EPA 608 cheat sheet

Type I appliance: hermetically sealed, factory-charged, containing 5 lb (2.3 kg) or less of refrigerant - household refrigerators, freezers, room air conditioners, dehumidifiers, vending machines, drinking water coolers.

Motor vehicle air conditioners are not Type I appliances; they fall under Section 609 rules and separate certification.

Disposal recovery target for a small appliance: 80% of the charge if the compressor is not operating, 90% if the compressor is operating.

No specific vacuum level is mandated for Type I recovery, but the recovery equipment itself still must be EPA-certified.

System-dependent (passive) recovery equipment is permitted on Type I appliances and may rely on the appliance compressor, internal system pressure, or a vacuum pump attached to the system.

Recovered small-appliance refrigerant must be recycled, reclaimed to AHRI 700 purity, or destroyed; deliberate venting to the atmosphere is prohibited.

Small sealed systems commonly use a capillary tube (fixed restriction) and have no service valves; access is gained through a piercing valve or process stub that must be sealed afterward.

Recovery cylinders must be DOT-approved, labeled for the refrigerant they contain, and filled to no more than 80% of capacity by weight.

Type II appliance: uses a refrigerant with a boiling point below 32°F at atmospheric pressure - R-22, R-134a, R-410A, R-404A, R-407C, R-502.

Evacuation level for appliances under 200 lb of charge: 10 in Hg vacuum with recovery equipment built after November 15, 1993; 4 in Hg for CFC/HCFC or 0 psig for HFC-134a/PFC with older equipment.

Appliances containing 200 lb or more of refrigerant must be evacuated to 15 in Hg vacuum before opening.

Very-high-pressure refrigerants (R-13, R-23, R-503): evacuate to 0 psig with pre-1993 recovery equipment and to 10 in Hg vacuum with post-1993 equipment.

Leak repair rule for appliances of 50 lb or more: repair within 30 days when the annual leak rate exceeds 15% (comfort cooling) or 35% (commercial refrigeration or industrial process).

An initial verification test is required within 30 days of completing a leak repair on a 50 lb or larger appliance, followed by a follow-up verification test 30 days later.

R-410A is a near-azeotropic 50/50 blend of R-32 and R-125: charge it as a liquid, expect roughly 60% higher pressures than R-22, and use POE oil.

Never pressure-test with oxygen or compressed air; use dry nitrogen with a regulator. Recovery cylinders must not exceed 80% fill by weight.

Records of refrigerant purchased, recovered, recycled, and disposed of must be retained for at least three years.

Type III appliance: uses a refrigerant whose boiling point is at or above 32°F at atmospheric pressure - R-11, R-113, R-123 - typically centrifugal chillers.

Low-pressure appliances must be evacuated to 25 mm of mercury absolute (about 29.6 in Hg vacuum) before being opened or disposed of.

Never use the appliance's own compressor to evacuate or recover refrigerant; a certified recovery unit is required.

Because the machine operates below atmospheric pressure, air and moisture leak inward; a high-efficiency purge unit removes noncondensables.

Never pressurize a low-pressure chiller with air; use dry nitrogen through a regulator. The shell carries a rupture disc that typically bursts near 15 psig.

R-11 (CFC, ODP 1.0) boils at about 75°F at atmospheric pressure; R-123 (HCFC, ODP about 0.02) is its low-pressure replacement.

Recover liquid refrigerant first, then vapor; confirm dryness with a standing (decay) vacuum test read on a micron gauge.

Moisture inside a chiller forms acids and sludge; oil testing and moisture indicators are the standard detection methods.

Universal certification covers Type I, Type II, and Type III; a technician certified in only one type may not service another type's appliances.

The venting prohibition applies to ozone-depleting refrigerants and their HFC substitutes; only de minimis releases during good-faith service are permitted.

Refrigerant contacting flame or hot metal decomposes into hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, and phosgene - ventilate the area and avoid breathing the products.

Reclaimed refrigerant must meet AHRI 700 purity; recycled refrigerant is cleaned on site and reused in the same owner's equipment.

CFCs carry the highest ODP (R-11 = 1.0), HCFCs far less (R-123 about 0.02), and HFCs zero ODP but high GWP.

Never mix different refrigerants in one recovery cylinder; a mixed cylinder cannot be reclaimed and generally must be destroyed.

Recovery and recycling equipment must be EPA-certified and used only for the appliance type it is certified for; certification records must be kept.

Liquid refrigerant causes frostbite and eye damage; wear gloves and goggles and flush exposed skin with lukewarm, not hot, water.