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    - Complying With The Section 608 Refrigerant Recycling Rule 

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# Complying With The Section 608 Refrigerant Recycling Rule 

##### Technician Certification

Steps For Replacing a Lost Card (Section608)

##### Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs (Section 608)

This fact sheet provides an overview of the refrigerant recyclingrequirements of Section 608of the Clean Air Act of 1990, as amended (CAA), including finalregulations published on May 14,1993 (58 FR 28660), August 19,1994 (59 FR 42950), November9, 1994 (59 FR 55912), and July24, 2003 (68 FR 43786). The fact sheet also describes the prohibition onintentional refrigerant venting that became effective on July 1, 1992.
    - Overview
    - Prohibition on Venting
    - Regulatory Requirements        - Service Practice Requirements          - Evacuation Requirements
        - Exceptions to Evacuation          Requirements
        - Reclamation Requirement 
      - Refrigerant Recovery and Recycling Equipment        Certification
      - Equipment Grandfathering
      - Refrigerant Leaks
      - Technician Certification
      - Refrigerant Sales Restrictions
      - Certification by Owners of Refrigerant        Recovery and Recycling Equipment
      - Refrigerant Reclaimer Certification
      - Safe Disposal Requirements 
    - Enforcement
    - For Further Information

### Overview

Under Section 608 of theCAA, EPA has established regulations(40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F) that:
    - Require service practices that maximize recovery and recycling of    ozone-depleting substances (both chlorofluorocarbons [CFCs] and    hydrochlorofluorocarbons [HCFCs] and their blends) during the servicing    and disposal of air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment.
    - Set certification requirements for refrigerant  recycling  and  recovery  equipment,  technicians , and refrigerant  reclaimers .
    - Restrict the sale of refrigerant to certified technicians.
    - Require persons servicing or disposing of air-conditioning and    refrigeration equipment to certify to EPA that they have acquired    refrigerant recovery and/or recycling equipment and are complying with    the requirements of the rule.
    - Require the repair of substantial leaks in air-conditioning and    refrigeration equipment with a refrigerant charge greater than 50  pounds.
    - Establish safe disposal requirements to ensure removal of refrigerants    from goods that enter the waste stream with the charge intact (e.g.,    motor vehicle air conditioners, home refrigerators, and room air    conditioners).

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### The Prohibition on Venting

Effective July 1, 1992, Section 608 of the Actprohibits individuals from intentionally venting ozone-depleting substances used asrefrigerants (generally CFCs and HCFCs) into the atmosphere whilemaintaining, servicing, repairing, or disposing of air-conditioning orrefrigeration equipment (appliances).Only four types of releases are permitted under the prohibition:
    - "De minimis" quantities of refrigerant released in the course of making    good faith attempts to recapture and recycle or safely dispose of    refrigerant.
    - Refrigerants emitted in the course of normal operation of    air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment (as opposed to during the    maintenance, servicing, repair, or disposal of this equipment) such as    from mechanical purging and leaks. However, EPA requires the repair of    leaks above a certain size in large equipment (see  Refrigerant Leaks ).
    - Releases of CFCs or HCFCs  that are not used as refrigerants .    For instance, mixtures of nitrogen and R-22 that are used as holding    charges or as leak test gases may be released.
    - Small releases of refrigerant that result from purging hoses or from    connecting or disconnecting hoses to charge or service appliances will    not be considered violations of the prohibition on venting. However,    recovery and recycling equipment manufactured after November 15, 1993,    must be equipped with low-loss fittings.

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### Regulatory Requirements

#### Service Practice Requirements

#####  1. Evacuation Requirements

Technicians are required to evacuate air-conditioning and refrigerationequipment to established vacuum levels when opening the equipment for maintenance,service, repair, or disposal. If the technician's recovery and/or recyclingequipment was manufactured any time before November 15, 1993, theair-conditioning and refrigeration equipment must be evacuated to the levelsdescribed in the first column of Table 1. If thetechnician's recovery or recycling equipment was manufactured on orafter November 15, 1993, the air-conditioning and refrigeration equipmentmust be evacuated to the levels described in the second column of Table 1, and the recovery or recycling equipmentmust have been certified by an EPA-approvedequipment testing organization.

Technicians repairing smallappliances, such as household refrigerators, window air conditioners, andwater coolers, must recover:

80 percent of the refrigerant when
    - the technician uses recovery or recycling equipment manufactured before    November 15, 1993, or
    - the compressor in the appliance is not operating;

###### OR

90 percent of the refrigerant when
    - the technician uses recovery or recycling equipment manufactured after    November 15, 1993, and
    - the compressor in the appliance is operating

In order to ensure that they are recovering the correct percentage ofrefrigerant, technicians must use the recovery equipment according to thedirections of its manufacturer. Technicians may also satisfy recoveryrequirements by evacuating the small appliance to four inches of mercuryvacuum.

