EPA 608 Certification Practice Test 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under EPA Section 608, what is the primary purpose of the "safe disposal" requirements for small appliances?
- To ensure technicians do not waste usable refrigerant by disposing of it
- To ensure refrigerant is recovered before appliances are disposed of at scrap facilities (Correct answer)
- To require manufacturers to redesign systems for easier refrigerant access
- To mandate energy efficiency testing before disposal
Correct answer: To ensure refrigerant is recovered before appliances are disposed of at scrap facilities
The safe disposal requirements under Section 608 ensure that refrigerant is removed from small appliances (refrigerators, window ACs, etc.) before they are scrapped, crushed, or shredded at disposal facilities. Without these requirements, refrigerant would be released to the atmosphere as appliances are processed. The rules apply to both technicians and final disposal entities.
Question 2: When verifying the identity of an unknown refrigerant in a system, a technician should first:
- Add a known refrigerant to the system and observe pressure changes
- Use a refrigerant identifier (analyzer) before recovery (Correct answer)
- Recover all refrigerant to an unknown-sample cylinder without testing
- Check system pressures against a standard R-22 pressure chart
Correct answer: Use a refrigerant identifier (analyzer) before recovery
Before recovering or working with refrigerant of unknown identity, a technician should use a refrigerant identifier (electronic analyzer) to determine what refrigerant is present. This prevents cross-contamination of recovery cylinders, avoids mixing incompatible refrigerants, and ensures proper handling procedures are used. Mixing refrigerants in recovery cylinders makes them unusable.
Question 3: Mixing which two refrigerants creates a mixture that is potentially flammable, even though neither is flammable alone?
- R-22 and R-134a
- R-410A and R-744
- R-22 and R-290 (propane)
- R-22 and oxygen (Correct answer)
Correct answer: R-22 and oxygen
Mixing any refrigerant with oxygen or air containing oxygen creates an extremely dangerous, potentially explosive mixture. Although R-22 itself is not flammable, when combined with oxygen under pressure (such as when improperly using oxygen to pressurize a system), the mixture becomes highly combustible. NEVER use oxygen to pressurize or test refrigerant systems — only dry nitrogen should be used.
Question 4: What does the ASHRAE refrigerant safety classification "A2L" indicate?
- Non-flammable with low toxicity
- Mildly flammable with low toxicity (Correct answer)
- Highly flammable with low toxicity
- Non-flammable with high toxicity
Correct answer: Mildly flammable with low toxicity
ASHRAE refrigerant safety classification uses letters (A or B) for toxicity and numbers (1, 2L, 2, 3) for flammability. Class A indicates lower toxicity; Class B indicates higher toxicity. Class 2L indicates mildly flammable refrigerants with burning velocities of 10 cm/s or less. R-32 and R-1234yf are classified as A2L — low toxicity, mildly flammable.
Question 5: Under what circumstances may a refrigerant recovery machine's recovery efficiency standards be waived?
- When working on a system smaller than 1 pound charge
- When the system has a known leak that has already vented most of the refrigerant (Correct answer)
- When the technician is Universal-certified
- Recovery efficiency standards cannot be waived under any circumstances
Correct answer: When the system has a known leak that has already vented most of the refrigerant
The EPA does provide relief from recovery requirements when a system's refrigerant has already been substantially lost due to a catastrophic failure or leak. If a technician can document that the system was nearly empty due to a leak before they arrived, the normal efficiency standards may not be achievable. Documentation is critical in such cases to demonstrate compliance intent.
Question 6: What is the purpose of the EPA's Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program?
- To certify technicians who work on new refrigerant systems
- To evaluate and approve substitutes for ozone-depleting substances (Correct answer)
- To regulate the import of refrigerant cylinders from foreign countries
- To set mandatory efficiency standards for new HVAC equipment
Correct answer: To evaluate and approve substitutes for ozone-depleting substances
The SNAP program evaluates alternatives to ozone-depleting substances — including refrigerants — and lists them as acceptable or unacceptable based on environmental and safety criteria (including ODP, GWP, toxicity, and flammability). The SNAP list guides technicians and manufacturers in choosing compliant replacement refrigerants for phased-out substances.
EPA 608 Certification Practice Test 3
Under EPA Section 608, what is the primary purpose of the "safe disposal" requirements for small appliances?