RADFORD UNIVERSITY
REFRIGERANT RECYCLING RULE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) released into the atmosphere can damage the ozone layer that protects the earth from the penetration of harmful ultraviolet radiation. Penetration of ultraviolet light can cause health and environmental concerns including increased incidences of skin cancers and cataracts and damage to crops and marine organisms. This rule is designed to reduce emissions of CFCs and HCFCs to the lowest achievable levels during the service, maintenance, repair, or disposal of appliances at Radford University. This program is in compliance with the refrigerant recycling requirements of Section 608 of the Clen Air Act of 1990, as amended on May 14, 1993, August 19, 1994, November 9, 1994, and July 24, 2003.
2.0 DEFINITIONS
Appliance- Any device that uses CFCs or HCFCs as a refrigerant.
Low pressure appliance- An appliance that uses a refrigerant with a boiling point above 10 C at atmospheric pressure. This includes but is not limited to: R-11, R-113, and R-123.
Major repair- Repair that involves the removal of the compressor, condenser, evaporator, or auxiliary heat exchanger coil.
Service involving refrigerant- Any service (including repair or maintenance) in which the release of refrigerant from an appliance to the atmosphere can reasonably occur.
Very high pressure appliance- An appliance that uses a refrigerant with a boiling point below -50 C at atmospheric pressure. This includes equipment using R-13 and R-503.
3.0 RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Mr. Tom Manning, Director of Facilities Operations, will serve as the Refrigerant Manager for the University. Mr. Manning is knowledgeable in the HVAC/R operations of the university.
2. The Safety Manager, Mr. Tom Smithwick, will assist the Refrigerant Manager by developing rules and regulations to ensure compliance with applicable federal, state and local regulations concerning the use of refrigerants.
4.0 TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION
1. All technicians who service, repair, or dispose of appliances that could reasonably release CFCs or HCFCs must pass an EPA approved exam given by an EPA approved certifying organization. Apprentices are exenpt from certification requiements provided the apprentice is closely and continually supervised by a certified technician.
2. Certifications for appliances will be issued according to the following types:
- Type I- servicing small appliances
- Type II- servicing or disposing of high or very high pressure appliances (except small appliances and MVACs)
- Type III- servicing or disposing of low pressure appliances
- Universal- servicing all types of equipment
3. Technicians who repair or service CFC-12 and HFC-134a MVACs must be trained and certified by an EPA approved organization.
4. Technicians will carry a wallet sized card as proof of certification. The card must include the name of the certifying program, date the organization became a certifying program, name of the person certified, type of certification, a unique number for the certified person, and the following text: "(Name of Person) has been certified as a (Type) technician as required by 40 CFR part 82, subpart F."
5.0 RECOVERY AND RECYCLING EQUIPMENT
1. Recovery/recycling equipment manufactured after November 15, 1993, must be certified by an EPA-approved testing organization.
2. Equipment manufactured before November 15, 1993 must meet the standards in the first column of Table 1.
3. A label must be placed on the equipment stating the following: "This equipment has been certified by ARI/UL to meet EPAs minimum requirements for recovery/recycling equipment intended for use with (category of appliance)."
6.0 CERTIFICATION BY OWNERS OF RECOVERY/RECYCLING EQUIPMENT
1. A statement must be issued to the appropriate EPA Regional Office certifying that approved recovery/recycling equipment has been acquired, the equipment is being used properly, and the equipment is being used by certified technicians. This statement must be signed by the owner of the equipment or another responsible officer.
2. The certification statement must include the name and address of the service establishment, the name of the equipment manufacturer, equipment model and serial number, and equipment date of manufacturer.
7.0 REFRIGERANT SALES RESTRICTIONS
1. The sale of refrigerants in any size container is restricted to certified technicians. This restrictions excludes refrigerants contained in refrigerators or air conditioners with fully assembled refrigerant circuits , and pure HFC refrigerants, such as R-134a.
