Technician’s Guide and Workbook for the EPA Section 608 Test Section 8: Type 2 Test Part 2

Leaky Appliance Trigger Rate For industrial processes, the current trigger rate for a leaky appliance is 35%; in 2019, that rate will drop to 30%. For commercial refrigeration, the current trigger rate for a leaky appliance is 35%; in 2019 that rate will drop to 20%. For comfort cooling, the current trigger rate for a leaky appliance is 15%; in 2019 that rate will drop to 10%. For all other appliances, the current trigger rate for a leaky appliance is 15%; in 2019 that rate will drop to 10%.

Recovery/Recycling Equipment Requirements (1) As noted in an earlier section, except for equipment manufactured before November 15, 1993, the recovery or recycling equipment must have been certified by an EPA-approved equipment testing organization. To ensure that they are recovering the correct level of refrigerant, technicians must use the recovery equipment according to manufacturer directions. Recovery equipment milestones in the EPA program include: Recovery equipment manufactured on or after November 15, 1993 must be able to recover 90 percent of the refrigerant in the appliance when the compressor in the appliance is functioning or 80 percent of the refrigerant in the appliance when the compressor is not functioning; or it must be able to evacuate the appliance to four inches of mercury vacuum. Recovery equipment manufactured or imported on or after November 15, 1993 may also be certified if it is capable of achieving a four-inch vacuum under the conditions of ARI Standard 740-1993. Recovery equipment manufactured or imported on or after September 22, 2003 and before January 1, 2017 may also be certified if it is capable of achieving a four-inch vacuum under the conditions of ARI Standard 740-1995.

Recovery/Recycling Equipment Requirements (2) Recovery equipment manufactured or imported on or after January 1, 2017 may also be certified if it is capable of achieving a four-inch vacuum under the conditions of Appendix B3 of this subpart (for non-flammable refrigerants), based upon AHRI Standard 740-2016, or Appendix B4 of this subpart (for flammable refrigerants), based upon both AHRI Standard 740-2016 and UL 1963, Supplement SB, Requirements for Refrigerant Recovery/Recycling Equipment Intended for Use with a Flammable Refrigerant, Fourth Edition, June 1, 2011. Recovery equipment used to evacuate any Class I or Class II refrigerant or any non-exempt substitute refrigerant from small appliances before they are disposed of may also be certified if it is capable of achieving a four-inch vacuum when tested using a properly calibrated pressure gauge. Recovery equipment must have low-loss fittings on refrigerant hoses. Note: The EPA does not allow the use of system-dependent recovery equipment on systems containing more than 15 pounds of refrigerant.

Important EPA program Dates (1) 1 January 2010: Banned the production, import, and use of HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b, except for continuing servicing needs of existing equipment, achieving 75% of reduction goal. 1 January 2015: Banned the production, import, and use of all HCFCs, except for continuing servicing needs of refrigeration equipment, achieving 90% of reduction goal.

Important EPA program Dates (2) 1 January 2017: Removed the requirement that technicians certify that they own certified recovery equipment. Newly imported or manufactured recovery and/or recycling models must be certified for use with HFCs. Adopted UL flammability standard as part of certification to ensure the safe use of recovery equipment designed for flammable refrigerants. Established reclamation standards for HFCs and other refrigerants contained in AHRI Standard 700-2016. Reclaimers must analyze each batch of reclaimed refrigerant. Annual reporting to EPA on amounts of refrigerant received and reclaimed includes HFCs (1st report due 2018 for refrigerant received in 2017).

Important EPA program Dates (3) 1 January 2018: You must be a Section 608 certified technician to open HFC appliances. You must be a Section 608 certified technician to purchase HFC refrigerants. Refrigerant distributors may only sell HFC refrigerants to Section 608 certified technicians and must maintain records for those sales. Small refrigerant cans under 2 pounds for motor vehicle air conditioners (MVACs) are not subject to sales restriction or recordkeeping. Small refrigerant cans must be equipped with a self-sealing valve. Technicians must evacuate to the specified levels of vacuum when opening HFC appliances.