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##### 2. Exceptions to EvacuationRequirements

EPA has established limited exceptions to its evacuation requirements for1) repairs to refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment and 2) repairsthat are not major and that are notfollowed by an evacuation of the equipment to the environment.

If, due to leaks, evacuation to the levels in Table 1 is not attainable, or would substantiallycontaminate the refrigerant being recovered, persons opening the appliancemust:
    - isolate leaking from non-leaking components wherever possible;
    - evacuate non-leaking components to the levels in  Table 1 ; and
    - evacuate leaking components to the lowest level that can be attained    without substantially contaminating the refrigerant. This level cannot    exceed 0 psig.

If evacuation of the equipment to the environment is not to be performedwhen repairs are complete, and if the repair is not major, then theappliance must:
    - be evacuated to at least 0 psig before it is opened if it is a high- or    very high-pressure appliance; or
    - be pressurized to 0 psig before it is opened if it is a low-pressure    appliance. Methods that require subsequent purging (e.g., nitrogen)     cannot  be used except with appliances containing R-113.

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##### 3. Reclamation Requirement

EPA has also established that refrigerant recovered and/or recycled can bereturned to the same system or other systems owned by the same person withoutrestriction. If refrigerant changes ownership, it must be reclaimed (i.e., cleaned to the ARI 700-1993Standard of purity) by an EPA certifiedrefrigerant reclaimer. 

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#### Refrigerant Recovery and RecyclingEquipment Certification

The Agency has established a certification program for refrigerantrecovery and recycling equipment. EPA requires that manufacturers orimporters of refrigerant recovery and recycling equipment manufactured on orafter November 15, 1993, have their equipment tested by an EPA-approvedtesting organization to ensure that it meets EPA requirements. Equipmentintended for use with air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment must betested under EPA requirements based upon the ARI 740 test protocol (i.e., EPAAppendices B and B1 to 40 CFR 82 subpart F). Recycling and recovery equipmentintended for use with small appliances must be tested under EPA Appendix C oralternatively under requirements based upon the ARI 740 test protocol (i.e.,Appendices B and B1 to 40 CFR 82 subpart F).

The Agency requires recovery efficiency standards that vary depending onthe size and type of air-conditioning or refrigeration equipment beingserviced. For recovery and recycling equipment intended for use withair-conditioning and refrigeration equipment besides small appliances, thesestandards are the same as those in the second column of Table 1. Recovery equipment intended for use withsmall appliances must be able to recover 90 percent of the refrigerant in thesmall appliance when the small appliance compressor is operating and 80percent of the refrigerant in the small appliance when the compressor is notoperating.

EPA has approved both the Air-Conditioning,Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to certify recycling andrecovery equipment. Certified equipment can be identified by a label reading:"This equipment has been certified by ARI/UL to meet EPA's minimumrequirements for recycling and/ or recovery equipment intended for use with[appropriate category of appliance--e.g., small appliances, HCFC appliancescontaining less than 200 pounds of refrigerant, all high-pressure appliances,etc.]." Lists of certified equipment may be obtained by contacting ARI at703-524-8800 and UL at 708-272-8800 ext. 42371.

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#### Refrigerant Leaks

Owners or operators of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment withrefrigerant charges greater than 50 pounds are required to repair leakswithin 30 days when those leaks result in the loss of more than a certainpercentage of the equipment's refrigerant charge over a year. For thecommercial (e.g. grocery stores and warehouses) and industrial processrefrigeration sectors, leaks must be repaired within 30 days when theequipment leaks at a rate that would release 35 percent or more of the chargeover a year. For all other sectors, including comfort cooling (such asbuilding chillers), leaks must be repaired when the appliance leaks at a ratethat would release 15 percent or more of the charge over a year.

The trigger for repair requirements is the current leak rate projectedover a consecutive 12-month period rather than the total quantity ofrefrigerant lost. For instance, owners or operators of a commercialrefrigeration system containing 100 pounds of charge must repair leaks ifthey find that the system has lost 10 pounds of charge over the past month;although 10 pounds represents only 10 percent of the system charge in thiscase, a leak rate of 10 pounds per month would result in the release of over100 percent of the charge over the year. To track leak rates, owners oroperators of air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment with more than 50pounds of charge must keep records of the quantity of refrigerant added totheir equipment during servicing and maintenance procedures.