2. Only certified MVAC technicians (Section 609 certified technicians) can purchase CFC-12 in containers smaller than 20 pounds. MVAC technicians are only allowed to purchase refrigerants for use in motor vehicle ACs. Technicians certified for stationary refrigeration and AC equipment (Section 608 technicians) may buy containers of CFC-12 larger than 20 pounds.
3. The sale of ozone depleting refrigerants (such as HCFC-22) approved for use in stationary refrigeration and AC equipment are restricted to Section 608 certified technicians.
8.0 PROHIBITIONS ON VENTING
1. Intentionally venting ozone-depleting compounds (CFCs and HCFCs) used as refrigerants into the atmosphere while repairing, servicing or disposing of appliances is prohibited.
2. Releasing minimal quantities of refrigerants during good faith attempts to recover/recycle refrigerants when following these regulations and where certified equipment is used are not subject to the prohibition.
3. Allowable emissions during servicing and disposal should be at the "lowest achievable level." Efforts should be made to maximize recycling of CFCs and HCFCs.
4. Refrigerants emitted during normal operations of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment are not subject to the prohibition. However, substantial leaks above a certain size in large equipment must be repaired.
5. Small releases of refrigerant which result from purging hoses or from connecting or disconnecting hoses to charge or service appliances are not considered violations. Recovery/recycling equipment manufactured after November 15, 1993 must be equipped with low-loss fittings.
9.0 REFRIGERANT LEAKS
1. Leaking equipment with charges greater than 50 pounds must be repaired when those leaks together would result in the loss of more than a certain percentage of the equipment's charge over a year. The trigger for repair is the current leak rate rather than the total quantity of refrigerant lost.
2. Commercial and industrial process refrigeration sectors must be repaired when the annual leak rate exceeds 35 percent of charge.
3. All other sectors, including comfort cooling, leaks must be repaired when the annual leak rate exceeds 15 percent of total charge.
4. Leaks must be repaired within 30 days of discovery unless a one-year retirement or retrofit plan has been developed. The plan must be kept at the site of the equipment.
5. Records will be kept of the quantity of refrigerant added to equipment containing more than 50 pounds of refrigerant. These records will be used to determine the yearly leak rate.
10.0 SERVICE PRACTICES
1. Before appliances are opened, the refrigerant in either the entire unit or the part to be serviced must be transferred to a system receiver or to a certified recovery/recycling machine.
2. Persons opening equipment, except small appliances and MVACs, must evacuate the unit to the following levels (in inches of mercury vacuum relative to standard atmospheric pressure of 29.9 inches of Hg):
Table 1. - Refrigerant Evacuation Levels
| Type of Appliance | Recovery/recycling equipment manufactured before 11/15/93 |
Recovery/recycling equipment manufactured after 11/15/93 |
| HCFC-22, containing less than 200 lbs | 0 | 0 |
| HCFC-22, containing 200 lbs or more | 4 | 10 |
Other high pressure units, less than 200 lbs (CFC-12, -500, -502, -114) |
4 | 10 |
| Other high pressure units, 200 lbs or greater(CFC-12, -500, -502, -114) | 4 | 15 |
| Very high pressure units (CFC-13, -503) | 0 | 0 |
| Low pressure units (CFC-11, HCFC-123 | 25 | 25 mm Hg absolute |
3. Persons who simply add refrigerants to top-off appliances are not required to evacuate the systems.
4. The following exceptions to evacuation requiements are allowed:
a. If evacuation to the above levels is not possible due to leaks or the refrigerant would be substantially contaminated, the technician opening the appliance must:
- Isolate leaking from non-leaking components whenever possible.
- Evacuate non-leaking components to the levels in Table 1.
