4 Refrigerant Recovery Procedures

Purpose and requirements

Refrigerant recovery removes refrigerant from an appliance and stores it in an external container. It does not necessarily clean or test the refrigerant. For stationary refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment in the United States, Section 608 prohibits intentional venting during service, repair, or disposal. Technicians must use suitable, certified recovery equipment according to its manufacturer’s instructions.

Choose compatible equipment

Identify the appliance, refrigerant, and charge before connecting equipment. Select recovery equipment that is certified and compatible with both the refrigerant and the appliance category. For flammable refrigerants, use equipment specifically designed and approved for that refrigerant; do not assume ordinary recovery equipment is suitable. Check the recovery machine’s operating instructions and ratings.

Use a refillable recovery cylinder that is in good condition, approved for recovery use, and rated for the refrigerant’s pressure. Check the cylinder markings and allowable fill weight. Keep refrigerants separate: mixing different types, or mixing an unknown refrigerant with a known one, can contaminate the contents and complicate reuse or reclamation. Monitor cylinder weight with a scale and never exceed the permitted fill limit. Follow cylinder, equipment, and applicable transport requirements.

Prepare and connect safely

Prepare the work area by following the appliance and recovery-unit manuals. Use appropriate eye and hand protection, provide ventilation, and keep ignition sources away when working with flammable refrigerants. Avoid contact with escaping liquid refrigerant, which can cause cold injury.

Inspect the cylinder for damage, confirm that its pressure rating is appropriate, and place it on a scale. Connect it to the recovery unit with the specified hoses and fittings. Keep the cylinder upright unless the equipment instructions call for another position.

Identify the correct appliance service ports. Use hoses, manifolds, and adapters rated for the refrigerant pressure, and arrange connections and valves as specified by the recovery-unit manufacturer. Use low-loss fittings where provided and minimize the refrigerant trapped in hoses.

Operate and shut down

Start and monitor the recovery unit according to its manual. Use the liquid- or vapor-recovery method appropriate for the appliance and machine; do not send liquid refrigerant into equipment that is not designed to handle it. Monitor system pressure, cylinder weight, and cylinder pressure, and stop before any equipment or cylinder limit is exceeded.

Close valves and disconnect using the equipment’s specified procedure to limit refrigerant release. Check the recovered amount and cylinder weight, secure the cylinder cap and valve protection, and label the cylinder with the refrigerant identity and any known contamination.

Meet the evacuation endpoint

The required evacuation level depends on appliance type, charge, and the recovery equipment’s manufacture date. For example, EPA’s table specifies an endpoint of $0$ inches of mercury vacuum ($0$ psig) for very-high-pressure appliances and high-pressure appliances with a charge under $200$ pounds. For high-pressure appliances with a charge of $200$ pounds or more, the specified endpoint is $4$ inches of mercury vacuum when using equipment manufactured before November 15, 1993, or $10$ inches when using later equipment. Follow current requirements and equipment instructions for the specific appliance.

If a leak prevents the required evacuation, isolate leaking and non-leaking sections where possible. Evacuate non-leaking sections to the applicable level and leaking sections to the lowest attainable level, which must not be above $0$ psig.

Store and handle recovered refrigerant

Keep recovered refrigerant in a properly identified, compatible recovery cylinder. Recovered refrigerant is removed and stored; recycled refrigerant is cleaned for reuse in equipment owned by the same person; reclaimed refrigerant is processed and verified to the applicable purity standard.

Under EPA Section 608 rules, recovered or recycled refrigerant may be returned to the same appliance or to other appliances owned by the same person. Before used refrigerant is sold to a new owner, it generally must be reclaimed by an EPA-certified reclaimer. Refrigerant may be sent to a consolidator or directly to an EPA-certified reclaimer.

Never exceed a cylinder’s fill limit or pressure rating, use a damaged cylinder, or combine unidentified refrigerant with known refrigerant. If refrigerant is unknown or suspected to be mixed or contaminated, keep it segregated and use a recovery and handling process intended for contaminated refrigerant.