Recovery, Recycling, and Reclamation
Three different words
- Recovery: removing refrigerant from a system into a container, with no processing.
- Recycling: cleaning refrigerant on site (oil separation, filter driers) so it can be reused, with no laboratory analysis.
- Reclamation: processing off site by an EPA-certified reclaimer to AHRI 700 purity - the only route by which recovered refrigerant re-enters the market as product.
Equipment rules
Recovery cylinders are DOT-approved, gray with a yellow top, and must never be filled above 80% of their water capacity, so you weigh the cylinder and calculate the fill limit. Cylinders require periodic DOT hydrostatic testing and must never be heated with a flame. Recovery machines must be rated for R-410A pressures. Never mix different refrigerants in one cylinder; a mixed charge is generally unreclaimable and may be handled as hazardous waste.
Evacuation requirements (high-pressure appliances)
- Small appliances (under 5 lb): recover 80% of the charge, or 90% if the compressor is not running.
- Other high-pressure appliances: 0 psig; for appliances manufactured after November 15, 1993, 10 in. Hg of vacuum.
- Low-pressure appliances: evacuate to 25 mm Hg absolute.
Methods
Push-pull is fastest for large liquid charges; vapor recovery is used for small systems and final pull-down; subcooling the recovery cylinder or using a compressor-assisted method helps in low ambient. Use the machine's high-pressure cutoff rather than forcing it.
Traps
Filling a cylinder by feel instead of weight. Recovering R-410A vapor into a cylinder or machine not rated for the pressure. Calling on-site filtering "reclamation."
Rule of thumb
"80% fill, 0 psig pull, weigh everything."