July 1, 2019
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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 Limits
By 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:
- Find the current amount of refrigerant in tank (A).
- Weigh the recovery tank on a refrigerant scale.
- Subtract the tare weight (stamped on tank’s side).
- Find the amount of refrigerant in the unit by checking the unit’s faceplate (B)
- Add the current refrigerant amount from the tank (A) and the amount of refrigerant in the unit (B).
- If the result is less than the 80% requirement, then there is enough space for the refrigerant. If the result is more, then an additional cylinder is needed.
(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 Refrigerants
All refrigerants should be recovered to tanks labeled for the same type — NO EXCEPTIONS!
4. Recycle Refrigerant
It 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 ON
Turn 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 Down
As 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:
- Move recovery machine and tank to the shade (use an umbrella if you need to).
- Store tanks in an old refrigerator in the shop, this way they are chilled when the recovery process starts.
- Use a garden hose to cool the tank off.
- Immerse it in an ice bath using an old ice chest.
7. Keep Accurate Records
As refrigerant is being recovered to be recycled, records must be kept for mid-sized appliances with 5-50 pounds of refrigerant.
- The location, date of recovery, and type of refrigerant recovered for each disposed appliance.
- The quantity of refrigerant, by type, recovered from disposed appliances in each calendar month.
- The quantity of refrigerant, and type, transferred for reclamation or destruction, the person/company to whom it was transferred, and the date of the transfer.
- For copies of forms order the Recovery Management Book (#107079).
8. Dispose Properly
- Cylinders CANNOT be put in the trash. When a recovery cylinder is full (see Tip #1), the tank must be sent off for proper reclamation.
- Chadwell Supply offers reclamation, just place an order for a tank swap (#107380-30 lb or #107381-50 lb).
- Cylinders must remain in good, secure condition. Any cylinder showing signs of rust, damage or heat must be reduced to 0 psig by recovering the contents to another cylinder and then the tank can be discarded.
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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HVAC KNOW IT ALL | May 05, 2018 | Categories: Refrigerant , Refrigerant Recovery
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 Recovery
This 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/Pull
This 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.)
a. Open the liquid line service valve or core tool and then loosen and unseat the hose connected to the liquid port on the recovery tank until the refrigerant is present and then retighten.
b. Open the vapor line service valve or core tool and then loosen and unseat the hose connected to the vapor port on the recovery tank until the refrigerant is present and then retighten.
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.
• If it’s practical, use a larger cylinder; this will make the recovery go quicker.
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
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