EPA 608 Type I study plan
EPA 608 Type I · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Core (refrigerant handling, venting prohibition, and Clean Air Act Section 608 fundamentals)
Define the venting prohibition and identify which refrigerant releases are and are not prohibited under Section 608.
List the technician certification types (I, II, III, Universal) and state the appliance scope of each.
Explain the ozone-depletion and global-warming significance of CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs, and classify five common refrigerants by family.
Describe recordkeeping and disposal-documentation duties that apply to appliance owners and technicians.
Your checkpoint
One-page reference sheet mapping each certification type to its appliance scope, plus a 10-term glossary of Section 608 terms written from memory.
Core (refrigerant handling, venting prohibition, and Clean Air Act Section 608 fundamentals)
Apply the venting prohibition to five realistic scenarios and justify each answer in writing.
Distinguish recovery, recycling, and reclamation and state where each is appropriate.
Identify the cylinder color, marking, and safe-handling rules for recovered refrigerant, including never filling a disposable cylinder.
Explain the consequences of knowing violation of the venting prohibition and the role of EPA enforcement.
Your checkpoint
Scenario worksheet: 12 venting and handling scenarios answered with a one-sentence regulatory justification each, scored at 80 percent or better.
Small appliance servicing and disposal (Type I)
Define a small appliance under Type I and list examples and exclusions.
State the evacuation requirements for small appliances with and without a functioning compressor, distinguishing recovery-device and system-dependent methods.
Describe safe recovery procedures using system-dependent equipment, including access-valve installation and avoiding overfilling the recovery container.
Explain the disposal requirements for small appliances and the small-appliance recovery certification option.
Your checkpoint
Written procedure for recovering refrigerant from a refrigerator or window unit, from access valve to final cylinder weight check, with the applicable evacuation level cited.
Small appliance servicing and disposal (Type I) & Core (refrigerant handling, venting prohibition, and Clean Air Act Section 608 fundamentals)
Solve recovery-level practice problems for small appliances, including the 80 percent cylinder-fill limit by weight.
Practice leak-check and safe-disposal decision points for small appliances containing a charge of 5 pounds or less.
Complete a timed 25-question mixed Core and Type I practice set and review every missed item.
Your checkpoint
Timed 25-question Core and Type I practice test with a written error log explaining each missed question.
High- and very high-pressure appliance servicing and disposal, excluding small appliances and MVACs (Type II)
Define high-pressure and very high-pressure appliances and identify which refrigerants fall in each category.
State the required evacuation levels for high-pressure appliances under normal and leaky-system conditions.
Describe leak-detection and repair requirements for appliances with charges of 50 pounds or more, including repair timelines and follow-up verification.
Explain recovery machine operation for high-pressure systems, including recovery of liquid versus vapor and safe cylinder management.
Your checkpoint
Comparison table of evacuation levels and leak-repair obligations for high-pressure appliances, filled in from memory and checked against study notes.
High- and very high-pressure appliance servicing and disposal, excluding small appliances and MVACs (Type II)
Apply recovery requirements to appliance disposal and to appliances with a charge under and over 5 pounds.
Identify safety hazards specific to high-pressure systems: frostbite, cylinder overpressure, and refrigerant displacement of oxygen.
Work through three recovery-machine problem scenarios involving long hose runs, non-condensables, and low ambient temperatures.
Complete a timed 25-question Type II practice set and review every missed item.
Your checkpoint
Timed 25-question Type II practice test with a written error log and a corrected procedure note for each scenario missed.
Low-pressure appliance servicing and disposal (Type III)
Define low-pressure appliances and identify the refrigerants and systems that fall under Type III.
State the evacuation requirements for low-pressure centrifugal systems, including the special provisions for systems that cannot be evacuated to the standard level.
Explain the rupture-disc and pressure-relief protections on low-pressure systems and the rules for removing refrigerant before opening a system.
Describe water and moisture control in low-pressure systems, including purge-unit operation and avoidance of unnecessary purging.
Your checkpoint
Written summary of Type III evacuation requirements and low-pressure safety devices, one paragraph per requirement, checked against notes.
Core (refrigerant handling, venting prohibition, and Clean Air Act Section 608 fundamentals) & Small appliance servicing and disposal (Type I) & High- and very high-pressure appliance servicing and disposal, excluding small appliances and MVACs (Type II) & Low-pressure appliance servicing and disposal (Type III)
Complete two full-length timed practice exams covering all four domains and score each.
Re-review every missed item from all prior error logs and close each gap with a written correction.
Recite from memory the evacuation levels, cylinder-fill limits, and leak-repair thresholds for each appliance type.
Confirm test-day logistics and required identification for the proctored exam.
Your checkpoint
Two full-length practice exams scored at 75 percent or better overall, with a final one-page cheat sheet of numbers and thresholds written from memory.
Milestones
Week 2: Score 80 percent or better on the 12-scenario venting and handling worksheet and explain each answer without notes.
Week 4: Score 75 percent or better on the timed 25-question Core and Type I practice test.
Week 6: Score 75 percent or better on the timed 25-question Type II practice test and state the evacuation levels for high-pressure appliances from memory.
Week 8: Score 75 percent or better on both full-length practice exams and complete the final numbers cheat sheet with no reference materials.