding five years assessed against any person w
ho knowingly releases refrigerants into the atmosphere, and criminal fines and i
mprisonment may be assessed against any person who makes a false material statem
ent or representation in any report, notice, or application required by the EPA.
- Criminal fines and penalties may also be assessed against any person who ne
gligently or knowingly releases into the ambient air a hazardous air pollutant a
nd who, as a result of the release, places another person in imminent danger of
death or serious bodily injury. In the case of an intentional discharge, the pri
son term may be a maximum of 15 years.
- Finally, to encourage others to report violations of the act, the EPA is au
thorized to pay awards of up to $10,000 to any person who furnishes information
that leads to a criminal conviction of another person for violation of the above
prohibitions.
Since November 14, 1994, all HVAC service personnel must be fully trained in rec
ommended service and repair procedures and techniques applicable to appliances c
ontaining refrigerants. In addition, since July 1, 1992 XE "July 1, 1992" , all
individuals (service personnel, equipment owners, etc.) should be using their be
st efforts (good-faith procedures) to ensure that they do not permit inadvertent
discharge of refrigerants into the atmosphere. A fine can be as much as $32,500
per day and per occurrence.
Refrigerant Production Phase-out--The Current Law
The restrictions on production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances und
er the Clean Air Act and all its amendments essentially match those of the revis
ed Montreal Protocol. The phase-out schedule for the most common refrigerants is
detailed below.
- Reduce CFCs from 1986 production levels by
1994 75% Reduction (Production 25% of 1986 levels)
1995 75% Reduction (Production 25% of 1986 levels)
1996 Total Phase Out (Zero Production)
- Reduce HCFC from 1989 production levels by
1996 (allow 100% of 1989 ODP levels for HCFC + 3.1% of 1989 ODP levels
for CFC)
2010 65% reduction (35% of 1996 level)
2015 90% reduction (10% of 1996 level)
2020 99.5% reduction (0.5% of 1996 level)
2030 Total Phase Out (Zero Production)
- Hydrobromofluorocarbons (HBFC) Phased Out by 1996
Prohibition on Venting
Effective July 1, 1992, Section 608 of the Clean Air Act prohibits individuals f
rom knowingly venting ozone-depleting compounds used as refrigerants into the at
mosphere when maintaining, servicing, repairing, or disposing of air conditionin
g or refrigeration equipment. Some types of releases are permitted under the pro
hibition.
- Technicians releasing "de minimis" quantities of refrigerant in the course of
making good faith attempts to recapture and recycle or safely dispose of refrige
rant are not subject to the prohibition.
- Refrigerants emitted in the course of normal operation of air conditioning and
refrigeration equipment, as opposed to during the maintenance, servicing, repai
r, or disposal of this equipment, are NOT subject to the prohibition. Thus, emis
sions due to leaks and mechanical purging, which occur during normal operation o
f equipment, are permitted under the prohibition. However, the EPA is requiring
the repair of substantial leaks on systems that are normally charged with more t
han 50 pounds of refrigerant (after June 14, 1993). Furthermore, substantial lea
ks on systems that are normally charged with more than 50 pounds of refrigerant
must be repaired within 30 days after discovery of the leak.*
For the industrial process and commercial refrigeration sector, a 35% leakage ra
te or more (35% loss of charge/year) on a system with a normal charge of more th
an 50 pounds is defined as a substantial leak, while for all other refrigeration
systems with a charge of 50 pounds or more, a substantial leak is defined as a
leakage rate of 15% (15% loss of charge/year).
* Note: There is a proposed rule change, See the section titled: "Proposed EPA R
ule Changes" near the end of this manual.
- Mixtures of nitrogen and R-22 (and only R-22-nitrogen mixtures) that are used
as holding charges or as leak test gases are not subject to the prohibition beca
use in these cases, the ozone-depleting compound is not used as a refrigerant. H
owever, a technician may not avoid recovering refrigerant by adding nitrogen to
a charged system. Before nitrogen is added, the system MUST be evacuated to the
required level. Otherwise, the refrigerant-nitrogen mixture will be considered a
refrigerant, and its release will be a violation of EPA regulation and subject
to fine. Similarly, pure CFCs or HCFCs released from any appliance, hardware, or
device, is presumed to be a refrigerant, and their release will be a violation
of EPA regulations and subject to fine. When changing refrigerant being used on
a recovery or recycling device, the refrigerant in the recovery or recycling mac
hine must be recovered and cannot be vented into the air. Then evacuate the unit
. Typically, filters also have to be changed.
- Mixtures of nitrogen and any other CFC or HCFC, except HCFC-22, are subject to
the prohibition on venting. That means it is illegal to vent them into the atmo
sphere.
- Since November 15, 1995, HFCs and other refrigerants with a zero ozone depleti
on factor (ODP) are also subject to the restriction on venting because they are
"greenhouse gases," meaning they contribute to the global warming problem and mu
st be recovered. All refrigerants must be recovered.
- Small releases of refrigerant that results from purging hoses or from connecti
ng or disconnecting hoses to charge or service appliances will not be considered
violations of the prohibition on venting. However, recovery and recycling equip
ment manufactured after November 15, 1993, must be equipped with low-loss fittin
gs.
Evacuation Requirements of Small Appliances
Since July 13, 1993, technicians have been required to evacuate air-conditioning
and refrigeration equipment to established vacuum levels. When using recycling
and recovery equipment manufactured on or after November 15, 1993, 90% of the re
frigerant from the small appliance must be recovered if the compressor on the ap
pliance is operational, and 80% of the refrigerant must be recovered if the comp
ressor is not operational. When using recycling and recovery equipment manufactu
red before November 15, 1993, 80% of the refrigerant from the small appliance mu
st be recovered.

Exceptions to Evacuation Requirements

The EPA has established limited exceptions to its evacuation requirements for 1)
repairs to leaky equipment and 2) repairs that are NOT major and that are not f
ollowed by an evacuation of the equipment to the environment.
NOTE: "Major" repairs are those involving removal of the compressor, condenser,
evaporator, or auxiliary heat exchanger coil.
1. Repairs to Leaky Equipment
If, due to leaks, evacuation to the levels required are not attainable or w
ould substantially contaminate the refrigerant being recovered, persons opening
the appliance must
a) isolate leaking from non-leaking components wherever possible;
b) evacuate non-leaking components to the levels required; and
 c) evacuate the leaking components to the lowest level that can be attained
without substantially contaminating the refrigerant. However, this level cannot
exceed 0 psig.
2. If evacuation of the equipment to the environment is not to be performed when
repairs are complete, and if the repair is NOT major, then the appliance must
a) be evacuated to at least 0 psig before it is opened if it is a high- or
very high pressure appliance; or
b) be pressurized to 0 psig before it is opened if it is a low-pressure app
liance. Methods that require subsequent purging (e.g., nitrogen) cannot be used.
Key EPA Dates to Remember
- January 1, 1992 - Mandatory use of certified recycling equipment when servicin
g automotive (not commercial/residential/industrial) air conditioning.
- July 1, 1992 - Prohibition against venting during refrigeration/air conditioni
ng service, repair, and disposal.
- June 14, 1993 - Owners of equipment containing more than 50 pounds of refriger
ant with substantial leaks must have such leaks repaired within 30 days after di
scovery. For the industrial process and commercial refrigeration sector, a 35% l
eakage rate or more (35% loss of charge/year) is defined as a substantial leak,
while for all other refrigeration systems with a charge of 50 pounds or more, a
substantial leak is defined as a leakage rate of 15% (15% loss of charge/year).
- July 13, 1993 - Safe Disposal Requirements go into effect.
- July 13, 1993 - All persons opening appliances (except for small appliances an
d motor vehicle A/C) for maintenance, service, or repair, and all persons dispos
ing of appliances, except for small appliances, must have at least one piece of
certified, self-contained recovery equipment available at their place of busines
s.
- August 12, 1993 - Owners of recycling and recovery equipment must have certifi
ed to the EPA that they have acquired such equipment and are complying with the
rule.
- August 12, 1993 - Reclamation Requirements to ARI-700 went into effect. Refrig
erant that transfers ownership must be certified to ARI-700 purity before it can
be recharged into a system of another owner. Regardless of whether the refriger
ant is sold or given to the second owner, it must be certified to ARI-700 purity
. Refrigerant may be returned to the appliance from which it was recovered or to
another appliance owned by the same person without being recycled or reclaimed.
- November 15, 1993 - All manufactured appliances must be equipped with a servic
e aperture or process stub. Appliances (except small appliances) manufactured af
ter November 15, 1993, must be equipped with a service aperture. Small appliance
s manufactured after November 15, 1993, can be equipped with either a process st
ub or a service aperture. The major purpose of this requirement is to make it ea
sier to recover refrigerant. A service aperture or process stub is used when add
ing or removing refrigerant from the appliance. A process stub service port is a
straight piece of tubing that is entered using a piercing access valve.
- November 15, 1993 - All recycling and recovery equipment manufactured must be
certified to ARI 740-1993.
- November 15, 1993 - Low-Loss Fittings are required.
- November 14, 1994 - Mandatory Technician Certification. Refrigerant sales rest
rictions in effect.
- November 15, 1995 - Prohibition on venting any refrigerants, went into effect.
This is due to the greenhouse global warming effect of vented refrigerants.
- December 31, 1995 - CFC Production Ban went into effect. No production or impo
rtation of new CFC's. All CFC's must come from recovery, recycling, and reclamat
ion.
- January 29, 1998 - Persons servicing MVAC-like appliances have the option of b
ecoming certified as Section 608 Type II technicians instead of becoming certifi
ed as Section 609 MVAC technicians under subpart B. Persons servicing MVACs do n
ot have this choice. They must be certified as Section 609 MVAC technicians if
they perform the AC service for compensation.

