Chapter Review
Reclaiming Refrigerant
Reclaiming refrigerant reprocesses the material to virgin purity. For sources of
reclaimed refrigerant or to send refrigerant for reclamation, contact the EPA,
the independent industry organizations, or your state's Department of Ecology.
Chapter Review
Common refrigerants have varying properties and operating
pressures.
New laws require that we standardize our refrigerant processing
methods throughout the industry. This includes the processes
that handle refrigerant, including recovering and recycling,
which are the most economic and environmentally friendly ways
of handling the refrigerant.
Recovery/recycle processes deal directly with the refrigerant.
During recovery the refrigerant is removed from the AC system.
During recycling it is restored to reusable condition by removing
moisture, acidity, and particulate matter.
The flushing procedure removes contaminants from the AC sys-
tem hoses, evaporator, and condenser. The evacuation process
removes air and moisture from the AC system. This is necessary
before adding new or recycled refrigerant. The process of adding
refrigerant is called charging.
Reclaiming a refrigerant means processing the refrigerant so
that it meets standards for new refrigerant.