EPA Regulation for Refrigerant Recovery Equipment

Refrigerant recovery equipment is used to remove refrigerant from an appliance for maintenance, repairs or prior to disposal. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the recovery and the recovery equipment to decrease refrigerant emissions to the lowest possible level for environment safety purposes.

Testing

• Refrigerant recovery equipment manufactured on, or after, Nov. 15, 1993, must be tested by an EPA-accepted testing organization. Each vendor of small appliance refrigerant recovery equipment must provide a prototypical model of its capture system and recovery process to the testing organization. Certification will be approved if the equipment demonstrates satisfactory effectiveness to meet EPA regulations.

Guidelines

• Recovery equipment used for small appliances is required to recover 90 percent of the refrigerant when the compressor of the appliance is operating. When the compressor is not operating, 80 percent of the refrigerant must be recovered.

Certification

• The Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute and Underwriters Laboratories are both approved by the EPA to certify recycling and recovery equipment. The certified equipment can be identified by a label stating the equipment has been certified and meets the minimum EPA requirements for recovery equipment.