Record Keeping Requirements

Technicians must keep a copy of their proof of certification at their place of b
usiness.
Wholesalers who sell HCFC, CFC and HFC refrigerants must retain invoices that in
dicate the name of the purchaser, date of the sale, and quantity of refrigerant
purchased.
Reclaimers must maintain records of the names and addresses of persons sending t
hem material for reclamation and the quantity of material sent to them for recla
mation. This information must be maintained on a transactional basis. Within 30
days after the end of the calendar year, reclaimers must report to the EPA the t
otal quantity of material received by them for reclamation that year, the mass o
f refrigerant reclaimed that year, and the mass of waste products generated that
year.
Reclamation
Refrigerant recovered and/or recycled can be returned to the same system or othe
r systems owned by the same person without restriction. However, since August 12
, 1993, the EPA requires that if the refrigerant changes ownership, it will have
to be cleaned to the ARI-700 standard of purity AND be chemically analyzed to v
erify that it meets this standard. This process is referred to as reclamation, a
nd refrigerant meeting these conditions is referred to as being reclaimed.
Several important points need to be made concerning this regulation.
First, a refrigerant is considered "reclaimed" if and only if it is certified to
meet the purity standards of ARI-700. In other words, if tests on the purity of
the refrigerant show the refrigerant is clean (to ARI-700 standards), it is ref
erred to as reclaimed, no matter what process if any, was used to clean it.
Second, the refrigerant cannot be transferred from any appliance owned by one pe
rson (person here means a person, corporation, partnership, or any other legal e
ntity) to an appliance owned by a different person; it cannot be sold or given f
ree to a second person. The refrigerant must be certified to meet the purity req
uirements of ARI-700 before it can legally be put in a second owner's equipment
(except recovery, recycling, and reclamation equipment). Some technicians have w
rongly believed that refrigerant can be transferred into a different owner's equ
ipment if it was not sold. This is not correct; refrigerant cannot be transferre
d to a new owner unless it is certified pure (to ARI-700). This rule does not ap
ply to automotive applications; they have to meet SAE (Society of Automotive Eng
ineers) purity standards. In other words, if tests on the purity of the refriger
ant show the refrigerant is clean (to ARI- 700 standards), it is referred to as
reclaimed, no matter what process, if any, was used to clean it. This rule does
not apply to automotive applications; they have to meet SAE (Society of Automoti
ve Engineers) purity standards.
Equipment Certification
The EPA has established a certification program for recovery and recycling equip
ment. Under this program, the EPA requires that equipment manufactured on or aft
er November 15, 1993, be tested by an EPA-approved testing organization to ensur
e that it meets EPA requirements. All recovery equipment now manufactured is req
uired to have a certification label showing that the unit is EPA approved. Recov
ery equipment intended for use with small appliances must be tested under either
ARI-740 or Appendix C of the EPA Final Rule (May 14, 1993). The agency is requi
ring recovery efficiency standards that vary depending on the size and type of a
ir-conditioning or refrigeration equipment being serviced, and since July 13, 19
93, technicians have been required to evacuate air-conditioning and refrigeratio
n equipment to established vacuum levels. For small appliances, when using recyc
ling and recovery equipment manufactured on or after November 15, 1993, 90% of t
he refrigerant from the small appliance must be recovered if the compressor on t
he appliance is operational, and 80% of the refrigerant must be recovered if the
compressor is not operational. When using recycling and recovery equipment manu
factured before November 15, 1993, 80% of the refrigerant from the small applian
ce must be recovered.
Technician Certification
Since November 14, 1994, the EPA has required that all individuals handling refr
igerants be certified. Four types of section 608 certification are available. On
ly certified technicians can purchase refrigerants.
Technicians receiving a passing grade on the EPA Type I (small appliance) examin
ation are certified to recover refrigerant during the maintenance, service, or r
epair of packaged terminal air conditioners with 5 pounds or less of refrigerant
. Only Type I or Universal certified technicians can recover refrigerant from th
ese units.
Technicians receiving a passing grade on the Type II (medium-pressure, high-pres
sure and very high pressure) examination are certified to recover refrigerant du
ring the maintenance, service, or repair of medium, high and very high-pressure
equipment (Medium-Pressure CFC-12, CFC-114, HFC-134a, CFC-500, High-Pressure HFC
-410A, HCFC-22, CFC-502, Very-High Pressure CFC-13, CFC-503, as well as the othe
r 400 Series Replacement Blends). Only Type II or Universal certified technician
s can recover refrigerant from these units.
Technicians receiving a passing grade on the Type III (low-pressure appliance) e
xamination are certified to recover refrigerant during the maintenance, service,
or repair of low-pressure equipment (CFC-11, HCFC-123). Only Type III or Univer
sal certified technicians can recover refrigerant from these units.
Technicians receiving a Universal Certification are certified to recover refrige
rant during the maintenance, service, or repair of small appliances, medium, hig
h and very high-pressure equipment, and low-pressure equipment. That is, they ar
e certified to work on any type of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment
except motor vehicle air conditioning.
Type I, II, and III certification exams consist of 25 core questions and 25 spec
ific Type I, II, or III questions, for a total of 50 multiple choice questions f
or each type of certification. The Universal certification exam consists of 25 C
ore questions, 25 Type I questions, 25 Type II questions, and 25 Type III questi
ons, for a total of 100 multiple-choice questions.
For technicians using the Type I open-book formats only, the exam is open-book,
but the passing grade is 84% instead of 72% and the core questions must be repea
ted in a proctored environment if other certifications are required later.
Currently the certification has no expiration date; however, if EPA regulations
change after a technician becomes certified, the technician is responsible for c
omplying with any changes in the law. Visit www.epatest.com for the latest updat
es and changes in EPA regulations.
Mainstream is approved by the U.S. EPA as a national certifying agency for secti
on 608 Type I, II, III, and Universal and section 609 Motor Vehicle Air Conditio
ning exams in all cities throughout the United States. Mainstream also offers Pr
eventative Maintenance, R-410A, and Indoor Air Quality training. These open-book
training and certification programs are available at our website www.epatest.co
m.
Reclaimer Contractor Certification
Reclaimers are required to return refrigerant to the purity level specified in A
RI Standard 700 and to verify this purity. The laboratory protocol set forth in
the same standard must be used. In addition, reclaimers must release no more tha
n 1.5% of refrigeration during the reclamation process and must dispose of waste
s properly. Since August 12, 1993, reclaimers must certify to the Section 608 Re
cycling Program Manager at EPA headquarters that they are complying with these r
equirements and that the information given is true and correct. The certificatio
n must also include the name and address of the reclaimer and a list of equipmen
t used to reprocess and analyze the refrigerant (to ARI-700 standards).
Safe Disposal Requirements
Small Appliances that typically enter the waste stream with the charge intact (m
otor vehicle air conditioners, household refrigerators and freezers, and room ai
r conditioners) are subject to special safe-disposal requirements.
Under these safe disposal requirements, the final person in the disposal chain (
e.g., a scrap metal recycler) is responsible for ensuring that the refrigerant i
s recovered from the equipment before final disposal of the equipment. However,
persons "upstream" could remove the refrigerant and provide documentation of its
removal to the final person if this were more cost-effective.
The equipment used to recover refrigerant from appliances prior to their final d
isposal must meet the same evacuation performance standards as other recovery eq
uipment, but this disposal-related equipment does not need to be tested by a lab
oratory to verify it meets ARI 740 standards. This means that self-built equipme
nt is allowed as long as it meets the evacuation requirements. For motor vehicle
air conditioning and motor vehicle-like systems, the requirement is 102 mm (4")
of mercury vacuum; and for small appliances, 90% of the refrigerant from the sm
all appliance must be recovered if the compressor on the appliance is operationa
l, and 80% of the refrigerant must be recovered if the compressor is not operati
onal.
Hazardous Waste Disposal
Recycled or reclaimed refrigerants are not considered hazardous under federal la
w. In addition, used oils contaminated with CFCs are not hazardous providing tha
t:
- they are not mixed with other waste;
- they are subjected to recycling or reclamation (to remove trapped refrigera
nt); and
- they are not mixed with used oils from other sources.
Used oils that contain CFCs after the CFC reclamation procedure, however, are su
bject to specification limits for used oil fuels if these oils are destined for
burning. Individuals with questions regarding the proper handling of these mater
ials should call the EPA's RCRA hotline at 800-424-9346 or 703-920-9810.
CFC Refrigerant Tax
The 1990 federal budget contained provisions for federal excise taxes on new pro
duction, floor stocks, and imports of CFCs and halons. The taxes were effective
January 1, 1990, and apply to CFCs 11, 12, 113, 114, and 115. The original excis
e tax was amended in 1991 to include methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, an
d other CFCs regulated by the amended Montreal Protocol and Title VI of the Clea
n Air Act. The Energy Policy Act of 1992, Section 1931 of Public Law 102-486, re
vised and further increased the excise tax (in effect since January 1, 1993). Th
e government's intent is to provide additional financial incentives to increase
recycling and to promote shifting-away from these substances. This excise tax is
imposed when the CFC is sold or used by the manufacturer or importer. Recycled
and reclaimed refrigerants are exempt from the tax. A floor tax also applies to
anyone holding 400 lbs or more of the regulated CFCs.
The tax payment must be deposited with Form 8109, Federal Tax Deposit Coupon, at
an authorized depository or a Federal Reserve Bank. In addition, a return must
be filed on Form 720, the Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return with the Environme
ntal Tax Form 6627 attached. Contact an accountant or the IRS for further detail
s.
Enforcement
Since July 1, 1992 the EPA has been responding to tips reporting venting. Under
the Clean Air Act and subsequent revisions, the EPA is now authorized to assess
fines of up to $32,500 per day per violation for any violation of the Act. In ad
dition, the EPA may pay an award, not to exceed $10,000, to any person who furni
shes information or services that lead to a criminal conviction or a judicial or
administrative civil penalty assessed as a result of a violation of the act. Th
ese dollar amounts are maximum figures and are not necessarily the amount that w
ill be assessed or paid in all cases.
Some contractors are circulating advertisements about the Clean Air Act requirem
ents that may be misleading. The EPA will report such misleading advertisements
to the Federal Trade Commission.
Further Information
For information concerning regulations related to stratospheric ozone protection
, please call the EPA Stratospheric Ozone Hotline: 800-296-1996 (10am-4pm easter
n) or visit their web site: http://www.epa.gov/.

