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ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE REFRIGERANT
SERVICE TECHNIQUES
FOR
MOTOR VEHICLE AIR CONDITIONING
TECHNICIANS

A Self Study Course for
EPA 609 Motor Vehicle A/C Certification
in the Proper Use of Refrigerants,
including Recovery, Recycling, and Reclamation

Written by: Robert P. Scaringe
Edited by:  Michael Amato

Fifth Edition
October 2008

© Copyright 1998-2008
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
by
Mainstream Engineering Corporation, 200 Yellow Place, Rockledge, Florida 32955

Except as permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form, or by any means, or stored in any database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Information contained in this work has been obtained by Mainstream Engineering Corporation from sources believed to be reliable. However, neither Mainstream Engineering Corporation nor its author guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein and neither Mainstream Engineering Corporation nor its author shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of the use of this information. This work is published with the understanding that Mainstream Engineering Corporation and its author are supplying information but are not attempting to render engineering or other professional or technical services. If such services are required, the assistance of an appropriate professional should be sought.

Preface

The information in this course is intended for educational purposes only. Procedures described are for use only by qualified Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning, (MVAC), service technicians. Improper use of any A/C equipment can cause personal injury. Like any other piece of equipment, always read your recovery equipment Operator's Manual before using the equipment. This training course is not a substitute for the manufacturer's Operator's Manual. Never operate any equipment if you do not understand its operation. Where procedures described in this manual differ from those of a specific equipment manufacturer, the equipment manufacturer's instructions should be followed.

 Do not leave any refrigerant recovery or recovery-recycling machine ON and unsupervised. All refrigerant recovery and recycling devices are to be used by trained refrigeration technicians only! Misuse of such devices can cause explosion and personal injury.

Use only approved refillable storage cylinders. Do not overfill any storage cylinder beyond its rated capacity.

Take proper safety precautions when using all A/C equipment. Wear safety glasses. Protect the skin from flash freezing. Use extreme caution when working with refrigerants; hoses may contain liquid refrigerant under high pressure.

Technical and legislative information presented is current as of the date of the latest publication of this manual. Due to rapidly advancing technology and changing regulations in this field, no representation can be made for accuracy of this information into the future. Call EPA Stratospheric Ozone HOTLINE (800) 296-1996.

Mainstream Engineering Corporation assumes no liability for the use of the information presented in this publication. This information is presented for educational purposes only. Equipment operator's manuals must be consulted for the proper operation of particular equipment. The course content is limited to information and service practices needed to contain, conserve, and re­use refrigerants, preventing their escape to the atmosphere when servicing Mobile Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning Systems. This manual is not intended to teach air conditioning-refrigeration system installation, troubleshooting, or repair. The certified refrigeration technician should already be well-versed in these areas prior to taking this course.

EPA Examination Information

Since January 1, 1993, any person, repairing or servicing motor vehicle air conditioners for consideration must certify to the EPA that such person has acquired, and is properly using, approved equipment, and that each individual authorized to use the equipment is properly trained and certified under Section 609 of the Clean Air Act. In addition, only Section 609 Certified Motor Vehicle A/C technicians can purchase refrigerants in containers of 20 pounds or less. Mainstream is approved by the EPA as a certifying agency for 609 MVAC Technician Certification and 608 Type I, II, III, and Universal HVAC Technician Certification Exams.

This book is only for Section 609 Motor Vehicle A/C Technician Certification. Section 609 addresses the mobile motor vehicle air conditioning industry. The sale of small containers of refrigerant under 20 lb., including the "one pound" cans, is restricted to only people certified in Section 609. The purpose of 609 (Mobile Vehicle Air Conditioning) certification, as established by EPA, is to teach technicians and test their ability to properly handle and recover refrigerants. Technicians will also learn about the laws enacted to protect the stratospheric ozone layer.

This manual contains all the information necessary for answering the questions on the EPA open-book exam. By carefully reading this manual, you will find the information necessary to correctly answer these questions.

To pass the examination you must:

1. Correctly answer 21 of the 25 questions, (84% passing), without any help from any other person. It is an open-book exam, you can use this manual to help you find the correct answers, and you can take as much time as you need, but you can not get help from any other person. You will be asked to certify that you received no help from any other person.
2. Complete the Self-Certification Statement, where you pledge that you received no help from anyone in completing the test.

