Recovery, containment and disposal of refrigerant and equipment
This domain tests recovery before opening a circuit, containment of refrigerant during service, and legal disposal of gas, oil and equipment. The core rule is simple: fluorinated refrigerant must not be vented.
Recovery and containment
Use a recovery unit and a dedicated recovery cylinder; never use a disposable refrigerant cylinder. Fill recovery cylinders to a maximum of 80% of water capacity by volume, using a scale, and label the cylinder with the refrigerant and “recovered”. Do not mix refrigerants. Recover from both high and low sides, and from oil if it contains refrigerant. Cap open connections and Schrader valves during service to limit release.
Disposal
Before decommissioning, recover the charge, isolate and label the equipment, and dispose of it through authorised WEEE routes. Contaminated refrigerant goes for reclaim or destruction, not to atmosphere or landfill. Cylinders are returned to the supplier; never cut, drill or scrap a refrigerant cylinder.
Worked example: A split system contains 1.2 kg R-32. The technician connects a recovery unit, uses a recovery cylinder on a scale, and stops at 80% fill. After recovery, the recovered mass is recorded, the cylinder is labelled R-32, and the gas is sent for reclaim or destruction. The unit is then decommissioned and labelled before removal.
Traps
Overfilling a recovery cylinder; using a disposable cylinder; venting “only a little” gas; mixing R-32 with R-410A; forgetting refrigerant dissolved in oil; sending equipment for scrap with the charge still in it.