REVIEW TOPICS
- Capturing and ultimately eliminating the use of chlorofluorocarbons is being d
one in the United States to stop damage to the stratospheric ozone layer.
- State and local governments may establish laws that contain stricter regulatio
ns than the Clean Air Act/EPA regulations.
- July 1, 1992 - The Clean Air Act calls for the phase-out of CFC/HCFC productio
n, prohibits CFC/HCFC venting, and requires the EPA to set standards for recover
y, recycling, and reclamation of refrigerants.
- Disposing of disposable cylinders is accomplished by assuring that all refrige
rant is recovered, that the cylinders are rendered useless, and then recycling t
he metal.
- Before you dispose of any appliance containing a refrigerant, you must recover
the refrigerant.
- Violations of the Clean Air Act include falsifying or failing to keep records
required by the EPA, the knowing release of refrigerant or refrigerant substitut
es during the maintenance, service, repair, or disposal of appliances, and faili
ng to reach required evacuation levels before opening or disposing of appliances
.
- Whenever possible to avoid unnecessary venting of refrigerant, systems should
be leak checked with pressurized nitrogen before charging.
- Service technicians who violate Clean Air Act provisions can be fined, lose th
eir certification, and face federal charges and fines.
- An award of up to $10,000 may be paid to any person supplying information that
leads to a penalty against a technician who is intentionally venting refrigeran
t.
- Violation of the Clean Air Act, including the knowing release of refrigerant d
uring the maintenance, service, repair, or disposal of appliances, can result in
fines up to $32,500 per day per violation. This fine was originally $25,000, th
en increased to $27,500 and with the most recent rule change increased to the cu
rrent fine amount of $32,500. Some older paper exams might still use the $25,000
or $27,500 fine, you should choose the most correct answer.
- As of December 31, 1995, CFCs can no longer be legally manufactured or importe
d into the United States. Supplies of CFC refrigerant for equipment servicing ca
n ONLY come from recovery, recycling, and reclamation.
- Recovery of refrigerants is necessary to provide adequate refrigeration suppli
es for service applications after the production bans, as well as to prevent ven
ting to the atmosphere and the resulting ozone depletion.
- Since July 1, 1992, to knowingly release CFC or HCFC refrigerants during the s
ervice, maintenance, repair, or disposal of appliances is illegal.
- November 15, 1995, the EPA determined that venting substitute refrigerants pos
es a threat to the environment. Venting of substitutes for CFC and HCFC refriger
ants, including HFC-134a, is now illegal.
- Chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, hydrobromofluorocarbons (HBFCs)
and halons are all controlled by the Montreal Protocol.
- Under EPA regulations, reclaimed refrigerant must meet ARI-700 standards for p
urity before it can be resold.
- "Self-contained" (active) recovery devices can capture liquid and/or vapor ref
rigerant without the assistance of components in the air conditioning or refrige
ration equipment.
- "System-dependent" (passive) recovery devices are so named because they depend
on components of the system; that is, they capture refrigerant with the assista
nce of components in the air conditioning or refrigeration equipment they are em
ptying.
- All devices used for refrigerant recovery must meet EPA evacuation standards.
- Equipment covered by the EPA regulations includes all air conditioning and ref
rigeration equipment containing and using CFC, HCFC, and HFC refrigerants.
- Electronic/ultrasonic testers are assumed by the EPA to be the most effective
method for locating the general area of small leaks.
- EPA regulations define a "small appliance" as one manufactured, charged, and h
ermetically sealed at the factory and containing 5 pounds or less of refrigerant
.
- EPA rules require the capture of 80% of refrigerant from a small appliance sea
led system with a non-operating compressor whether the technician is using a sys
tem-dependant (passive) process or a self-contained (active) process.
- It is permissible to use a passive recovery device to recover refrigerant from
a domestic refrigerator or other small appliances.
- When checking for non-condensables in a recovery cylinder, the technician shou
ld allow the temperature of the cylinder to stabilize to room temperature before
taking a pressure reading because comparisons to a pressure-temperature chart a
re only valid if both the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant are stable
and known.
- All recovery devices manufactured before November 15, 1993, for use with small
appliances must be capable of recovering 80% of the refrigerant whether or not
the compressor is operational.
- Small appliance recovery equipment manufactured after November 15, 1993, must
be certified to be capable of recovering 90% of the refrigerant when the compres
sor is operative or 80% when the compressor is inoperative.
- Recovery equipment manufactured after November 15, 1993 that is used during ma
intenance, service, or repair must be certified by an EPA-approved laboratory.
- Since November 14, 1994, technicians servicing refrigeration hardware must be
certified in refrigerant recovery.
- Since November 14, 1994, the sale of CFC and HCFC refrigerants has been restri
cted to technicians certified in refrigerant recovery.
- At this time you don't need to be certified to purchase HFCs however you are r
equired to recover HFCs.
- Before beginning any type of refrigerant recovery procedure it is always neces
sary to know the type of refrigerant that is in the system.
- When servicing a small appliance for leak repair, it is not mandatory to repai
r the leak, but do so whenever possible.
- Since November 15, 1993, refrigerant recovery devices must be equipped with lo
w-loss fittings, which are fittings that are used to connect the recovery device
 to an appliance and which can be either manually closed or which closes automat
ically when disconnected to prevent loss of refrigerant from hoses.
- All appliances (except small appliances) manufactured after November 15, 1993,
must be equipped with a service aperture. Small appliances manufactured after N
ovember 15, 1993, must be equipped with a process stub. The major purpose of thi
s requirement is to make it easier to recover refrigerant. The service aperture
or process stub is used when adding or removing refrigerant from the appliance.
For small appliances, this process-stub-type of service port is a straight piece
of tubing that is entered using a piercing access valve.
- Technicians receiving a passing grade on the Type I (small appliance) examinat
ion are certified to recover refrigerant during the maintenance, service, or rep
air of packaged A/C or refrigeration equipment with five pounds or less of refri
gerant. Only Type I or Universal certified technicians can recover refrigerant f
rom these units. Neither Type I or Universal certified technicians are certified
to recover refrigerant from MVAC equipment.
- Technicians receiving a Universal Certification are certified to recover refri
gerant during the maintenance, service, or repair of small appliances, high-pres
sure equipment, and low-pressure equipment. That is, they are certified to work
on any type of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment except motor vehicle
air conditioning.
- EPA Section 608 Certified technicians (Type I, II, III or Universal) are certi
fied to purchase refrigerant in any size container except for CFC-12, which may
not be purchased in containers less that 20 pounds. Recently the EPA has changed
their stance on barring 608 certified technicians from purchasing any refrigera
nt in containers less than 20 pounds to barring 608 technicians from purchasing
CFC-12 in containers less than 20 pounds. The exam questions used by Mainstream
(and also used by all other testing companies) are supplied by the EPA, therefor
e in some older EPA exams you may be asked a question regarding the smallest con
tainer of refrigerants that can be sold to a 608 technician. Assume they are ref
erring only to CFC-12.
- EPA Section 609 Motor Vehicle A/C (MVAC) Certified technicians can buy refrige
rant in any size container, however they can only purchase refrigerant that is u
sed in MVAC systems. For example, HCFC-22 is not used in MVAC systems and theref
ore cannot be purchased by 609 technicians.
- Type I, II, and III certification exams consist of 25 Core questions and 25 sp
ecific Type I, II, or III questions for a total of 50 multiple choice questions.
- Universal certification exams consist of 25 Core questions, 25 Type I question
s, 25 Type II questions, and 25 Type III for a total of 100 multiple-choice ques
tions.
- Technicians can take any of the certification exams as many times as necessary
(passing grade per section is 72%, that is, 18 of 25 correct in each section).
When retaking the exam, only the sections failed need to be repeated. If a techn
ician taking a Universal Exam, fails to pass all sections, but passes the Core S
ection and at least one other section, a certification card for the types passed
will be issued.
- Currently, the certification has no expiration date. However, if EPA regulatio
ns change after a technician becomes certified, the technician is responsible fo
r complying with any future changes in the law.
- Accurate pressure reading of the refrigerant inside a recovery cylinder is nec
essary to determine if excessive air or other non-condensables are in the cylind
er.
- After recovering refrigerant from a sealed system, if nitrogen is used to pres
surize or blow debris out of the system, the nitrogen can be vented because air
is about 80% nitrogen.
- When you check system pressures to determine the performance of a refrigerant,
use equipment such as hand valves or self-sealing hoses to minimize any refrige
rant release.
- When filling a charging cylinder, the refrigerant that is vented off the top o
f the cylinder must be recovered.
- Appliances containing refrigerant can be evacuated to atmospheric pressure ins
tead of sub-atmospheric pressures when leaks in the appliance make evacuation to
the EPA-prescribed level unattainable because air would be drawn into the recov
ery device from the surroundings. However, the appliances must always be evacuat
ed to at least 0 psig.
- System-dependent recovery equipment CANNOT be used when the appliance contains
over 15 pounds of refrigerant.
- When using a passive recovery device to recover refrigerant into a non-pressur
ized container from a system with an inoperative compressor it may be necessary
to heat the compressor and strike it with a rubber mallet.
- When installing any type of access fitting onto a sealed system the fitting sh
ould be leak tested before proceeding with recovery.
- Only one access valves on the high side of the system are needed to evacuate t
he refrigerant on a sealed system that has a completely restricted capillary tub
e.
- To avoid the removal of liquid when drawing vapor from a sealed refrigeration
system using a self-contained (active) recovery device that cannot handle liquid
refrigerant, you should draw vapor from the high-side service port.

