The Environmental Protection Agency has updated the regulations that govern purchasing and handling refrigerant. This change can affect the way that we provide service to our residents during the hot summer months. Many of the changes expand the scope of the rules beyond ozone protection and include substances that are known to produce climate change. This includes regulating Hydrofluorocarbon’s (HFC’s) not formerly included.
Here is a quick summary of the new rules:
- HFC’s Included: Starting January 1, 2018, the sale of ODS (Ozone Depleting Substances) and substitute refrigerant (meaning Hydrofluorocarbon) is restricted to certified technicians.
- New Exam: Starting January 1, 2018 there will be a new certification exam. As it has been some time since the test has changed, property study and reference material will need to be updated.
- No Recertification Necessary: If a technician already holds any type 608 certification, they do NOT have to retest to continue to work with refrigerants. (It is the technician’s responsibility to keep updates on the rules and requirements.)
- New Recordkeeping: Beginning January 1, 2018 Technicians must keep specific information for each system containing more than 5lbs of refrigerant as it is disposed of. The required records to keep are:
- 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; and
- The quantity of refrigerant, and type, transferred for reclamation or destruction, the person to whom it was transferred, and the date of the transfer.
More information can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/section608/revised-section-608-refrigerant-management-regulations
A more detailed summary and the effect of these rules to technicians can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/608_fact_sheet_technicians_0.pdf