This test gives contractors a relative comparison of each brand's speed. Only official ARI rates should be used to compare recovery unit rates.
Manufacturers often print their own rates in their literature.
This may be true for the first few moments of recovery when the cooling system is under higher pressure and the recovery tank has minimal head pressure. However, as the cooling system is evacuated and the tank pressure rises, recovery rates decrease. ARI averages recovery rates across the complete procedure and provides an independent, unbiased test result that a contractor can trust. Recovery units will service cooling systems exceeding the recommended tonnage range, however the tradeoff will be longer recovery procedures than you would experience with a larger sized unit. UL does not perform this test, thus the indicated products cannot be accurately compared to ARI certified units.