SECTION IV: Refrigerant Services Practices

Basic Vapor-Compression Refrigeration Principles
It is not the intent of this lesson to teach basic refrigeration theory; however
, a simple discussion of the basic cycle is useful for describing the effects of
non-condensable gases, moisture, and contaminates on the refrigeration system.
The most basic vapor-compression refrigeration system consists of four major com
ponents: compressor, evaporator, condenser, and expansion device. Actual practic
al hardware contains many other critical components for reliable, trouble-free o
peration, such as a control system, high-pressure and low-pressure safety contro
ls, liquid receiver, accumulator, oil separator, crankcase pressure regulator, e
tc., but the four basic components are all that is needed to illustrate the poin
t of this section.
Refrigerant adsorbs energy (provides cooling) as it evaporates, that is, as it b
oils and turns from liquid to vapor. For pure refrigerants, if the refrigerant e
vaporates at a constant pressure, then evaporation occurs at a constant temperat
ure while both liquid and vapor are present. Likewise, refrigerant rejects energ
y (gives off heat) as it condenses from vapor to liquid. For pure refrigerants a
nd azeotropic mixtures, if the condensation occurs at a constant pressure, then
the condensation will occur at a constant temperature until all the vapor has co
ndensed to a liquid. Therefore, for evaporation or condensation, the temperature
and pressure are related by the pressure/temperature saturation curve. Table 2
presents saturation temperature/pressure data for CFC-11, CFC-12, HCFC-22, HFC-1
34a, CFC-500, CFC-502, and CFC-503. Table 3 presents temperature/pressure data f
or the new blends.
NOTE: A point of confusion regarding pressure units appears to frequently occur.
When discussing pressure in PSI (pounds per square inch), PSIG means pounds per
square inch gauge and PSIA means pounds per square inch absolute. The two numbe
rs differ by approximately 15 psi. A refrigeration gauge normally reads in units
of PSIG, that is, in normal air it will read a pressure of zero. However an abs
olute gauge would read a pressure of about 14.7 PSIA in this same location. In r
efrigeration, we typically talk about pressure above ambient in terms of PSI (wi
th the ambient being at zero PSI so it would be more correct to refer to the pre
ssure in PSIG.) Likewise we normally use inches of mercury to discuss vacuum lev
els with 29.9 being a complete vacuum (0 PSIA). Some of the new saturation chart
s for refrigerants are using the absolute pressure instead of the combination of
gauge pressure and vacuum in inches of mercury. To convert PSIA to PSIG simply
subtract 14.7 (or round to 15) from the PSIA reading to get the PSIG reading. Fo
r example 14.7 PSIA is 0.0 PSIG; normal atmospheric pressure, 164.7 PSIA can be
referred to as 150 PSIG. As a simple rule of thumb to convert inches of mercury
(the symbol for mercury is Hg) to PSIA, simply divide the value in inches of mer
cury by 2 and subtract it from 15 to get the approximate PSIA reading. For examp
le 5" Hg is about 12.5 PSIA (actually it is 12.2 PSIA), 10" Hg is about 10 PSIA
(actually it is 9.8 PSIA), and finally 15" Hg is about 7.5 PSIA (actually it is
7.3 PSIA).
If a technician has an unknown refrigerant in a recovery cylinder, and both liqu
id and vapor are present in the recovery cylinder, the refrigerant type can be v
erified by comparing the pressure and temperature with the saturation pressure/t
emperatures curves for the various refrigerants. For example, suppose the unknow
n refrigerant has a tank temperature of 80F and a tank pressure of 86 psig; refe
rring to Table 2, the refrigerant in the tank is HFC-134a. Similarly, for the sa
me tank temperature, the pressure would have to be 1.5 psig if the refrigerant w
as CFC-11, 84 psig if the refrigerant was CFC-12, 144 psig if the refrigerant wa
s HCFC-22, 102 psig if the refrigerant was CFC-500, and 161 psig if the refriger
ant was CFC-502. This technique will only work if the unknown refrigerant is pur
e and not contaminated with other refrigerants or non-condensable gases. If the
refrigerant is known, but the measured pressure is above the saturation pressure
(and both liquid and vapor are present in the tank), then the refrigerant is co
ntaminated with either non-condensable gases or another refrigerant. If recovery
of some vapor from the top of the tank removes or reduces this pressure discrep
ancy, then the problem was non-condensable gas, which was removed by the recover
y operation. Non-condensable gases will add to the refrigerant's partial pressur
e resulting in an increased total system pressure for the mixture. Similarly, if
the refrigerant is known, but the measured pressure is below the saturation pre
ssure (and both liquid and vapor are present in the tank), then the refrigerant
is contaminated with another refrigerant. If the pressure and temperature of the
unknown refrigerant does not agree with any of the known refrigerants and recov
ery of vapor from the recovery tank does not improve the problem, then the recov
ery tank most likely contains two or more refrigerants mixed together, and this
mixture cannot be recycled or reclaimed but must be destroyed at considerable ex
pense (it must be incinerated by an EPA-approved waste processing facility).
A brief discussion of the operating vapor-compression cycle is helpful to indica
te other potential refrigeration problems in real systems. In the basic cycle, s
lightly subcooled refrigerant leaves the condenser at high pressure and flows in
to the liquid receiver if one is present. The refrigerant then enters the thrott
ling device (capillary tube, TXV, etc.) where the pressure is dropped. It then e
nters the evaporator as a two-phase mixture (liquid and vapor) and evaporates or
boils at low temperature, adsorbing heat. Slightly superheated refrigerant vapo
r exits the evaporator and enters the suction line accumulator, if one is presen
t (used to trap any transient liquid slugs). The refrigerant vapor then enters t
he compressor where the pressure and temperature are increased as the compressor
compresses the refrigerant vapor. The vapor leaving the compressor is superheat
ed, and the compressor discharge is the hottest point in the cycle. This refrige
rant is cooled and condensed in the condenser where heat is rejected, and the re
frigerant is condensed to liquid. Refrigerant actually leaves the condenser slig
htly subcooled (subcooled liquid) to assure condensation has been complete. Any
non-condensable vapors in the system will be unable to condense in the condenser
and will appear as gas bubbles in the condensed liquid stream. These non-conden
sables may collect in the condenser and displace refrigerant from the condenser
heat exchanger, thereby reducing the effective surface area of the condenser.
Any water in the system will most likely freeze in the expansion valve because t
his is the point where refrigerant is cooled by the evaporation occurring as a r
esult of the sudden pressure drop, and the expansion device also represents the
smallest passageway in the overall system. This is the reason why filter-driers
are typically located just upstream of the expansion device.

Table 2. Pressure/Temperature Saturation Relationship for Common Refrigerants

 Pressure[psig]
Temperature [°F] CFC-11 CFC-12 HCFC-22 HCFC-123 HFC-125 HFC-134a
HFC-410A CFC-500 CFC-502 CFC-503
-20 27.0a 0.6 10.1 27.7a 20.0 3.7a 26.2 3.2 15.3
161.0
-15 26.5a 2.4 13.2 27.4a 24.1 0.0 31.0 5.4 18.8
177.0
-10 26.0a 4.5 16.5 26.9a 28.6 1.9 36.3 7.8 22.6
194.0
-5 24.5a 6.8 20.1 26.4a 33.4 4.1 42.0 10.4 26.7
212.0
0.0 27.70a 9.2 24.0 25.8a 39.6 6.3 48.4 13.3 31.1
230.0
10.0 23.1a 14.6 33.8 24.4a 50.4 11.6 62.4 19.7 41.0
271.8
20.0 21.1a 21.0 43.0 22.7a 64.0 18.0 78.7 27.2 52.5
318.5
30.0 18.6a 28.5 54.9 20.8a 79.6 25.6 97.4 36.0 65.6
370.6
40.0 15.6a 37.0 68.5 18.0a 97.4 34.5 118.8 46.0 80.5
428.2
50.0 12.0a 46.7 84.0 14.9a 117.6 44.9 143.2 57.5 97.4
491.7
60.0 7.8a 57.7 101.6 11.0a 140.4 56.9 170.7 70.6 116.4
561.0b
70.0 2.8a 70.2 121.4 6.6a 166.0 70.7 201.8 85.3 137.6
80.0 1.5 84.2 143.6 1.2a 192.6 86.4 236.5 101.9 161.2
90.0 4.9 99.8 168.4 2.5 226.4 104.2 275.4 120.5 187.4
100.0 8.8 117.2 195.9 6.1 261.7 124.3 318.5 141.1 216.2
a Indicates a vacuum in inches of mercury.
b Critical point @ 67F.

Table 3. Pressure/Temperature Saturation Relationship for Replacement Refrigeran

t Blends
R-401A
R-404A
R-407C
R-410A
Temperature
(F)
Liquid Phase Pressure (psig)
Vapor Phase Pressure (psig)
Liquid Phase Pressure (psig)
Vapor Phase Pressure (psig)
Liquid Phase Pressure (psig)
Vapor Phase Pressure (psig)
Liquid Phase Pressure (psig)
Vapor Phase Pressure (psig)
-50
14*
18*
0
0
3*
11*
5
5
-40
8*
14*
5
4
3
5*
11
11
-30
2*
9*
10
10
8
2
18
18
-20
3
2*
17
16
14
6
26
26
-10
7
3
25
24
21
12
36
36
0
13
7
34
33
29
19
48
48
10
19
13
44
43
40
28
62
62
20
27
20
57
55
51
38
79
78
30
36
27
71
69
65
50
97
97
40
46
36
87
85
80
63
119
118
50
58
47
105
104
98
79
143
143
60
71
59
126
124
118
97
171
170
70
86
73
149
147
141
117
202
201
80
103
88
175
173
166
141
237
236
90
122
106
204
202
194
167
275
274
100
143
126
237
235
225
196
319
318
110
167
148
273
270
260
229
366
365
120
193
172
312
310
299
266
419
418
130
221
200
356
354
341
307
478
477
140
253
230
404
402
387
352
543
541
150
286
263
457
455
437
402
614
613
* Indicates a vacuum in inches of mercury.