Owners or operators are required to repair leaks within 30 days ofdiscovery. This requirement is waived if, within 30 days of discovery, ownersdevelop a one-year retrofit or retirement plan for the leaking equipment.Owners of industrial process refrigeration equipment may qualify foradditional time under certain circumstances. For example, if an industrialprocess shutdown is required to repair a leak, owners have 120 days to repairthe leak. Owners of industrial process refrigeration equipment shouldreference the Compliance Assistance Guidance Document for Industrial ProcessRefrigeration Leak Repair for additional information concerning timeextensions and pertinent recordkeeping and reporting requirements. 

The leak repair regulations do not apply to refrigeration andair-conditioning equipment with refrigerant charge sizes less than 50 poinds(such as residential split air-conditioning systems). However, smallerequipment is not exempt from the refrigerant venting prohibition. Eparegulations prohibit the intentional release of all refrigerants during themaintenance, service, repair, or disposal of air-conditioning andrefrigeration equipment.

A detailed fact sheet about Industrial ProcessRefrigeration leak repair is also available.

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#### Technician Certification

EPA has established a technician certification program for persons("technicians") who perform maintenance, service, repair, or disposal thatcould be reasonably expected to release refrigerants into the atmosphere. Thedefinition of "technician"specifically includes and excludes certain activities as follows:

Included:
    - attaching and detaching hoses and gauges to and from the appliance to    measure pressure within the appliance;
    - adding refrigerant to (for example "topping-off") or removing    refrigerant from the appliance
    - any other activity that violates the integrity of the  MVAC-like appliances , and small    appliances.

In addition, apprentices are exemptfrom certification requirements provided the apprentice is closely andcontinually supervised by a certified technician.

The Agency has developed four types of certification:
    - For servicing small appliances (Type I).
    - For servicing or disposing of high- or very high-pressure appliances,    except small appliances and MVACs (Type II).
    - For servicing or disposing of low-pressure appliances (Type III).
    - For servicing all types of equipment (Universal).

Technicians are required to pass an EPA-approved test given by an EPA-approved certifying organization tobecome certified under the mandatory program. Section 608 TechnicianCertification credentials do not expire.

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#### Refrigerant Sales Restrictions

The sale of ozone-depleting refrigerant (such as R-11, R-12, and R-22) inany size container has been restricted to technicians certified either underthe program described in Technician Certificationabove or under EPA's motor vehicle airconditioning regulations. The sales restriction covers ozone-depletingrefrigerant contained in bulk containers, such as cans, cylinders, ordrums.

The restriction excludes refrigerant contained in refrigerators or airconditioners with fully assembled refrigerant circuits (such as householdrefrigerators, window air conditioners, and packaged air conditioners), andHFC refrigerants (such as R-134a and R-410A). In addition, a restriction onthe sale of pre-charged split systems has been stayed (suspended) until EPAtakes further action.

Under Section 609 of the Clean Air Act, sales of CFC-12 in containerssmaller than 20 pounds are restricted solely to technicians certified underEPA's motor vehicle air-conditioning regulations (i.e., Section 609 certifiedtechnicians). Technicians certified under EPA's stationary refrigeration andair-conditioning equipment (i.e., Section 608 certified technicians) may buycontainers of CFC-12 larger than 20 pounds.

Section 609 technicians are only allowed to purchase refrigerants that aresuitable for use in motor vehicle air-conditioners. Effective September 22,2003, EPA has restricted the sale of ozone-depleting refrigerants, approvedfor use in stationary refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, toSection 608 certified technicians. Therefore, the sale of ozone-depletingrefrigerants (such as HCFC-22) that are approved for use in stationaryequipment but not for use in motor vehicle air-conditioners is restricted toSection 608 certified technicians.

More detailed information is available in an EPA fact sheet titled "The Refrigerant Sales Restriction."

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#### Certification by Owners ofRefrigerant Recovery and Recycling Equipment

EPA requires that persons servicing, disposing, or recyclingair-conditioning and refrigeration equipment certify to the appropriate EPARegional Office that they have acquired (built, bought, or leased)refrigerant recovery or recycling equipment and that they are complying withthe applicable requirements of this rule. This certification must be signedby the owner of the equipment or another responsible officer and sent to theappropriate EPA Regional Office. A sample formfor this certification is attached. Although owners of recycling and recoveryequipment are required to list the number of trucks based at their shops,they do not need to have a piece of recycling or recovery equipment for everytruck. Owners do not have to send in a new form each time they add recyclingor recovery equipment to their inventory.