- Evacuate leaking components to the lowest level that can be attained without substantially. contaminating the refrigerant. This level cannot exceed 0 psig.
b. If the repair is not major and evacuation to the atmosphere is not performed after repair, the appliance must:
- Be evacuated to at least 0 psig before it is opened if it is a high or very high pressure appliance or;
- Be pressurized to 0 psig before it is opened if it is a low pressure appliance. Methods that require subsequent purging (e.g., nitrogen) cannot be used except with appliances containing R-113.
5. Technicians evacuating small appliances such as household refrigerators and window air conditioners must:
11.0 RECLAMATION REQUIREMENTS
1. Refrigerant recovered/recycled may be returned to the same equipment or to other equipment owned by the university without restrictions.
2. If refrigerant changes ownership it must be reclaimed to the ARI 700-1993 standard of purity and chemically analyzed to verify that it meets this standard unless the refrigerent was used only in a MVAC and will be used in the same type of appliance. Records of the name and address of the reclamation facility must be maintained.
12.0 DISPOSAL OF APPLIANCES
1. The refrigerant must be recovered according to servicing requirements (Table 1) for equipment that is typically dismantled on-site before disposal (e.g., retail food refrigeration, central residential AC units) .
2. Equipment used to recover refrigerants from appliances prior to their final disposal must meet the following performance standards:
3. The final person in the disposal chain (e.g., scrap recycler, landfill owner) is responsible for ensuring that refrigerant is recovered from equipment that is usually disposed of with the charge intact (e.g., household refrigerators and ACs, MVACs). Persons "upstream" can remove the refrigerant prior to diposal if they provide documentation of its removal to the final person. The final person must maintain a signed statement from the person who is disposing of the equipment.
4 Appliances delivered for disposal must be accompanied by a signed certification that the units have been evacuated of refrigerants according to EPA regulations. Certification for each unit must include the name and address of the person who recovered the refrigerant, and the date the refrigerant was recovered, or a copy of a contract stating that the refrigerant will be removed prior to delivery.
5. Appliances that may contain refrigerants must be delivered separate from other wastes and must be in condition suitable for inspection by landfill staff to verify certification.
6. Technician certification is not required for individuals removing refrigerant from appliances in the waste stream.
13.0 DISPOSAL OF REFRIGERANTS, OILS, AND CONTAINERS
1. Refrigerants that are reclaimed/recycled are not considered hazardous waste.
2. Used oils contaminated with CFCs are not considered hazardous waste if:
- They are not mixed with other waste.
- They are subjected to CFC reclamation/recycling procedures.
- They are not mixed with used oils from other sources.
3. Used oils will be contained in a 55-gallon drum and sent to a recycling company. The drum will be contained in a secondary container or surrounded by a dike.
4. Disposable cylinders will be recycled. When the cylinder is empty, assure that all pressure is released to zero PSI. The cylinder should be made useless by puncturing a hole in the side of the container.
14.0 RECORDKEEPING
1. Service records documenting the date, type of service, and the quantity of refrigerant added to appliances that contain 50 or more pounds of refrigerant.will be kept by the Refrigerant Manager
2. The university will certify to the EPA that they own and are properly using certified recovery/recycling equipment and that all technicians are certified.
3. The Refrigerant Manager will maintain copies of signed statements verifying that refrigerant was removed according to EPA regulations prior to disposal of any appliance.
4. Certified technicians will keep a copy of their certification at the university. A list of certified technicians will be kept by the Refrigerant Manager.
5. The Refrigeration Manager will maintain records of the name and address of any facility to which refrigerant is sent. If refrigerant is recovered and sent to a reclamation facility, the name and address of that facility will be kept on file.
15.0 ENFORCEMENT
1. EPA will perform random inspections to ensure compliance with these regulations and may assess fines of up to $32,000 per day for any violation.
2. Authorized EPA representatives may require certified technicians to demonstrate their ability to properly perform recovery/recycling procedures. Failure to properly demonstrate this procedure or follow any of the provisions of this plan may result in revocation of the technician's certificate.
3. Employees who deliberately vent CFCs to the atmosphere will be disciplined under the Employees Standards of Conduct.