REVIEW TOPICS
- Since December 31, 1995, CFCs can no longer be manufactured or imported into t
he United States, and supplies of CFC refrigerant for equipment servicing can ON
LY come from recovery, recycling, and reclamation.
- After the production bans, recovery of refrigerants is necessary in order to p
rovide adequate refrigeration supplies for service applications, as well as to p
revent venting to the atmosphere and the resulting ozone depletion.
- Since July 1, 1992, it has been illegal to knowingly release CFC or HCFC refri
gerants during the service, maintenance, repair or disposal of appliances.
- Since November 15, 1995, it has been illegal to vent substitutes for CFC and H
CFC refrigerants.
- The equipment covered by the EPA regulations includes all air conditioning and
refrigeration equipment, as well as any other equipment containing and using re
frigerants.
- The component of a refrigeration system that changes a high-pressure vapor to
a high-pressure liquid is the condenser.
- The state of the refrigerant entering the compressor of a refrigeration system
 is low-pressure superheated vapor.
- The component that changes a low-pressure vapor to a high-pressure vapor is th
e compressor.
- Because the refrigerant flow is used for cooling in a hermetic compressor, the
compressor must never be operated when the system is evacuated (or when there i
s a dehydration vacuum in the system). Due to the absence of refrigerant, there
will be no cooling; this leads to rapid motor burn out.
- Oil foaming may occur in the compressor of a refrigeration system.
- Remember always recover or recycle refrigerant, keep systems tight, and find a
nd repair leaks.
- Electronic and ultrasonic testers are assumed by the EPA as the most effective
method for locating the general area of SMALL leaks.
- After evacuation, a failure of the system to hold a vacuum indicates that a le
ak exists in the system or that trapped refrigerant and/or water may be boiling
off. If the internal pressure rises above ambient pressure, boil-off is occurrin
g because a leak would not raise the pressure above ambient pressure.
- When evacuating a system, the use of too large of a vacuum pump could cause tr
apped water to freeze.
- The system vacuum gauge should be connected as far as possible from the vacuum
pump.
- Vacuum lines (hoses) should be equal to or larger than the pump intake connect
ion, and they should be as short as possible.
- A system is not dehydrated until a vacuum gauge (not the inaccurate manifold l
ow-pressure gauge) shows you have reached and HELD the required finished vacuum
with the system isolated from the vacuum pump.
- The final system vacuum level is measured with the system isolated and the vac
uum pump turned off.
- Always isolate the system and relieve the vacuum on the vacuum pump (by loosen
ing the hose connections, for example) before turning the pump off. Otherwise va
cuum pump oil may be drawn out of the vacuum pump and into the lines or system.
- During dehydration of a refrigeration system, the refrigeration system can be
heated to decrease dehydration time.
- Whenever a technician is working with any unknown solvents, chemicals, or refr
igerants, the technician should always review the material safety data sheets, w
hich by law should be shipped by the manufacturer with these compounds.
- Refrigerant vapors or mist in high concentrations should not be inhaled becaus
e they have been demonstrated to cause heart irregularities or unconsciousness i
n some people. Note warnings on the packaging. Refrigerants are heavier than air
and can displace the air in a room, leaving no breathing air and leading to asp
hyxia. In most refrigerant accidents where death occurs, the major cause is oxyg
en deprivation.
- When pressurizing a refrigeration system with nitrogen, always use a pressure
regulator and never charge with liquid nitrogen (only charge with nitrogen vapor
).
- When corrosion build up is found within the body of a relief valve, the valve
must be replaced, NOT repaired.
- Never use oxygen or compressed air to leak-check hardware because some refrige
rants, including R-410A, when mixed with air or oxygen, can explode.
- Approved refrigerant recovery cylinders can be identified by yellow tops and g
ray bodies. It is a good idea to paint a color-stripe around the cylinder to ind
icate the type of recovered refrigerant contained inside and to utilize two reco
very cylinders (one clean recycled, one dirty not recycled) for each refrigerant
used by the technician. Reusable refrigerant containers that are under high pre
ssure (above 15 psig at normal ambient temperature) must be hydrostatically test
ed and date stamped every five years.
- The MOST IMPORTANT reason NEVER to heat a refrigerant storage or recovery tank
with an open flame is that the tank may explode and seriously injure people in
the vicinity.
- When servicing a small appliance for leak repair, it is not mandatory to repai
r the leak but do so whenever possible.
- You can determine safe pressure for leak testing a system from the low-side te
st-pressure data-plate value.
- Refrigerant recovery devices must be equipped with low-loss fittings, which ar
e fittings that are used to connect the recovery device to an appliance and whic
h can be manually closed or which close automatically when disconnected to preve
nt loss of refrigerant from hoses.
- All appliances must be equipped with a service aperture or other device that i
s used when adding or removing refrigerant from the appliance. For small applian
ces, this service port is typically a straight piece of tubing (process-stub) th
at is entered using a piercing access valve. The major purpose of this requireme
nt is to make it easier to recover refrigerant.
- A standard vacuum pump can only be used as a recovery device in combination wi
th a non-pressurized container.
- After installing and opening a piercing access valve, if the system pressure i
s 0 psig do not begin the recovery procedure because all the refrigerant has lea
ked out, and the air and moisture in the system would contaminate the recovery t
ank's refrigerant.
- Sulfur dioxide, methyl chloride, and methyl formate, which are refrigerants us
ed in some refrigerators built before 1950, should not be recovered with current
recovery hardware. Likewise, ammonia, hydrogen, and water may be present in ref
rigerators used in small appliances in campers or other recreational vehicles an
d should not be recovered with current recovery devices.
- Piercing-type valves are recommended for use only on copper and aluminum tubin
g. Solderless piercing valves are not recommended, they leak over time.
- According to the EPA, a refrigerant leak detector should be used daily to chec
k for leaks on a recovery device.
- Small amounts of refrigerant have no odor. When a pungent odor is detected dur
ing a sealed system recovery and/or repair, a compressor burn-out has likely occ
urred.
- AFTER recovering refrigerant from a sealed system (but never before recovering
the refrigerant), if nitrogen is used to pressurize or blow debris out of the s
ystem, the nitrogen can be vented because air is predominantly nitrogen.
- When you check system pressures to determine the performance of a refrigerant,
always use equipment such as hand valves or self-sealing hoses to minimize refr
igerant release.
- When filling a charging cylinder, refrigerant that is vented off the top of th
e cylinder must be recovered.
- At high temperatures (i.e., open flames, glowing metal surfaces, etc.), R-12 a
nd R-22 can decompose to form hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids.
- If moisture remains in an operating refrigeration system, acid will form.
- If a large leak of refrigerant occurs, such as from a filled cylinder in an en
closed area, and no self-contained breathing apparatus is available, then the ar
ea should be vacated and ventilated.
- When first inspecting a hermetic system known to be leaking, you should look f
or traces of oil because this is an excellent indication of leaks.
- The rotating shaft seal on an open-type compressor is likely to leak if the un
it is not used for several months. Operating the unit for a short period of time
monthly will significantly reduce the leakage.
- When a refrigerant leak check trace gas becomes absolutely necessary, only HCF
C-22 refrigerant can be used as the trace gas. Never use any other refrigerant a
s the trace gas. Use only a small quantity of the trace gas in combination with
nitrogen to pressurize the system and inspect for leaks. Never use air or oxygen
to pressurize the trace gas.
- Remember, always recover or recycle refrigerant, keep systems tight, and find
and repair leaks
- The EPA suggests evacuation of a system as a method of dehydration.
- Dehydrating a refrigeration system is done to remove water and water vapor.
- While servicing an A/C system, if a technician discovers that a CFC refrigeran
t was added to an HFC system, the technician should recover the mixed contaminat
ed CFC/HFC refrigerant into a separate tank since this refrigerant cannot be reu
sed and must be destroyed at an approved facility. (It is typically impossible o
r much too expensive to reclaim.)
- Long hoses between the unit and the recovery machine should not be used becaus
e they cause excessive pressure drop, increased recovery time and increased emis
sions.
- There is no such thing as over-evacuation.
- Turn on the defrost heater on a frost-free refrigerator to vaporize any trappe
d liquid. This will speed the recovery process and ensure that all refrigerant h
as been removed.
- When using recovery cylinders and equipment with Schraeder valves, it is criti
cal to inspect the Schraeder valve core for bends and breakage, cap the Schraede
r ports to prevent accidental depression of the valve core and replace a damaged
Schraeder valve core to prevent leakage.
- When a new system has been assembled and is ready for testing, the first thing
that you should do is pressurize the system with an inert gas and leak check.
- If a system is opened for servicing, the filter drier should always be replace
d.
- When evacuating a vapor compression system, the vacuum pump should be capable
of pulling a vacuum of 500 microns (which is 0.5 mm of mercury). One mm of mercu
ry = 0.039 inch of mercury = 1,000 micron.
- Non-condensables in a refrigeration system result in a higher discharge pressu
re.
- Every refrigerating system and refrigerant cylinder must be protected by a pre
ssure-relief device. Never connect a pressurized gas to a system without a press
ure relieving device in either the downstream system or line.
- Refrigerant is added to a centrifugal machine through the evaporator charging
valve.
- Technician certification should ensure that the technician knows how to handle
refrigerant in a safe manner without exhausting it to the atmosphere.
- A passive system-dependent recovery device captures the refrigerant in a non-
pressurized container or recovery bag. A passive recovery device can be used on
systems with operative or inoperative compressors.

SECTION V: Recovery, Recycling, and Reclamation

REFRIGERANT PROCESSING OPTIONS
Recover and Destroy
In some instances, a refrigerant is so badly contaminated or mixed with other re
frigerants that effective reclaiming of these refrigerants is impossible. Becaus
e the stability of CFCs has made them difficult to destroy, this is an expensive
option. Yet sometimes because of contamination with other chemicals, the reclam
ation and separation of refrigerants from their contaminates is impossible.
Once refrigerants are mixed, they can never be used again. The only option is to
destroy the refrigerants, and the only method is incineration an expensive opti
on. CFCs are difficult to destroy because of their inherent stability and the re
lease of fluorine during the incineration process. The incineration process must
be able to contain the released fluorine. Always send refrigerant to an authori
zed treatment facility for destruction. Even waste oils containing high amounts
of refrigerant can be harmful and destructive.
Recover and Reuse Without Processing
In many instances, the refrigerant in a system is still in good condition. This
refrigerant can be removed from the system, and the repair or maintenance perfor
med on the system and the refrigerant can be transferred back into the unit. For
a small system, many technicians return recovered refrigerant back into a syste
m without any processing or testing.
Recover and Recycle
When conditions of a system indicate that the refrigerant is deficient, the refr
igerant may need to be processed to remove contaminants. Recycling machines can
remove non-condensable gases, oil, acid, and water and can typically purify a re
frigerant to the purity levels of new refrigerants. However, these fluids are no
t reclaimed unless they are tested and meet ARI-700 purity requirements. Recycli
ng without purity testing works best in small operating appliances where the amo
unt of refrigerant and the value of the equipment do not warrant a hundred-dolla
r investment in refrigerant test data and ownership of the refrigerant is not ch
anging.
Refrigerant recovered and/or recycled can be returned to the same system or othe
r systems owned by the same person without restriction. However, since August 12
, 1993, the EPA has required that if the refrigerant changes ownership, then the
refrigerant has to be cleaned to the ARI-700 standard of purity AND chemically
analyzed to verify that it meets this standard. This process is referred to as r
eclamation (not recycling), and refrigerant meeting these conditions is referred
to as being reclaimed.
Recovered or recycled refrigerant cannot be transferred from an appliance owned
by one person (person here means a person, corporation, partnership, or any othe
r legal entity) to an appliance owned by a different person. That means, it cann
ot be sold or given free to the second person. The refrigerant must be certified
to meet the purity requirements of ARI-700 before it can legally be put in to a
second owner's equipment (except for a transfer into a second owner's recovery,
recycling, and reclamation equipment). Some technicians have wrongly believed t
hat they could transfer the refrigerant into a different owner's equipment if it
was not sold. This is incorrect;refrigerant cannot be transferred unless it is
certified pure to ARI-700 Standards. This rule does not apply to automotive (MVA
C and MVAC-like) applications; they have to meet SAE (Society of Automotive Engi
neers) purity standards.
Reclamation
The EPA requires that if refrigerant changes ownership, then the refrigerant has
to be cleaned to the ARI-700 standard of purity AND chemically analyzed to veri
fy that it meets this standard. This process is referred to as reclamation, and
refrigerant meeting these conditions is referred to as being reclaimed.
First, a refrigerant is considered "reclaimed" if, and only if, it is certified
to the purity standards of ARI-700. In other words, if tests on the purity of th
e refrigerant show the refrigerant is clean (to ARI-700 standards), it is deemed
reclaimed no matter what process, if any, was used to clean it. Refrigerant tha
t is tested and meets ARI-700 purity standards meets the same purity standards a
s virgin refrigerant, and can be used in any application where virgin refrigeran
t is used without limiting manufacturers' warranties.

