MVAC RECOVER/RECYCLE
OR RECOVER EQUIPMENT
CERTIFICATION FORM

1

Name of Establishment

Street

City, State, Zip Code

(Area Code) Telephone Number

2

Name of Equipment Manufacturer and Model Number

Senal Number(s) Year

3 I certify that I have acquired approved recover/recycle or
recover equipment under Section 609 of the Clean Air Act. I
certify that only properly trained and certified technicians
operate the equipment and that the information given above is
true and correct.

Signature of Owner/Operator Date

Name (Please Print) Title

Send this form to:

MVACs Recycling Program Manager
Stratospheric Ozone Protection Branch
(6202J)

U.S.E.P.A.

401 M Street, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20460


For further information, please contact:

MVACs Recycling Program Manager
Stratospheric Ozone Protection Branch
(62025)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW

Washington, DC 20460

or
The Stratospheric Ozone Information Hotline:
1-800-296-1996 (10am - 4pm EST, Monday - Friday,
except federal holidays).

This leaflet was developed by the U.S. EPA and reprinted
courtesy of:

WU S GPO, 1992—716-201


Small Container Restriction

The sale of containers of CFCs under 20 pounds to anyone
other than certified technicians is prohibited after November
15, 1992. This provision is intended to discourage “do-it-
yourselfers” who recharge their own air conditioners. Such
individuals often release refrigerant because they typically do
not have access to recycling equipment. EPA encourages “do-
it-yourselfers” to bring their cars to certified technicians who
can properly fix air conditioners using approved equipment.
This avoids damage to A/C equipment by improper charging,
benefits service shops, and helps protect the environment.

Recordkeeping Requirements

Service shops must certify to EPA that they own approved
equipment (see example form) and that the technicians using
the equipment are certified. If refrigerant is recovered and
sent to a facility, the name and address of that facility must be
Tetained.

Important Dates

January 1, 1992 The Act states that motor vehicle
AIC service establishments must have
approved equipment. Certified techni-
cians must properly use the equipment.

July 14, 1992 EPA final regulations published.
August 13, 1992 Effective date of EPA regulations.
November 15, 1992 Small container sales restriction.

January 1, 1993 Small service establishments must have
approved equipment and certified
technicians. All shops must certify
their equipment to EPA (see example
form on page 5).

Impacts on A/C Service

Because of the planned CFC phaseout and a new tax on
CFCs, shops that service air conditioners can expect the price
of CFC-12 to increase and its availability to decrease. Refrig-
erant recycling could reduce the need for new CFC-12 and
thus help keep costs down.

Refrigerant recycling is an important step towards the goal
of eliminating CFC use. It means that car owners can have
their air conditioners fixed until alternatives to CFC-12 are
found. Several substitute refrigerants are being tested for use
in motor vehicle air conditioners, and research is being done to
see if cars can be retrofitted for these alternatives.

4 (Continues on page 7)


MVAC RECOVER/RECYCLE OR
RECOVER EQUIPMENT
CERTIFICATION FORM

INSTRUCTIONS

Motor vehicle recover/recycle or recover only equipment
must be acquired by January 1, 1992 and certified to EPA
on or before January 1, 1993 under Section 609 of the Clean
Air Act. To certify that you have purchased approved
equipment and that the technicians using it are properly
trained and certified, please complete this according to the
following instructions and mail to EPA address on previous

page.

1 Please provide the name, address and telephone number
of the establishment where the recovertrecycle or recover
only equipment is located

2 Please provide the make, model number, year, and serial
number(s) of the recover/recycle or recover equipment
acquired for use at the above establishment

3 The certification statement must be signed by the person
who has acquired the recoverlrecycle or recover equip-
ment (the person may be the owner of the establishment
or another responsible officer). The person who signs ts
certifying that they have acquired the equipment, that
each individual authorized to use the equipment is
properly trained and certified, and that the information
provided ts true and correct


Ww

EPA

United States September 1992
Environmental Protection

Agency EPA/400/K-92/003
Office of Air And Radiation (6202J)

Refrigerant
Recycling in
Motor Vehicle
Air Conditioners

Guide for
Professionals

GY Printed with Soy/Canola Ink on paper that
contains at laast 50% recycled fiber

|


Impacts on A/C Service (continued)

Possible replacements include HFC-134a (which will be
used in some cars starting in model year 1992) and ternary
blends of HCFCs. These substitutes cost more than CFC-12,
making recycling more economical. Blends that include any
CFCs or HCFCs are already subject to EPA’s recovery and
recycling requirements. By November 15, 1995, all other
substitute refrigerants will also have to be recycled.

By complying with the new regulations, you will help
preserve the ozone layer for future generations, To let vehicle
owners know about the new regulations, EPA has produced a
brochure called Help Protect the Ozone Layer: Recycle The
Refrigerant In Your Car’ s Air Conditioner and will make
copies available to service shops.