Table of Contents

LIST OF TABLES

Introduction

Effective since, August 13, 1992, no person repairing or servicing motor vehicles for consideration, may perform any service on a motor vehicle air conditioner involving the refrigerant for such air conditioner; without properly using equipment approved by the EPA, unless such person has been trained and certified by an approved Section 609 certification program. This August 13, 1992, deadline, could be extended to January 1, 1993, for small service shops (that serviced less than 100 A/C units in 1990). So, it has been illegal to service motor vehicle A/C units since, January 1, 1993, if you are not certified. To further prevent the servicing of motor vehicle A/C units by uncertified technicians, the EPA has mandated that since November 15, 1992, motor vehicle A/C refrigerants can only be sold to EPA Section 609 certified technicians. Furthermore, Section 609 certified technicians can purchase automotive refrigerant in any size container including containers with less then 20 pounds of refrigerant. EPA certified Section 608 technicians can not purchase these smaller refrigerant containers.

This training manual was written to help educate the MVAC technician in all the requirements related to refrigeration conservation and EPA regulations, as well as recovery, recycling, and reclamation techniques. This manual was intended to serve as a reference manual, for future problems and as a training manual to help technicians successfully pass the enclosed EPA Section 609 MVAC certification examination. This training manual is limited to information and service practices needed to contain, conserve, and re-use refrigerants, thereby preventing their escape to the atmosphere. This manual is not intended to teach air conditioning system installation, troubleshooting, or repair. Experienced service technicians will notice that a lot of this information is not new on the topic of conservation and containment; most of the procedures for maintaining tight systems have been in use for years. However, these skills must now be applied more diligently than ever.

Some users of this manual will also be aware of available information that is not included here. The intent is to present a course concentrating on practical, basic information that is most needed and can be readily applied on the job with the most effective results.

This manual is in a continual state of evolution and revision, partly because of the changing EPA regulations and partly because of the information feedback from technicians in the field. If there are sections of this manual that require improvement, or there are missing areas that you believe to be important, please write us a short note and we will see that the improvements are incorporated into future editions. In the past, we have received very useful comments and suggestions from refrigeration technicians in the field, and to all those who have helped in the past we owe a sincere debt of gratitude. Suggestions on the improvement of this course or any Mainstream product will always be welcomed. To submit suggestions directly related to this course, please write to Robert P. Scaringe, Ph.D., P.E., 609 Refrigeration Certification Program, Mainstream Engineering Corporation, Pines Industrial Center, 200 Yellow Place, Rockledge, Florida 32955.

Definitions

Azeotrope: A blend of two or more components whose equilibrium vapor phase and liquid phase compositions are the same at a given pressure.

Barrier Hoses: A flexible rubber hose is not completely leak proof, refrigerant can actually "seep" through these hoses and into the atmosphere. There are new less permeable "barrier" hoses that reduce the amount of refrigerant that can seep through the hose and into the atmosphere. R-22 also referred to as HCFC-22 can seep through traditional hoses. Therefore, when using R-22 or any refrigerant blend containing R-22, the technician must ensure that the less permeable "barrier" hoses are used. When retrofitting to a refrigerant blend that includes R-22, these hoses must be installed if the system currently uses non-barrier hoses.

CFC-12: dichlorodifluoromethane, (R-12).

Class I Refrigerant: CFC refrigerants such as R-12.

Class II Refrigerant: HCFC refrigerants such as R-22.

Compound: A substance formed by a union of two or more elements in a definite proportion, by weight.

Disposal: The process leading to and including any of the following:

(1) The discharge, deposit, dumping, or placing of any discarded appliance into or on any land or water.
(2) The disassembly of any appliance for discharge, deposit, dumping, or placing of its discarded component parts into or on any land or water.
(3) The disassembly of any appliance for reuse of its component parts.

Fractionation: The separation of a liquid mixture into separate parts by the preferential evaporation of the more volatile component.

Halocarbon: A halogenated hydrocarbon containing one or more of the three halogens: fluorine, chlorine, and bromine. Hydrogen may or may not be present.

HCFC-22 chlorodifluoromethane, (R-22).

HFC-134a 1,1,1,2,-tetrafluoroethane, (R-134a).

Hydrocarbon: A compound containing only the elements hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbon refrigerants are flammable.

Isomer: One of a group of substances having the same combination of elements, but these elements are arranged spatially in different ways.

Low-Loss Fitting: Any device that is intended to establish a connection between hoses, appliances, or recovery/recycling machines and that is designed to close automatically or to be closed manually when disconnected, minimizing the release of refrigerant from hoses, appliances, and recovery or recycling machines.

Mixture: A blend of two or more components that do not have a fixed proportion to one another and that no matter how well blended, still retain a separate existence (oil and water for example).

Motor Vehicle: Any vehicle which is self-propelled and designed for transporting persons or property on a street or highway, including but not limited to passenger cars, light duty vehicles, and heavy duty vehicles.

Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners (MVAC): Is defined as mechanical vapor compression open-drive compressor air conditioning equipment used to cool the driver or passenger compartments of any motor vehicle. This definition is NOT intended to encompass the hermetically sealed refrigeration system used on motor vehicles for refrigerated cargo or the air conditioning systems on passenger buses which use HCFC-22 refrigerant. Section 609 certification is required for working on MVAC systems while Section 608 certification is required for working on non-motor vehicle air conditioning systems. Note that Section 608 certification is required for working on hermetically sealed refrigeration systems used on motor vehicles for refrigerated cargo or the air conditioning systems on passenger buses which use HCFC-22 refrigerant.

MVAC-Like Appliance Mechanical vapor compression, open-drive compressor air conditioner used to cool the driver's or passenger's compartment of a non-road vehicle, including agricultural and construction vehicles. This definition excludes appliances using HCFC-22 refrigerant. The regulations implementing Sections 609 and 608 treat MVACs and MVAC-like appliances (and persons servicing them) slightly differently. A key difference is that persons who service MVACs are subject to the Section 609 equipment and technician certification requirements only if they perform "service for consideration", while persons who service MVAC-like appliances are subject to the equipment and technician certification requirements set forth in the Section 608 and 609 regulations regardless of whether they are compensated for their work. Another difference is that persons servicing MVAC-like appliances have the option of becoming certified as Section 608 Type II technicians instead of becoming certified as Section 609 MVAC technicians under subpart B. Persons servicing MVACs do not have this choice. They must be certified as Section 609 MVAC technicians if they perform the AC service for compensation.

Non-Azeotropic Refrigerant: A synonym for zeotropic, the latter being preferred though less commonly used descriptor. zeotropic: blends comprising multiple components of different volatilities that, when used in refrigeration cycles, change volumetric composition and saturation temperatures as they evaporate (boil) or condense at constant pressure.

Normal Charge: The quantity of refrigerant within the appliance or appliance component when the appliance is operating with a full charge of refrigerant.

Opening an Appliance: Any service, maintenance, repair, or disposal of an appliance that would release refrigerant from the appliance to the atmosphere unless the refrigerant were recovered previously from the appliance.

R-12: Another name for CFC-12.

R-22: Another name for HCFC-22.

R-134a: Another name for HFC-134a.

Reclamation: To reprocess refrigerant to at least the purity specified in the ARI Standard 700-1988, Specifications for Fluorocarbon Refrigerants, and to verify this purity using the analytical test procedures described in the Standard.

Recovery: To remove refrigerant in any condition from an appliance and store it in a container without necessarily testing or processing it in any way.

Recovery Efficiency: The percentage of refrigerant in an appliance that is recovered by a piece of recycling or recovery equipment.

Recycling: To extract refrigerant from an appliance and clean refrigerant for reuse without meeting all of the requirements for reclamation. In general, recycled refrigerant is refrigerant that is cleaned using oil separation and single or multiple passes through devices such as replaceable-core filter driers, which reduce moisture, acidity, and particulate matter. MVAC recycling machines must be certified to meet SAE standards for performance.

Refrigerant: Is any Class I or Class II substance used in a motor vehicle air conditioner and since November 15, 1995, refrigerant also includes any substitute substance." Note: Class I substances are CFCs such as R-12, and Class II substances are HCFCs such as R-22. Technically the refrigerant is the fluid used for heat transfer in a refrigerating system, which absorbs heat during evaporation at low temperature and pressure, and releases heat during condensation at a higher temperature and pressure.

Service For Consideration: Refers to the technician being paid to perform service, whether it is cash, credit, goods, or services. This includes all service except that done for free.

Service Involving Refrigerant: Refers to any service during which discharge or release of refrigerant from the motor vehicle's air conditioner to the atmosphere can reasonably be expected to occur.

Technician: Any person who performs maintenance, service, or repair that could reasonably be expected to release Class I (CFC) or Class II (HCFC) substances into the atmosphere, including but not limited to installers, contractor employees, in-house service personnel, and in some cases, owners.

Zeotropic: Blends comprising multiple components of different volatilities that, when used in refrigeration cycles, change volumetric composition and saturation temperatures as they evaporate (boil) or condense at constant pressure.

Units Conversions

The mass units typically encountered in the MVAC trade are the ounce (oz), pound (lb), gram (gr) and kilogram (kg). There are 16 ounces (weight) in a pound, 457 grams in a pound and 0.457 kg in a pound. That is to convert ounces to pounds divide by 16, to convert grams to pounds divide by 457, and to convert kg to pounds divide by 0.457. Table * has some common conversions for your convenience.

Conversion Factors

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