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July 1, 2019 Share:
Safely and quickly recover, recycle, and reclaim refrigerant with these tips.
It’s no secret that refrigerant is expensive and you are busy! Being able to safely recover refrigerant to reuse it on your property is important, but also recovering it as quickly as possible is helpful too. Use these eight tips to help you in the process of recovering, recycling and reclaiming refrigerant. 1. NEVER Exceed Refrigerant Recovery Tank LimitsBy law, a tank can only be filled to 80% capacity and must be kept under 122°F. It is recommended to fill to 2 lbs less than the 80%. For example, a 30 lb cylinder can hold 22 lbs of refrigerant and a 50 lb cylinder can hold 38 lbs of refrigerant. You must calculate to make sure the recovery tank will safely accept the amount of refrigerant being added:
(Note: if the tank is empty, the scale should match the tare weight stamped onto the side of the cylinder.)
If using a new recovery cylinder, make sure it is labeled at FIRST use. 3. NEVER Mix RefrigerantsAll refrigerants should be recovered to tanks labeled for the same type — NO EXCEPTIONS! 4. Recycle RefrigerantIt is OK to put clean, recovered refrigerant back into the same system, as long as it was cleaned by passing it through a filter drier. Clean, recovered refrigerant can also be put into another system owned by the same owner (in multifamily this usually means a different unit at the same property). 5. Turn the Fan ONTurn the thermostat’s fan switch to the “on” position so the blower will move warm air across the coil. This may help speed recovery time. 6. Cool it DownAs refrigerant is being added to a recovery tank, it increases the pressure in the tank and causes the tank to naturally heat up; increasing recovery time. To make the recovery process go quicker, try to cool the tank off using any of these methods:
7. Keep Accurate RecordsAs refrigerant is being recovered to be recycled, records must be kept for mid-sized appliances with 5-50 pounds of refrigerant.
8. Dispose Properly
Download PDF Step-by-Step Refrigerant Recovery Process
Knowing how to properly recover refrigerant is a requirement enforced by the EPA in their efforts to protect the environment from the improper discharge of these chemicals. In this video tutorial, Chadwell University Instructor, Vann Flippen, walks through how to properly recover refrigerant on your property. For more information about HVAC and EPA608 classes review our class schedule for Chadwell University.
DISCLAIMER: It is against EPA Regulations for anyone that HAS NOT obtained a Section 608 Type 1,2,3, or Universal License to buy or work with any type of Refrigerant.
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I often see new techs asking how to recover or experienced techs asking how to recover faster, so let’s take a look at both. If looking to connect with a strong culture of HVAC technicians, check out the subscription-based HVAC Know It All app. This all originated from some personal trial and error when an air conditioning manufacturer I worked for had a recall, a missing Schrader core at the receiver service valve (king valve) of all things. This was a possible disaster for an unsuspecting tech. Remove the cap expecting a valve core, and well... Not fun. So it was time to install a single valve core in 50 operational units in critical spaces, each holding between 50 and 100 pounds of R-410A. I had a reasonably repeatable situation on my hands, and I had the opportunity to try all sorts of things: recovery cylinder size, hose size, hose type, etc. I’ll cover all this at the bottom of this article, but we’ve got to start with the basics! How do we recover?There are two typical methods, direct recovery and push/pull. You should always familiarize yourself with the equipment you are working with, but I’ve included a simple diagram of how to connect the required equipment and a “step-by-step” guide for the newer techs. Direct RecoveryThis is our typical recovery method, which will be how every recovery task will finish. 1. Start with all valves closed (recovery cylinder, recovery machine, manifold, hoses.) 2. Setup hoses as shown in the diagram. 3. ZERO/TARE the refrigerant scale. 4. Open hose valves, core removal tool valves or service valves. 1. ---The below steps will vary with your recovery machine--- 5. Set the refrigerant recovery machine to recover. 6. Open the high side of the manifold for liquid recovery. 7. PURGE THE HOSES OF AIR, loosen and unseat the hose connected to the recovery tank until the refrigerant is present, and then retighten. 8. Fully open the vapor valve on the recovery cylinder. 9. Turn on the recovery machine. 2. ---The below steps should be standard for most recovery machines--- 10. The manifold high side valve may need to be adjusted to throttle refrigerant flow into the refrigerant recovery machine to avoid liquid slugging. 11. When the liquid recovery is complete, fully open both the high side and low side manifold valves. 12. Many recovery machines will turn off once the system reaches a vacuum. 13. PURGE THE RECOVERY MACHINE – this one can be pretty specific – so check your manual if you’re unsure. 14. Close all valves and recovery is complete! Push/PullThis will be your faster option if the system has 15 or more pounds of refrigerant. The more refrigerant the system holds, the more time you’ll save. Tip: Using an inline sight glass during push-pull recovery will allow you to visually determine when the liquid flow has stopped. 1. Start with all valves closed (recovery cylinder, recovery machine, manifold, hoses.) 2. Setup hoses as shown in the diagram. 3. ZERO/TARE the refrigerant scale. 4. Set the recovery machine to recover. 5. PURGE THE HOSES OF AIR (this is done slightly differently than in direct recovery.) 6. Turn on the recovery machine. 7. When liquid recovery is complete, switch to Direct Vapor Recovery. Now, let’s speed it up...Valve Core Removal Tools• If you were only going to change one thing – this is it! If you’re stuck pulling through valve cores, get two of these. They’ll even help speed up your evacuation. Recovery Cylinder• Make sure the cylinder is clean and has been evacuated to 500 microns or less. And NEVER fill beyond 80%. This allows for the expansion of the refrigerant. Hoses• Avoid hoses with “anti-blowback” or “low loss” style fittings. • Standard hoses are ¼” – using larger diameter hoses will get you faster recovery. They’re often marketed as “heavy duty,” “charging,” or “vacuum” hoses. • Use hoses that are as short as possible. Temperature• Cool down the recovery cylinder– this will drop the pressure of the recovery cylinder. • With many recovery machines, you can use the fan to draw air over the recovery tank. • Water will work even better, but you’ll need water flow. • Cool down the refrigerant! This one tends to be your best bet if you’re dealing with large volumes of refrigerant – there are heat exchangers available for just for this purpose. Filter It!• If you suspect the system refrigerant to be dirty, use an inline filter drier at the inlet to the recovery machine. With methods ranging from nothing new required to a whole new rig for recovery, you’ve got choices to speed up your recovery in just about all applications. Give some of these a try and see how they work for you. Dan Reggi Humber College Professor Follow HVAC Know It All on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn and LISTEN to the HVAC Know It All Podcast Save 8% on purchases at TruTech Tools with code knowitall (excluding Fluke and Flir products) BACK |