EPA 608 Type I: Small Appliances

Type I covers the small sealed units found in kitchens, break rooms and bedrooms. They hold a small charge, but the rules still apply. The exam focuses on what counts as a small appliance, how much refrigerant you must recover, and which recovery method fits a working or failed compressor.

What You Will Be Able to Do

• Decide whether an appliance is a small appliance.
• State the required recovery levels.
• Choose between self-contained and system-dependent recovery.
• Recover from a unit with a working or failed compressor.
• Handle safe disposal of a small appliance.

What Counts as a Small Appliance

EPA's definition has two parts. The unit must be fully manufactured, charged and hermetically sealed in a factory, and it must hold 5 lb of refrigerant or less.

Examples include:

• Household refrigerators and freezers.
• Window air conditioners and packaged terminal air conditioners.
• Dehumidifiers.
• Vending machines and drinking water coolers.

A system that was charged in the field is not a small appliance, even if it holds less than 5 lb. A residential split system or a mini-split falls under Type II.

Required Recovery Levels

The level depends on when the recovery equipment was made and whether the appliance's compressor works.

A 4-inch vacuum means 4 inches of mercury below atmospheric pressure.

Worked example: a refrigerator holds 8 oz of R-134a and its compressor has failed. You are using newer recovery equipment. You must recover 80%, which is 8 x 0.8 = 6.4 oz, or reach a 4-inch vacuum.

Two Kinds of Recovery Equipment

Self-contained recovery equipment has its own compressor. It can pull refrigerant out of an appliance and push it into a recovery cylinder. It works whether or not the appliance compressor runs.

System-dependent recovery equipment, also called passive recovery, depends on the appliance's own compressor or on the pressure already in the appliance. It is simple, but it has limits:

• It is allowed only on appliances with a full charge of 15 lb or less, so it fits small appliances.
• With a working appliance compressor, run the compressor and capture refrigerant from the high side.
• With a failed compressor, access both the high and low sides. Warming or tapping the compressor can help release refrigerant from the oil.

If you use a system-dependent setup, you may need to gather refrigerant in a non-pressurized container. It must then be moved to a proper recovery cylinder.

Getting Into the System

Most small appliances have no service ports. You usually add a piercing valve to a process tube.

1. Read the data plate, and note the refrigerant and charge.
2. Install a piercing valve on the process tube. Follow the valve's instructions.
3. Check the valve for leaks, because a piercing valve can leak.
4. Connect recovery equipment and run it to the required level.
5. Remove piercing valves when the job ends if they are not rated to stay on. A piercing valve left in place can leak.

Service equipment hoses should have low-loss fittings or shut-off valves, so little refrigerant escapes when you disconnect.

Recovering From a Working Compressor

1. Install access on the high side.
2. Connect your recovery setup.
3. Run the appliance and recover until you meet the level.
4. Wait a few minutes and check for a pressure rise, which means refrigerant is still boiling out of the oil.

Recovering From a Failed Compressor

1. Install access on both the high and low sides.
2. Use self-contained recovery equipment if you have it.
3. If you use a system-dependent setup, warm the compressor gently or tap it lightly to help release refrigerant from the oil.
4. Recover to the required level.

Warning: Never heat a compressor or a cylinder with an open flame. Use only gentle, approved methods.

Flammable Refrigerants

Many new refrigerators, freezers and small coolers use R-600a (isobutane) or R-290 (propane). Read the label before you start. Keep ignition sources away, ventilate the area, and use tools and recovery gear rated for flammable refrigerants. These refrigerants have a venting exemption only in specific uses. Follow the current rules and the manufacturer's service instructions.

Safe Disposal

Small appliances end up in scrap yards and landfills, and their refrigerant must be removed first.

• The final person in the disposal chain must make sure refrigerant was recovered.
• If it was removed earlier, that person must keep a signed statement showing who recovered it and when. Records are kept for 3 years.
• A person who only recovers refrigerant from small appliances for disposal does not need a card, but must use certified recovery equipment.

Exam Format

Type I has 25 questions. A proctored closed-book test requires 70%, which is 18 of 25 in practice. A mail-in Type I test requires 84%, or 21 of 25, and does not count toward Universal. Every candidate also passes Core.

Common Mistakes

Check Your Understanding

A window unit with a working compressor is recovered with a 2015 recovery machine. What is the requirement? Recover 90% of the charge or reach a 4-inch vacuum.

A dehumidifier's compressor has failed, and you have a system-dependent setup. How do you connect it? Access both the high and low sides, and help release refrigerant from the oil by warming or tapping the compressor.

A factory-sealed unit holds 3 lb of refrigerant. Is it a small appliance? Yes. It is factory sealed with 5 lb or less.

A small split system holds 4 lb but was charged in the field. Which type applies? Type II, because a small appliance must be fully charged and sealed at the factory.

Key Takeaways

• A small appliance is factory sealed with 5 lb or less of refrigerant.
• Newer recovery equipment must recover 90% with a working compressor and 80% with a failed one, or reach a 4-inch vacuum.
• Older recovery equipment must recover 80%, or reach a 4-inch vacuum.
• With a failed compressor, access both the high and low sides.
• The last person in the disposal chain must confirm recovery and keep records.