Support for Recycling

The current CFC recycling program has come about through
the success of joint EPA-industry voluntary programs and
support from a variety of organizations. These groups sup-
ported CFC recycling in motor vehicle air conditioners:

Stratospheric Ozone Protection Advisory Committee, Sub-
committee for Servicing of Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning.
Members include:

ATOCHEM North America; Automotive Service
Association (ASA); E.I. duPont de Nemours & Company,
Inc.; Environmental Defense Fund (EDF); Fairfax County
Health Department; Florida Department of Environmental
Regulations; General Motors; IG-LO; Intemational Mobile
Air Conditioning Association IMACA); Mobile Air
Conditioning Society (MACS); Motor Vehicle
Manufacturers Association (MVMA); Murray Corporation;
National Automobile Dealers Association; National Institute
of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE); Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC); Robinair; State and Territorial Air
Pollution Prevention Council; Sun Test Engineering;
Underwriters Laboratories (UL); Vermont Air Pollution
Control Division; White Industries

Automobile Importers Association (AIA) Members

American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE)

Automotive Refrigeration Products Institute (ARPI)

ETL Testing Laboratones

Friends of the Earth (FOE)

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)


On November 15, 1990, the Clean Air Act was amended to
include a stratospheric ozone protection program. Under
Title VI of the Act, motor vehicle air conditioning refrigerant
must now be recycled. As a service professional, your
business will be covered by the new regulations. This
brochure will help you become familiar with this new law and
address some of your concems,

Our Threatened Ozone Layer

The stratospheric ozone layer shields the earth from harmful
ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Scientists believe that synthetic
chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs, also known by
the trade name Freon) are rapidly destroying this layer of gas
10 to 30 miles above the earth’s surface. Ozone loss of 3.5%
globally has already been recorded and is greatest over
Antarctica, where a seasonal ozone “hole” occurs. Recent
data strongly suggests that substantial losses may also develop
over the North Pole, exposing parts of the U.S. to increasing
levels of UV radiation.

Ozone loss in the atmosphere is likely to lead to an increase
in skin cancer and cataracts and could weaken the human
immune system. Agriculture, as well as plant and animal life,
may also be dramatically affected.

Impact of Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners

One of the single largest uses of CFCs in the U.S. is asa
refrigerant in automobile air conditioners. CFC-12 in motor
vehicles accounts for over 20% of atl CFC use in this country.

Commonly released into the air when car or truck air
conditioners are serviced, CFCs rise to the stratosphere whcre
they can remain active for up to 120 years. The sun’s rays
break these molecules apart, releasing chlorine. A single
chlorine atom can destroy several thousand ozone molecules.

Worldwide Action to Protect the Ozone Layer

The United States has joined 75 other countries in signing
an international treaty to protect the ozone layer. In 1990,
these countries agreed to phase out production of ozone-
depleting substances, including CFC-12, by the year 2000.
Recently, President Bush pledged to halt almost all U.S.
production of CFCs by the end of 1995.

Clean Air Act Requirements

Section 609 of the Act gives the United States Environmen-
tal Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to establish
requirements to prevent the release of refrigerants during the
servicing of motor vehicle air conditioners. Recycling of
CFCs can be done at minimal cost to service shops without

2


harming A/C systems. The following sections describe the
requirements of the law and its potential impact on the service

industry.
Approved Equipment

Technicians repairing or servicing motor vehicle air
conditioners must use either refrigerant recover/recycle or
recover-only equipment approved by EPA.

Recover/recycle equipment both recovers the refrigerant
from the motor vehicle and processes it through an oil
separator, a filter, and a dryer. Approved recover/recycle
machines meet the technical specifications of SAE Standard
J-1990 and must have the capacity to purify used refrigerant to
SAE Standard J-1991 for safe and direct return to the air
conditioner following repairs.

Recover-only equipment removes the refrigerant from the
AL unit as specified by SAE Standard J-2209 and transfers it
into a holding tank. Technicians are then required by law to
either recycle the used refrigerant on site or send it to an off-
site reclamation facility to be restored to ARI Standard 700-88
before it can be used to recharge A/C equipment.

A list of both types of approved equipment is available from
EPA at the address on the back of this brochure. Most
certified equipment will be labeled as “design-certified to SAE
standards.”

Technician Training and Certification

Technicians who repair or service motor vehicle air condi-
tioners must be trained and certified by an EPA-approved
organization. Training programs must cover use of recycling
equipment in compliance with SAE Standard J-1989, the
regulatory requirements, the importance of refrigerant
containment, and the effects of ozone depletion. To be
certified, technicians must pass a test demonstrating their
knowledge in these areas. A list of approved testing programs
is available from EPA at the address on the back of this
brochure.

Small Business Extension

To qualify for this extension, shops must send a signed
statement that in 1990 they serviced fewer than 100 air
conditioners to EPA at the address on the back of this bro-
chure. EPA will accept these statements up until the effective
date of the regulations. The Act allows small businesses until
January 1, 1993 to purchase equipment and have technicians
trained and certified. Small businesses are defined as those
that performed under 100 service jobs involving refrigerant in
1990.