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Technicians and Contractors Frequently Asked Questions
With the responsibility to install, service, and repair equipment that may contain HCFCs or other refrigerants, contractors and technicians play an important role in implementing the phaseout of HCFCs. The following information will help technicians and contractors better understand their responsibilities under the regulations, adapt to changing industry practices, and provide consumers with appropriate service and information.
When will R-22 (or blends that contain R-22 and/or R-142b) no longer be available for purchase?
EPA will further restrict the consumption of R-22 in 2010 and stop its production and import in 2020. EPA expects that recycled and reclaimed R-22 will remain available after 2020 to service or maintain equipment. It is difficult to predict when supplies will run out; however, EPA anticipates that supplies should be available until almost all equipment containing R-22 is retired. Technicians should properly recover and recycle R-22 from existing refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment to help ensure the availability of future supplies. Recovered refrigerant cannot be sold to a new owner for use as a refrigerant; instead, it must be sent to a reclaimer prior to sale.
What alternatives to R-22 are acceptable and available?
EPA has found acceptable several alternatives to R-22 that do not deplete the ozone layer. These include R-134a, R-404AA, R-407C, and R-410A. In the United States, R-410A is the most popular choice for home air conditioners. R-410A is sold under several trade names, including GENETRON AZ-20®, SUVA 410A®, and Puron®.
EPA evaluates and regulates substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals that are being phased out in its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program. EPA maintains a list of acceptable and unacceptable substitutes according to end use, including refrigeration and air-conditioning. To help technicians decide which alternatives are most appropriate for specific uses, EPA developed a list of questions to ask a supplier before purchasing alternative refrigerants. If substitutes are used in retrofitted equipment, technicians should be trained on proper retrofit installation and servicing techniques.
Should I discuss the HCFC phaseout with my customers?
Yes, technicians are an important source of information for consumers. Technicians should explain to their customers that HCFCs are being phased out worldwide and that the future availability of R-22 will be limited to servicing existing equipment. Consumers should be aware that the continued use of existing appliances with R-22 is not banned. Nor is there an EPA mandate for the conversion of existing R-22 equipment. Technicians can also send consumers to the EPA web site for more information.
Are there any restrictions on the purchase of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants?
No, at this time, the purchase of HFC refrigerants is not restricted. (For example, there is no technician certification requirement for those that purchase HFC refrigerants, such as R-410A or R-134a.)
Are there any limitations on the use of HFC refrigerants?
Yes, a specific HFC refrigerant must be found acceptable as a substitute for a specific end use by the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program. A list of acceptable refrigerant substitutes is available from the EPA web site. In addition, it is illegal to knowingly vent or release these refrigerants. The venting prohibition applies to R-134a, R-410A, and all other HFC refrigerants.
Is EPA technician certification required to service R-410A systems?
No, EPA technician certification (i.e., EPA section 608 certification) is not required in order to service R-410A systems or other systems containing HFCs.
May I use recovered HCFC refrigerants? Are there any special requirements?
Yes, under special circumstances EPA regulations allow equipment to be recharged with recovered (rather than reclaimed) HCFC refrigerants. A recovered refrigerant is one that was removed from an appliance and stored in an external container without necessarily testing or processing it in any way.
If the used refrigerant is being charged back into the same appliance or to another appliance owned by the same person, the used refrigerant does not need to be recycled or reclaimed. If the refrigerant will be used in equipment with different ownership, recovered refrigerants must be reclaimed. When a refrigerant is reclaimed, it is reprocessed to meet industry standards using specialized machinery that is not generally available at a job site or repair shop. In contrast, recycling a refrigerant involves extracting it and cleaning it for reuse without meeting the requirements for reclamation.
How should HCFC refrigerants be disposed of?
Recovered HCFC refrigerants should be sent to an EPA-certified refrigerant reclaimer. Only EPA-certified reclaimers may reclaim and sell used refrigerants to a new owner. Technicians and contractors may also send HCFC refrigerants to be destroyed. HCFCs and other controlled substances that are destroyed must be completely destroyed at a destruction efficiency of 98% or greater, by using one of the approved destruction technologies. In the United States, incineration technologies are most commonly used for this purpose.
How should equipment containing HCFC refrigerants be disposed of?
Under the Section 608 regulations, the refrigerant contained in the equipment must be disposed of safely. EPA developed Safe Disposal Requirements that must be followed. Equipment that is typically disassembled on-site before disposal has to have the refrigerant recovered in accordance with EPA's requirements for servicing. For equipment that typically enters the waste stream with the charge intact (e.g., household refrigerators and freezers, room air conditioners), the final person in the disposal chain (e.g., a scrap metal recycler or landfill owner) must make sure that the refrigerant is recovered from the equipment before its final disposal. However, persons earlier in the chain can remove the refrigerant and provide documentation of its removal to the final person.
Will the revised energy efficiency standards for air conditioners affect which refrigerant is used?
The U.S. Department of Energy specifies the minimum efficiency of air conditioners sold in the United States. For central air conditioners and air-to-air heat pumps, efficiency is measured by the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). In January 2006, the minimum efficiency ratio for most types of new equipment increased from 10 to 13, which means that new units must be 30 percent more efficient.
Air conditioners that use R-22 or its alternatives and that meet the new energy efficiency requirements are available for purchase. Some other air conditioners, however, will require a larger charge size (i.e., more refrigerant) to meet the higher efficiency standard, which will increase the demand for R-22 at the same time that production will decrease.