REFRIGERANT SPECIFICATIONS
Mobile and stationary systems have different refrigerant specifications. The Soc
iety of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has developed standards for the recycling of
refrigerants (SAE J-1991) that can be returned to mobile air-conditioning system
s. The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) has developed the ARI-
700 standard for new or reclaimed refrigerants used in stationary equipment that
will maintain the equipment warranties and ensure compliance with the manufactu
rers' standards for air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.

REFRIGERANT RECOVERY METHODS

Recovering refrigerant is the first step in preventive maintenance or repair of
equipment. Simply put, recovery means transferring the system's refrigerant into
a refillable refrigerant cylinder. Recovered refrigerant may require further pr
ocessing before it can be returned to the system. Only commercially available re
covery equipment that has been certified (by an independent laboratory test appr
oved by the EPA) to meet ARI-740 performance standards should be used for recove
ry or recycling.
A variety of designs are currently available. Some remove refrigerant in vapor f
orm (and condense it in the recovery machine), they are very slow. Others remove
liquid and vapor but do not separate the system's oil from the refrigerant. Whe
n the oil is not removed, the refrigerant cannot be reused reliably because the
quantity of oil introduced into the refrigerant is unknown. Finally, the best re
covery method removes both liquid and vapor, and separates the system's waste oi
l.
The fastest method to remove refrigerant from a system is to take it out in the
liquid state. In the liquid state it occupies a smaller volume per pound of refr
igerant. Large systems may have a liquid receiver where most of the charge is co
llected.
The slowest method of removing refrigerant is to remove it as a vapor. When reco
vering refrigerant as a vapor, a recovery or recycling unit can remove the vapor
faster if the hoses and valve ports are not restricted and if a greater pressur
e difference can be created. The warmer the system, the warmer and more dense th
e vapor, which allows the compressor in the recovery unit to transfer more refri
gerant in a minute. As pressure in the system is reduced, the vapor becomes less
dense, and the unit capacity is reduced. More time is required as the system's
pressure drops. For example, when removing CFC-12 from a system, if saturated va
por is removed at 70 psig, only 0.482 cubic feet of refrigerant vapor must be re
moved to remove 1 lb. of refrigerant. When pressure in the system is reduced to
20 psig, 1.147 cubic feet of vapor must be removed to remove 1 lb. of refrigeran
t. When the pressure is reduced to 0 psig refrigerant is still in the system, ho
wever 2.54 cubic feet of refrigerant vapor must be removed to remove 1 lb. of re
frigerant. The recovery/recycle unit slows down as the refrigerant pressure drop
s because the compressor's volumetric pumping rate is a constant.
Under ARI-740 performance standards, recovery and recycling units are evaluated
for liquid and vapor recovery from a standard test stand. These recovery rates a
re useful for comparison of individual units but do not exactly reflect the reco
very rates attainable in actual practice because of different hose lengths, syst
em temperatures, and internal system restrictions. Nevertheless, because of the
greater density of liquid refrigerant, the liquid recovery rate is faster than t
he vapor recovery rate.
Typically, liquid refrigerant cannot be allowed to enter the compressor of a rec
overy unit because compressor knocking and damage will occur. Different manufact
urers use varying methods to prevent this from occurring. However, even on those
systems that can accommodate direct liquid input into a recovery unit, faster r
ecovery rates are usually obtained if a push-pull liquid recovery method is used
. For small appliances, the total quantity of refrigerant is quite small (less t
han 5 pounds) and the push-pull method is not recommended because the time to ch
ange hoses (between push-pull and direct recovery) will exceed the time saved by
the more efficient recovery. A push-pull recovery only removes liquid refrigera
nt and must be followed by a direct vapor recovery to reach the required evacuat
ion levels.
A push-pull method of removing refrigerant is accomplished by connecting the liq
uid line fitting on the system to a liquid line fitting on the recovery tank. Th
e suction line of the recovery unit is connected to the vapor fitting on the rec
overy tank, and a connection is then made from the discharge (outlet) of the rec
overy unit back to the system. When the unit is started, vapor is drawn out of t
he recovery tank from the vapor port of the tank and condensed in the recovery u
nit. A very small amount of liquid is then pushed back into the system where it
flashes to a vapor to build pressure and push more liquid from the system and in
to the recovery tank. A sight glass in the liquid line between the system and li
quid-connection of the recovery tank is useful for monitoring the liquid recover
y. When no more liquid is being recovered, the recovery unit is reconnected for
direct vapor recovery. In spite of the fact that the push-pull recovery method i
s faster, there is time associated with changing the hose connections between pu
sh-pull liquid and direct vapor recovery. Mainstream recommends direct vapor rec
overy if the system contains less than 2-3 lbs. of refrigerant and push-pull liq
uid recovery is recommended for larger quantities. Check with your recovery equi
pment manufacturer for recommendations concerning your specific unit.
Remember, when the liquid is removed, it contains oil. In a push-pull configurat
ion, this oil will be trapped in the recovery cylinder, whereas in direct liquid
recovery, it will be trapped in the recovery unit's oil separator (assuming you
r recovery unit has an oil separator). There is no requirement for a recovery or
recycling machine to have an oil separator.
Always follow the manufacturer's specific instructions while using their recover
y, recycling, and any other equipment; they know the capabilities of their equip
ment. When using tanks that do not have an internal liquid-level control, the op
erator must monitor the weight of the external tank (using a refrigerant scale)
and only fill this tank to 80% of its rated full-tank capacity. Overfilling a ta
nk can cause the tank to rupture (as the tank heats during the day, the liquid c
ontained in the tank has no room for expansion).