Refrigeration Topics in this section: How to identify refrigerant in appliances Pressure-temperature relationships of common high-pressure refrigerants (may use standard temperature-pressure chart—be aware of the need to add 14.7 to translate pounds per square inch gauge [psig] to pounds per square inch absolute [psia]) Components of high-pressure appliances (receiver, evaporator, accumulator, etc.) and state of refrigerant (vapor versus liquid) in them The idea that hydrocarbons are not approved for retrofits

How to Identify Refrigerant In Appliances Refrigerant in appliances should be 100% the refrigerant identified on the equipment label. If there is a question as to the integrity of a blend, or if refrigerant mixing or the presence of non-condensable vapors/gas is suspected, the refrigerant type can be verified by a pressure test.

Pressure Temperature Relationships Refrigerant pressure testing must be done where the refrigerant is in a vaporous/gaseous state. Before the test can be done, the system must be allowed to become the same temperature as the ambient air; the pressure can then be measured on the high side. That pressure will match the temperature on the refrigerant’s pressure temperature chart if the refrigerant is pure. If there are contaminants or other refrigerants, it will not match. Pressures and other information for common refrigerants used in high-pressure applications are shown the Table below.

Pressure Temperature Relationships Pressure-temperature relationships are important to understand. For example, in the table below , the pressure at 30°F for the gas is listed for blends is in the liquid form; the temperature for some blends may actually be lower when the refrigerant is in a liquid state. In water-cooled systems it is important to avoid operating water/refrigerant heat exchangers below the freezing point. Refrigerant pressure testing must be done where the refrigerant is in a vaporous/gaseous state. Before the test can be done, the system must be allowed to become the same temperature as the ambient air; the pressure can then be measured on the high side. That pressure will match the temperature on the refrigerant’s pressure temperature chart if the refrigerant is pure. If there are contaminants or other refrigerants, it will not match. Pressures and other information for common refrigerants used in high-pressure applications are shown the Table below.

Components of High Pressure Appliances Major components Evaporator Suction accumulator Compressor Condenser Receiver Expansion device

Components of High Pressure Appliances Major components Evaporator Suction accumulator Compressor Condenser Receiver Expansion device

Components of High Pressure Appliances Major components Evaporator Suction accumulator Compressor Condenser Receiver Expansion device

Components of High Pressure Appliances Major components Evaporator Suction accumulator Compressor Condenser Receiver Expansion device

Components of High Pressure Appliances Major components Evaporator Suction accumulator Compressor Condenser Receiver Expansion device

Components of High Pressure Appliances Major components Evaporator Suction accumulator Compressor Condenser Receiver Expansion device

Components of High Pressure Appliances Major components Evaporator Suction accumulator Compressor Condenser Receiver Expansion device

Safety Topics in this section: Don’t energize hermetic compressors under vacuum. Equipment room requirements under ASHRAE Standard 15 (oxygen deprivation sensor with all refrigerants).

Don’t Energize Hermetic Compressors Under Vacuum Hermetic compressors (All Compressor Components Inside the Sealed Casing) should never be energized when the system is in a vacuum because it can cause compressor failure. The flow of refrigerant is needed to cool the compressor.

ASHRAE Equipment Room Requirements (1) ASHRAE Standard 15–2016 requires that mechanical equipment rooms in commercial buildings that contain refrigeration or air conditioning equipment have detection devices in operation for all of the refrigerant safety groups. If a leak occurs, these detection devices are designed to sound an alarm and activate mechanical ventilation of the equipment room. This is done to reduce the concentration of refrigerant in the room to ensure that the threshold limit value (TLV) and time weighted average (TWA) are not exceeded. The TLV-TWA is the average concentration allowable that produces no negative effects on people for an 8-hour work day and 40-hour work week.

ASHRAE Equipment Room Requirements (2) ASHRAE Standard 34 places refrigerants in safety groups according to their flammability and toxicity. A refrigerant flammability sub-classification of 2L has been added for a subset of refrigerants that have a lower flammability rating, to match ISO Standard 817.