EPA 608 609 Recovery, Recycling, and Reclaiming 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When recovering from an appliance with a full charge over 200 lbs of HCFC-22 (a high-pressure refrigerant) for disposal, recovery equipment must reach what vacuum level?
- 0 inches Hg
- 4 inches Hg
- 10 inches Hg (Correct answer)
- 15 inches Hg
Correct answer: 10 inches Hg
For appliances with more than 200 lbs of high-pressure refrigerant being disposed, recovery must reach 10 inches of mercury vacuum.
Question 2: Self-contained (active) recovery equipment differs from system-dependent (passive) equipment because it:
- Relies on the appliance compressor to push refrigerant out
- Has its own compressor/pump to pull refrigerant from the appliance (Correct answer)
- Can only be used on small appliances
- Does not require EPA certification
Correct answer: Has its own compressor/pump to pull refrigerant from the appliance
Self-contained recovery equipment has its own means (compressor or pump) to draw refrigerant out, unlike passive equipment that depends on the system's own pressure.
Question 3: System-dependent (passive) recovery may only be used on appliances containing:
- Any charge size
- 15 lbs or less of refrigerant (Correct answer)
- More than 200 lbs
- Only high-pressure refrigerants
Correct answer: 15 lbs or less of refrigerant
Passive recovery is limited to small appliances with 15 lbs or less of refrigerant.
Question 4: Recovering liquid refrigerant first, rather than vapor, speeds the process mainly because:
- Liquid contains less refrigerant by volume
- Liquid removes a large mass quickly and reduces time spent pulling vapor (Correct answer)
- Vapor recovery is illegal
- Liquid recovery requires no equipment
Correct answer: Liquid removes a large mass quickly and reduces time spent pulling vapor
Removing liquid first extracts the bulk of the charge by mass rapidly, leaving only residual vapor to recover.
Question 5: Heating the appliance's refrigerant or using a heat source during recovery helps by:
- Lowering system pressure
- Raising refrigerant pressure to speed vapor recovery (Correct answer)
- Damaging the compressor faster
- Converting refrigerant to oil
Correct answer: Raising refrigerant pressure to speed vapor recovery
Gentle warming raises refrigerant pressure, pushing more refrigerant out and speeding recovery.
Question 6: Recovery rates slow down significantly near the end of recovery because:
- The refrigerant freezes solid
- Low remaining pressure makes the last vapor difficult to pull out (Correct answer)
- The cylinder is overfilled
- The compressor stops automatically
Correct answer: Low remaining pressure makes the last vapor difficult to pull out
As pressure drops, the remaining vapor is harder to remove, so the final stage of recovery is the slowest.
Question 7: Using a recovery cylinder that already contains refrigerant from a different system is acceptable only if:
- It is the same refrigerant type and the 80% fill limit is observed (Correct answer)
- The pressures are equal regardless of type
- It has been more than 5 years
- Never under any circumstances
Correct answer: It is the same refrigerant type and the 80% fill limit is observed
You may add to a cylinder only when it holds the same refrigerant type and the combined charge stays under the 80% fill limit.
EPA 608 609 Recovery, Recycling, and Reclaiming 3
When recovering from an appliance with a full charge over 200 lbs of HCFC-22 (a high-pressure refrigerant) for disposal, recovery equipment must reach what vacuum level?