RECOVERY/RECYCLING SYSTEMS
Two types of recycling equipment are currently being sold. The first is referred
to as single pass and the other is multiple pass. Single pass recycling machine
s typically process refrigerant only once through filter-driers. Multiple pass m
achines recirculate the recovered refrigerant many times through filter-driers.
Recirculation systems are, of course, more flexible and more effective because t
he amount of filtering can be controlled by the operator, and can be based on th
e results of moisture and acid tests, which are performed during recycling.
Recirculating and recycling are not interchangeable terms. Recycling machines do
not necessarily recirculate the refrigerant (see above definitions). Recycling
is the process; recirculating is one mechanism of recycling. There has been far
more scrutiny of the appropriate use of recycled refrigerant with the advent of
recycling machines.
A few guidelines are available to use when choosing recycling equipment and dete
rmining when to use it. The general rule is that refrigerant can be recycled whe
n removed from a system and returned to that same system or another system owned
by the same person. The forward of ARI-700-88, Standard for Fluorocarbon Refrig
erants, states, "This standard does not apply where refrigerant captured from a
particular system is returned on site to the same system." (The EPA has eased th
is requirement to be the same owner.)
Any person using recycling equipment should address a variety of issues. First,
decide if the refrigerant will be returned to the same system. If the system is
being dismantled, for example, other factors must be considered.
If the refrigerant is to be returned to the same system, the next issue is the c
ondition of the refrigerant. When oil is separated from the refrigerant, a vast
majority of the contaminants are also removed. Most refrigerant recycling machin
es use filter/dryers to remove any other moisture and acid as well as hard parti
cles. Then, generally the refrigerant can be returned to the system. However, if
the quantity of refrigerant contained in the system is significant the refriger
ant should be tested for purity to ARI-700 standards by a testing laboratory.
A real problem exists when a burnout occurs in a hermetic compressor. A burnout
is caused by an electrical failure inside the compressor of a refrigeration syst
em. This electrical failure can be due to a variety of reasons and contamination
of the refrigerant in this situation can range from mild to severe. However, oi
l is the real villain in a burnout. When dealing with a burnout, regardless of w
hat kind of machine, use caution! The oil can be very acidic and toxic. Anyone w
ho has been in contact with its distinctive odor, a classic symptom, can attest
to that. The best approach is to keep the acid oil from ever reaching the recycl
ing machine. Use a recovery or recycling system with initial oil separation to r
emove the waste oil, or if your recovery machine does not separate the incoming
oil, use a dual-valve recovery tank as an oil-separator on the inlet line to the
recovery system. Waste oil should be drained from the recycling or recovery mac
hine during the recovery operation.
If any doubt exists as to the suitability of the refrigerant, do not return it t
o the system. Recycle the questionable refrigerant and have its purity tested. A
lways add new or reclaimed refrigerant if the amount of recycled refrigerant is
not enough for correct system operation. Additional refrigerant will probably be
needed every time the system has had a leak. Recycled refrigerant cannot be rep
resented as new. No matter how clean the refrigerant or how sophisticated the re
covery, recycling, or reclamation machine, the refrigerant must be tested and me
et the purity standards of ARI-700 before it can be called reclaimed and sold or
transferred (change ownership) into a refrigeration or air conditioning system
of a different owner.
Even if the refrigerant is not changing ownership, use of refrigerant that is no
t certified to meet ARI-700 purity standards will invalidate the manufacturer's
warranty. The refrigeration technician could be liable for damages arising out o
f introducing impure refrigerant into a system. Have the refrigerant tested; don
't risk thousands of dollars in equipment and refrigerant costs to try to save o
n a $200 test. Obviously, for a small system, testing does not make economic sen
se and the technician must use good judgment. Technician experience is the best
guide. Check for acid content with Mainstream's QwikCheck.
Recovering Refrigerant from Appliances
Recovering refrigerant from appliances may be an easier job than from larger sys
tems because not as much refrigerant is involved. Small appliances contain less
than five pounds of refrigerant and only 80% to 90% of the charge needs to be re
moved from appliances (see Section III).
Refrigerant bags are available for recovery of refrigerant from small appliances
. These bags are plastic and will hold the charge of several refrigerators. The
technician must have enough room in the service truck to haul the bag. When a ba
g is full, it may be taken to the shop and the refrigerant transferred into a re
cycling machine or into a reclaim cylinder.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
1. Always wear protective goggles when working with refrigerant. If liquid refri
gerant gets in your eye, permanent blindness may result.
2. Do not allow refrigerant to come in contact with your skin. Refrigerant has a
very low boiling point, which will cause frostbite.
3. All refrigerant handling, charging, and recycling operations should be perfor
med in locations with adequate ventilation of at least four air changes per hour
. Avoid prolonged breathing of the vapor. Prolonged inhalation of refrigerant is
extremely dangerous; death can occur without warning.
4. Do not use a recovery unit in the vicinity of spilled or open containers of g
asoline, thinners, or any other flammable liquid or vapor unless the equipment i
s expressly designed (explosion proof designs) for such environments. Do not ope
rate where flammable vapor is present.
5. Do not leave any recovery or recycling machine on and unsupervised.
6. Do not attempt to fill any vessels, containers, cylinders, charging equipment
, or storage tanks that are not D.O.T.-approved and equipped with a safety-vent
valve. Do not transfer refrigerant to non-refillable cylinders.
7. Do not fill any storage tank or vessel with refrigerant beyond 80% of its cap
acity.
8. Do not disconnect or tamper with the electrical high-pressure, low-pressure,
or liquid-level safety shut-off.
Guidelines for Filling Cylinders
- Disposable cylinders may be used for shipment of original refrigerant only.
They are never permitted for any further use.
- OSHA (U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires that com
pressed gas cylinders be used only by individuals who are trained in the proper
handling and safe use of these cylinders.
- Never mix one refrigerant (or gas) with another type of refrigerant. These
mixtures may be very difficult to separate once they are mixed and consequently
must be destroyed rather than reclaimed.
- Use personal protective equipment, such as side-shield safety glasses, glov
es, and safety shoes, when filling and handling cylinders.
- Avoid skin contact with refrigerant.
- Be aware that inhalation of high concentrations of refrigerant vapor is har
mful and may cause heart irregularities, unconsciousness, or death. Because vapo
r is heavier than air, avoid low areas without suitable ventilation.
- Exercise caution when moving cylinders.
Cylinder Inspection
Prior to filling, a cylinder should be inspected for signs of damage, such as de
nts or corrosion. Do not fill a damaged cylinder.
A recovery cylinder should not be filled if the present date is more than five y
ears past the test date that is stamped on the shoulder of the cylinder. The tes
t date will look similar to the example below:
A1
12 99
23
The designation in the example above indicates that the cylinder was re-tested i
n December 1999 by re-tester number A123. If a cylinder is out of date, it must
not be filled, promptly return it to the cylinder owner for re-testing by an app
roved test laboratory. As stated earlier in this text, liquid refrigerant will e
xpand as its temperature increases. If the cylinder is overfilled, thermal expan
sion of the liquid could rupture the cylinder.
After filling, verify that all cylinder valves are closed properly and capped to
prevent leaks during subsequent handling and shipment.
Shipping Procedures
The U.S. EPA does not characterize used refrigerants as hazardous waste. Most st
ates share this view and, consequently, require no special procedures for used r
efrigerant shipments. However, any individual state may require special shipping
procedures based on its own waste classification of used refrigerants. Shippers
should contact the appropriate state agency to determine whether special state
shipping instructions apply. The following information is intended as a guide, b
ut is not complete for shipping used refrigerants that are classified as a hazar
dous waste.
All used refrigerant containers must be properly labeled, not just the ones you
are planning to ship, and this regulation includes the yellow and gray recovery
tanks. Cylinders and drums should be labeled prior to filling. Never fill a cyli
nder or drum that is not labeled for that material. Unlabeled containers in your
truck could be dangerous and are illegal. In the event of an accident, most eme
rgency personnel are instructed to avoid unidentified containers or cylinders, a
nd to wait for a Hazardous Materials Response Team to arrive and identify the co
ntents of the containers. This could cause unnecessary delays.
REVIEW TOPICS
- Disposing of disposable cylinders is accomplished by assuring that all refrige
rant is recovered and that the cylinders are rendered useless (punctured), then
recycle the metal.
- Before you dispose of any appliance containing a refrigerant, you must recover
the refrigerant.
- Service technicians who violate Clean Air Act provisions can be fined, lose th
eir certification, and face Federal charges.
- Violation of the Clean Air Act, including the knowing release of refrigerant d
uring the maintenance, service, repair, or disposal of appliances, can result in
fines up to $32,500 per day per violation.
- Recovery of refrigerants is necessary to provide adequate refrigeration suppli
es for service applications after the production bans, as well as to prevent the
venting to the atmosphere and the resulting ozone depletion.
- Since July 1, 1992, to knowingly release CFC or HCFC refrigerants during the s
ervice, maintenance, repair, or disposal of appliances has been illegal.
- November 1995, the EPA determined that venting substitute refrigerants poses a
threat to the environment. Venting of substitutes for CFC and HCFC refrigerants
is illegal.
- Under EPA regulations, reclaimed refrigerant must meet ARI 700 standards for p
urity before it can be resold.
- "System-dependent" recovery devices are so named because they depend on compon
ents of the system. That is, they capture refrigerant with the assistance of com
ponents in the air conditioning or refrigeration equipment they are emptying.
- All devices used for refrigerant recovery must meet EPA standards.
- The equipment covered by EPA regulations includes all air conditioning and ref
rigeration equipment containing and using refrigerants.
- "Self-contained" recovery devices can capture liquid and/or vapor refrigerant
without the assistance of components in the air conditioning or refrigeration eq
uipment.
- The proper charging method for blended (non-azeotropic) refrigerants (400 Seri
es) is to use a remove the charge from the cylinder as a liquid. Typical blends
(except R-410A) will leak from a system in uneven amounts due to the different v
apor pressures of the components, and therefore they should not be topped off. H
owever, while R-410A is a blend (thus the 400 series designation), it behaves as
a near azeotropic refrigerant, and can be topped off, unlike other 400 series r
efrigerants (R-410A should still be removed from the cylinder as a liquid.).
- Hygroscopic means affinity for water, so hygroscopic oils are oils with a high
affinity for water.
- The center port on a three-port manifold is used for recovery, evacuation, and
charging.
- Remember, always recover or recycle refrigerant, keep systems tight, and find
and repair leaks.
- Recovered refrigerant can contain acids, oils and/or moisture.
- According to the EPA, an oil sample should be taken whenever the unit has had
a leak or a major component failure.
- Recycling is defined as the cleaning of refrigerant for reuse by oil separatio
n and single or multiple passes through moisture absorption devices.
- Reclamation is defined as processing refrigerant to a level equal to new produ
ct specifications as determined by chemical analysis (testing to ARI-700 standar
ds).
- Recovery is defined as transferring refrigerant in any condition from a system
to a storage container without testing or purifying the refrigerant in any way.
- When addressing consumer complaints regarding additional service expense due t
o recovery efforts, the technician needs to explain to the customer that recover
y is necessary to protect human health and the environment, that recovery is req
uired by federal law, that all professional service personnel are duty-bound to
follow the law and protect the environment, and that there are substantial fines
of $32,500/occurrence/day for anyone venting refrigerant.
- When recovering refrigerant, do not mix different refrigerants because the mix
ture will be impossible to reclaim. In cases where refrigerant cannot be reclaim
ed, it must be destroyed. Only one refrigerant type can be recovered into a cyli
nder at a time.
- A system is not dehydrated until a vacuum gauge shows that you have reached an
d HELD the required finished vacuum.
- During dehydration of a refrigeration system, the refrigeration system can be
heated to decrease dehydration time.
- The system vacuum level is measured with the system isolated.
- After completing the transfer of liquid refrigerant between the recovery unit
and the refrigeration system, be careful to avoid trapping liquid refrigerant be
tween service valves of the refrigerant hose because pressure can build up in th
e line and burst the hose.
- Whenever working with any unknown solvents, chemicals, or refrigerants, always
review the material safety data sheets, which by law should be shipped by the m
anufacturer with these compounds.
- Refrigerant vapors or mist in high concentrations should not be inhaled becaus
e they can cause heart irregularities or unconsciousness in some people. Note th
e warnings on the packaging. Refrigerants are heavier than air and can displace
the air in a room, leaving no breathing air in the room (leading to asphyxia). I
n most refrigerant accidents where death occurs, the major cause is oxygen depri
vation.
- Approved refrigerant recovery cylinders can be identified by yellow tops and g
ray bodies. It is a good idea to paint a color-stripe around the cylinder to ind
icate the type of recovered refrigerant contained inside, and to utilize two rec
overy cylinders (one clean recycled, one dirty not-recycled) for each refrigeran
t handled by the technician. Reusable containers for refrigerants that are under
high pressure (above 15 psig at normal ambient temperature) must be hydrostatic
ally tested and date-stamped every five years.
- All refrigerant tanks, including recovery tanks, should be labeled to show the
ir contents.
- A refillable refrigerant cylinder must not be filled above 80% (by weight) of
its full capacity.
- When transporting cylinders containing used refrigerant, D.O.T. requires D.O.T
. classification tags be attached.
- Refrigerant cylinders should be stored vertically during shipping.
- Before transferring refrigerant to an empty cylinder, the cylinder should be e
vacuated.
- Small appliance recovery equipment manufactured on or after November 15, 1993,
must be certified to be capable of recovering 80% of the refrigerant when the s
ystem's compressor has failed, or achieving a 4-inch vacuum under the conditions
of ARI 740-1993.
- Small appliance recovery equipment manufactured on or after November 15, 1993,
must be certified to be capable of recovering 90% of the refrigerant when the s
ystem's compressor is operational, or achieving a 4-inch vacuum under the condit
ions of ARI 740-1993.
- Since, November 14, 1994, technicians servicing refrigeration hardware must be
certified in refrigerant recovery.
- Since November 14, 1994, the sale of CFC and HCFC refrigerants has been restri
cted to technicians certified in refrigerant recovery.
- The EPA may require technicians to demonstrate their ability to perform proper
refrigerant recovery and recycling procedures. Failure to demonstrate proper pr
ocedures may result in revocation of the technician's certification.
- When servicing a small appliance for leak repair, it is not mandatory to repai
r the leak but do so whenever possible.
- Refrigerant recovery devices must be equipped with low-loss fittings that are
used to connect the recovery device to an appliance and which can be manually cl
osed or which close automatically when disconnected to prevent loss of refrigera
nt from hoses.
- All appliances must be equipped with a service aperture or other device that i
s used when adding or removing refrigerant from the appliance. For small applian
ces, this service port typically is a straight piece of tubing that is entered u
sing a piercing access valve.
- An accurate pressure reading of the refrigerant inside a recovery cylinder is
necessary to determine if excessive air or other non-condensables are in the cyl
inder.
- When a reclamation facility receives a tank of mixed refrigerant, it may refus
e to process the refrigerant and return it at the owner's expense, or it may agr
ee to destroy the refrigerant, but typically a substantial fee is charged.
- A standard vacuum pump can only be used as a recovery device in combination wi
th a non-pressurized container.
- After installing and opening a piercing access valve, if the system pressure i
s 0 psig, do not begin the recovery procedure because all of the refrigerant has
leaked out, and air and moisture in the system will contaminate the recovery ta
nk's refrigerant.
- Because small amounts of refrigerant have no odor, when a pungent odor is dete
cted during a sealed system recovery and/or repair, a compressor burn-out has li
kely occurred.
- After recovering refrigerant from a sealed system, if nitrogen is used to pres
surize or blow debris out of the system, the nitrogen can be vented because air
is predominantly nitrogen.
- When you check system pressures to determine the performance of a refrigerant,
use equipment such as hand valves or self-sealing hoses to minimize any refrige
rant release.
- When filling a charging cylinder, the refrigerant that is vented off the top o
f the cylinder must be recovered.
- D.O.T. Regulation 49 CFR requires the number of cylinders of each gas be recor
ded on the shipping document for hazard class 2.2, Nonflammable Compressed Gases
.
- If a large leak of refrigerant occurs, such as from a filled cylinder in an en
closed area and no self-contained breathing apparatus is available, the area sho
uld be vacated and ventilated.
- Recovering refrigerant from a system in the vapor phase will minimize the loss
of oil from the system.
- Most refrigerant and recycling machines require a regular oil and filter chang
e.
- Removal of the refrigerant charge from a system can be accomplished more quick
ly by cooling the recovery tank by packing it in ice.
- Recovery during low ambient temperatures will slow the recovery process becaus
e the vapor pressure of the refrigerant and the refrigerant's density are lowere
d as the temperature is lowered. Some technicians incorrectly believe the cooler
temperatures will shorten recovery time because the recovery tank is cooler, bu
t this is not true. It is correct that a cooler recovery tank speeds recovery co
mpared to a warm recovery tank but if both the system and the recovery tank are
cooler then the disadvantage of the lower pressure on the suction side of the re
covery compressor far outweigh the benefit of the lower pressure in the recovery
tank. For fastest recovery, we want a hot system and a cold recovery tank.
- In a system that utilizes a thermal expansion valve, the liquid receiver direc
tly follows the condenser.
- The accumulator directly follows the evaporator of a refrigeration system.
- The gauge port can be closed by backseating a suction shutoff valve.
- Before using a recovery unit to remove a charge, always check service valve po
sitions, evacuate the recovery unit/receiver, and check the recovery unit oil le
vel.
- The state of refrigerant leaving the receiver of a refrigeration system is hig
h pressure liquid.
- The evaporator, suction line and accumulator are all parts of the low side of
a refrigeration system.
- Recycling or recovery equipment using a hermetic compressor has the potential
to overheat when drawing deep vacuums because the compressor motor relies on the
flow of refrigerant through the compressor for cooling.
- When recovering R-134a, as well other refrigerants, special precautions must b
e taken to avoid contamination of the R-134a with oil from the other refrigerant
s. We recommend that a set of hoses, gauges, vacuum pump, recovery cylinders, re
covery machine, and oil containers be dedicated for R-134a only.
- After reaching the required recovery vacuum on an appliance, turn off the reco
very device (isolate the system) and wait for a few minutes to see if the system
pressure rises, indicating that there is either refrigerant in liquid form, ref
rigerant trapped in the oil, or a leak in the system.
- Appliances containing refrigerant can be evacuated to atmospheric pressure, in
stead of sub-atmospheric pressures, when leaks in the appliance make evacuation
to the EPA-prescribed level unattainable because air would be drawn into the rec
overy device from its surroundings.
- When evacuating a vapor compression system, the vacuum pump should be capable
of pulling a vacuum of 500 microns. One mm of mercury = 0.039 inch of mercury =
1,000 micron.
- Non-condensables in a refrigeration system result in a higher discharge pressu
re.
- Using a heater on a recovery vessel increases the head pressure and increases
the speed of charging refrigerant from the recovery vessel back into the system
during system charging.
- Cooling the recovery vessel reduces the recovery vessel head pressure and incr
eases the speed of refrigerant recovery from a system and into the recovery vess
el.
- If you have to leak check a unit that has lost a complete charge, the leak che
ck gas that would cause the least damage to the environment would be dry nitroge
n.
- Whenever dry nitrogen is used from a portable cylinder, always make sure that
a relief valve is available downstream from the pressure regulator.
- Factors that affect the speed of evacuation include the size of the equipment
being evacuated, the ambient temperature and the amount of moisture in the syste
m.
- The capacity of the vacuum pump and its suction line size will determine the d
ehydration time.
- When using a vacuum pump, every effort should be made to reduce the pressure d
rop between the vacuum pump and the system. Therefore the piping connection shou
ld be as short as possible (using the largest diameter pipe that is practical).
- An alcohol spray can be used to remove ice from sight glasses or viewing glass
es.
- All refrigerants must be recovered with equipment regulated by the EPA.
- When using vapor recovery, the fill level of the recovery cylinder can be cont
rolled by mechanical float devices, electronic shut-off devices or weight of the
cylinder.
- A refrigerant label should be placed on a refrigerant cylinder to be returned
for reclaiming.
- Ammonia, water and hydrogen may be present as components of refrigerants used
in small appliances in campers or other recreational vehicles and should NOT be
recovered with current EPA-approved recovery devices.
- When a household refrigerator compressor does not run, it is recommended that
low and high side access valves be installed to recover the refrigerant from the
system. This will increase recovery speed and is necessary to achieve the requi
red recovery efficiency.
- Solderless-type piercing valves should not remain installed on refrigeration s
ystems after completion of repairs because they tend to leak over time.
- When using a system-dependent (passive) recovery process on operating compress
ors, technicians should run the appliance's compressor and recover the refrigera
nt from the high side.
- An unopened recovery tank inlet valve or excessive air in the recovery tank ca
n cause excessive pressure on the high side of a recovery device.
- The motor winding of a hermetic refrigeration compressor can be damaged if it
is energized when under a deep vacuum because there will be no refrigerant flow
to cool the motor.
- When refrigerant has been recovered from an air-conditioning system and held i
n a refillable cylinder in order to make a repair, the refrigerant can be legall
y charged back into the system.
- A reciprocating compressor should never be energized when the discharge servic
e valve is closed since an excessive pressure will develop, potentially damaging
the compressor.
- High head pressure indicates that there is either a lack of condenser cooling
or non-condensables (such as air or nitrogen) in the system.
- Refrigeration and air-conditioning crankcase compressor heaters reduce the amo
unt of refrigerant trapped in the lubricating oil.
- A filter drier removes acid and moisture from the refrigerant.
- Always use gloves and safety goggles when working with liquid refrigerant, avo
id spilling liquid refrigerant on skin, and never siphon refrigerant by mouth.
- According to the EPA regulations, flushing with liquid refrigerant to clean fi
eld tubing is not an approved technique for system cleanup after a burnout.
- During refrigerant recovery, when the system's compressor does not run, it is
good practice to access both the low and high sides of the system to assure that
refrigerant is not trapped in the system. For passive systems this becomes even
more critical because the pressure differential in passive recovery is typicall
y much smaller. For small systems with an operating compressor a single access v
alve on the high side can be used.
- According to ASHRAE Guideline 3-1996, if the pressure in a system rises from 1
mm Hg to a level above 2.5 mm during a standing vacuum test, the system should
be checked for leaks.
- While R-410A is a high pressure refrigerant, it can still be stored in the bac
k of your service van as long as the temperature inside the vehicle does not exc
eed 125F. This is the same guidance given for R-22 and other common refrigerants
.
- People who service or repair MVAC-like appliances (e.g. farm equipment and oth
er non-roads vehicles) can choose to be certified by either the Section 609 prog
ram or under Section 608 Type II. Due to the similarities between MVAC and MVAC-
like appliances, EPA recommends that technicians servicing MVAC-like appliances
consider certification under Section 609. Note that buses using CFC-12 are MVACs
, however buses using HCFC-22 are not MVACs or MVAC-like appliances, but rather
high-pressure equipment covered under Type II of the Section 608 test. Therefore
if you service busses with both HCFC-22 and CFC-12 refrigerant a Type II certif
ication covers both.

