EPA 609 key terms

The part of the Clean Air Act rules that governs servicing of motor vehicle air conditioning systems, including technician certification, approved equipment, and refrigerant handling requirements.

A credential earned by passing an EPA-approved test on refrigerant handling and regulations, required before a person may service MVAC systems for compensation.

The practices of transferring, storing, and containing refrigerant during service so that it is not intentionally released to the atmosphere.

The rule that bans knowingly releasing refrigerant to the atmosphere during service, repair, or disposal of MVAC systems and their components.

A rule limiting who may buy containers of two pounds or less of ozone-depleting refrigerant to certified technicians and certain regulated buyers.

Removing refrigerant from a system or component and storing it in an external container without necessarily testing or processing it.

Cleaning recovered refrigerant by separating oil and moisture and filtering it so it can be reused, without full laboratory reclamation.

Processing refrigerant to meet new-product purity specifications, typically done off-site by a certified reclaimer using laboratory analysis.

EPA-approved equipment that removes refrigerant from a system and pumps it into a storage container, often combining recovery and recycling functions.

Recovery or recycling units that meet the agency's performance criteria and appear on the published list of acceptable machines for MVAC service.

A refillable pressure vessel built and marked for holding recovered refrigerant, never filled beyond its marked capacity and never used for virgin product sale.

The maximum safe fill, generally 80 percent of a recovery cylinder's capacity by weight, that prevents hydrostatic rupture as temperature rises.

Pressure created by liquid refrigerant expanding in a closed, overfilled container; it can burst a cylinder and cause serious injury.

A tool with gauges and valves used to connect service ports to recovery equipment, read system pressures, and control refrigerant flow.

A fitting on the system where gauges or recovery hoses attach to access refrigerant for testing, charging, or removal.

A spring-loaded valve inside a service port that opens when a hose or coupler is attached and seals when it is removed.

A fitting on hoses that locks onto service ports or cylinders for fast, low-leak connections during recovery and charging.

Equipment that removes air and moisture from an evacuated system before charging, lowering pressure to boil off trapped water vapor.

Pulling a deep vacuum on a repaired system to remove air and moisture so the new refrigerant charge performs correctly.

A unit equal to one-thousandth of a millimeter of mercury, used to measure deep vacuum levels during evacuation.

Finding refrigerant leaks using electronic detectors, dyes, or pressure tests so refrigerant can be repaired instead of lost.

An unintended escape of refrigerant from a system, which wastes product, reduces cooling, and adds ozone-depleting or warming gas to the air.

A compound such as CFC-12 that rises to the stratosphere and destroys ozone molecules, thinning the protective ozone layer.

A band of ozone in the upper atmosphere that absorbs most harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun before it reaches Earth's surface.

High-energy sunlight that the ozone layer blocks; excess exposure raises risks of skin cancer, cataracts, and crop damage.

Thinning of the stratospheric ozone layer caused by chlorine and bromine released from refrigerants and other chemicals, allowing more ultraviolet light through.

An older refrigerant class containing chlorine, such as R-12, that strongly depletes stratospheric ozone and is no longer produced for new systems.

A refrigerant class such as R-22 that contains chlorine and depletes ozone, though less than CFCs, and is being phased out.

A refrigerant class such as R-134a that contains no chlorine and does not deplete ozone, but acts as a potent greenhouse gas.

A CFC refrigerant once common in vehicle air conditioning; it is a strong ozone depleter and is recovered, never vented.

An HFC refrigerant widely used in vehicles since the 1990s; it is ozone-safe but has high global warming potential, so recovery is still required.

A newer, low-global-warming refrigerant used in many late-model vehicles; it is mildly flammable and must be recovered with dedicated equipment.

A number comparing how much heat a gas traps over time relative to carbon dioxide, used to rank refrigerant climate impact.

A gas that absorbs and re-emits heat in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change; many refrigerants are far stronger than carbon dioxide.

Long-term shifts in global temperature and weather driven by accumulating greenhouse gases, including refrigerant emissions from service and disposal.

A device that analyzes a system's refrigerant to confirm its type and detect contamination or mixed refrigerants before recovery.

A purity specification for refrigerants that reclaimed product must meet, verified by laboratory testing before resale.

A blend of different refrigerants in one container or system, which cannot be reclaimed to specification and must be handled separately.