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#### Refrigerant ReclaimerCertification

Refrigerant reclaimers are companies that reprocess used refrigerant backto virgin specifications. EPA restricts the resale of used refrigerant to anew owner, unless it has been reclaimed by an EPA-certified refrigerantreclaimer. Reclaimes are required to return refrigerant to the purity levelspecified in ARI Standard 700 (an industry-set purity standard) and to verifythis purity using the laboratory protocol set forth in the same standard. Inorder to be recognized by EPA, refrigerant reclaimers must certify to theSection 608 Recycling Program Manager at EPA headquarters that they arecomplying with these requirements and that the information given is true andcorrect. Certification must also include the name and address of thereclaimer and a list of equipment used to process and to analyze therefrigerant. In addition, a checklisthelps prospective reclaimers provide appropriate information for EPA toreview.

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#### Safe Disposal Requirements

Refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment that is typically dismantledon-site before disposal (e.g., retail food refrigeration, central residentialair conditioning, chillers, and industrial process refrigeration) has to havethe refrigerant recovered in accordance with EPA's requirements for servicingprior to their disposal. However, equipment that typically enters the wastestream with the charge intact (e.g., motor vehicle air conditioners,household refrigerators and freezers, and room air conditioners) are subjectto special safe disposal requirements.

Under these requirements, the final person in the disposal chain (e.g., ascrap metal recycler or landfill owner) is responsible for ensuring thatrefrigerant is recovered from equipment before the final disposal of theequipment. If the final person in the disposal chain accepts appliances thatno longer hold a refrigerant charge, that person is responsible formaintaining a signed statement from whom the appliance/s is being accepted.The signed statement must include the name and address of the person whorecovered the refrigerant, and the date that the refrigerant was recovered,or a copy of a contract stating that the refrigerant will be removed prior todelivery. EPA does not mandate a sticker as a form of verification that therefrigerant has been removed prior to disposal of the appliance. Suchstickers do not relieve the final disposer of their responsibility to recoverany remaining refrigerant in the appliance, unless the sticker consists of asigned statement that includes the name and address of the person whorecovered the refrigerant, and the date that the refrigerant wasrecovered.

Technician certification is not required for individuals removingrefrigerant from small appliances, motor vehicle air conditioners, and motorvehicle-like air conditioners, when preparing them for disposal. However, theequipment used to recover refrigerant from appliances prior to their finaldisposal must meet the same performance standards as refrigerant recoveryequipment used prior to servicing, Persons involved in the final disposal ofappliances must certify to their EPA Regional Office that they have obtainedand are properly using EPA certified refrigerant recovery equipment. A sample form is available here (4 pp, 141 kb, About PDF).

EPA has prepared a brochure on safe disposal procedures for household appliances that use refrigerants.

EPA also facilitates the recovery of refrigerant through its Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) Program. 

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#### Major Recordkeeping Requirements

    - Technicians
    - servicing appliances that contain 50 or more pounds of refrigerant      must provide the owner with an invoice that indicates the amount of      refrigerant added to the appliance. Technicians must also keep a copy      of their proof of certification at their place of business.
    - Owners or Operators
    - of appliances that contain 50 or more pounds of refrigerant must keep      servicing records documenting the date and type of service, as well as      the quantity of refrigerant added.
    - Wholesalers
    - who sell CFC and HCFC refrigerants must retain invoices that indicate      the name of the purchaser, the date of sale, and the quantity of      refrigerant purchased.
    - **Reclaimers**
    -  must maintain records of the      names and addresses of persons sending them material for reclamation      and the quantity of material sent to them for reclamation. This      information must be maintained on a transactional basis. Within 30 days      of the end of the calendar year, reclaimers must report to EPA the      total quantity of material sent to them that year for reclamation, the      mass of refrigerant reclaimed that year, and the mass of waste products      generated that year.

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### Enforcement

EPA is performing random inspections, responding to tips, and pursuingpotential cases against violators. Under the Act, EPA is authorized to assessfines of up to $32,500 per day for any violation of these regulations. Information on selected enforcement actionsis available in the enforcement section.

If you suspect or witness unlawful releases of refrigerant or otherviolations of the Clean Air Act regulations, you can file a report easily andanonymously by visiting EPA's Office ofEnforcement and Compliance Assurance website.

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### For Further Information

For further information concerning regulations related to stratosphericozone protection, please call the Stratospheric Ozone Information Hotline:1-800-296-1996. Lists of certified equipment may be obtained by contacting The AirConditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI)  at 703-524-8800 and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) at 708-272-8800 ext.42371.

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