SECTION VI: PROPOSED EPA RULE CHANGES

Visit www.epatest.com for the latest updates and changes
Technician Certification and Sales Restriction
While HFCs and PFCs are not ozone-depleting substances, they have been identifie
d as potent greenhouse gases with long atmospheric lifetimes and are part of the
six gases included in the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol calls for the aggr
egate emissions of the six gases to be reduced to an average of 5% below 1990 le
vels in developed countries in the 2008-2012 timeframe. However, actual implemen
tation of Technician Certification and Sales Restrictions on HFC and PFC are pen
ding further cost and emissions reductions analysis. It is currently assumed tha
t because of the significant cost savings associated with recovery of large quan
tities of refrigerant safe handling practices of HFCs and PFCs will be performed
voluntarily. However, sales restrictions and certifications specific to HFCs an
d PFCs are still a future possibility if the United States fails to reach the em
issions goals set by the Kyoto Protocol in the near future. Please remain inform
ed by frequently checking www.epa.gov and the Frequently Asked Questions section
of www.epatest.com.
Conversion Factors
To Convert From PSIG To PSIA Add 14.7 to the PSIG reading.
To Convert From PSIA To PSIG Subtract 14.7 to the PSIA reading.
To Convert From Inches of Mercury To Millimeters of Mercury Absolute Multiply th
e Inches of Mercury by 25.4 and Subtract the result from 760.
To Convert From Millimeters of Mercury Absolute To In