Numerous refrigerant recovery systems are now on the market to enable recovery of refrigerants and thus avoid the former common practice of refrigerant venting during routine servicing. In fact, CFC-12 recovery is required by law, and HFC-134a recovery is mandatory.

Stationary Equipment

Refrigerant recovery/recycling equipment for use on stationary refrigeration equipment (non-motor vehicle equipment) must be certified to meet EPA standards as specified in 40 CFR 82F. Under the certification program, EPA requires that equipment manufactured on or after November 15, 1993, be tested by an EPA-approved testing organization to ensure that it meets EPA requirements. Recycling and recovery equipment intended for use with air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment besides small appliances must be tested under the ARI 740-1993 test protocol, which is included in 40 CFR 82F as Appendix B. Recovery equipment intended for use with small appliances must be tested under either the ARI 740-1993 protocol or Appendix C of 40 CFR 82F.

EPA has approved both the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to certify recycling and recovery equipment. Certified equipment can be identified by a label reading: "This equipment has been certified by ARI/UL to meet EPA's minimum requirements for recycling and/ or recovery equipment intended for use with [appropriate category of appliance--e.g., small appliances, HCFC appliances containing less than 200 pounds of refrigerant, all high-pressure appliances, etc.]." Lists of certified equipment may be obtained by contacting ARI at 703-524-8800 and UL at 708-272-8800 ext. 42371.

Motor Vehicle A/C

Technicians repairing or servicing motor vehicle air conditioners must use either refrigerant recover/recycle or recover-only equipment approved by the EPA. Recover/recycle equipment both recovers the refrigerant from the motor vehicle and processes it through an oil separator, a filter, and a dryer. Approved recover/recycle machines meet the technical specifications of SAE Standard J-1990 and must have the capacity to purify used refrigerant to SAE Standard J-1991 for safe and direct return to the air conditioner following repairs. Recover-only equipment removes the refrigerant from the A/C unit as specified by SAE Standard J-2209 and transfers it into a holding tank. Technicians are then required by law either to recycle the used refrigerant on site or send it to an off-site reclamation facility to be purified to ARI Standard 700 before it can be used to recharge A/C equipment.

A number of different companies manufacture refrigerant recovery systems for CFC-12 and HFC-134a (also known as R-12 and R-134a). Models vary in cost, capability, ease of use, and efficiency. In every case, each model is certified for the recovery of a specific refrigerant. Mixing of refrigerants affects their chemical properties, affecting not only their potential reuse but also the capacity and ability of the equipment recovering them. Therefore, every recovery system should be dedicated to reclamation of the refrigerant it was designed to recover.

R-134a can be ordered by the following NSNs:

6830-01-370-6207 45 lb. container
6830-01-370-6208 45 lb. container
6830-01-370-6209 132 lb. container
6830-01-370-8756 132 lb. container
6830-01-380-4960 30 lb. disposable container

• Reduce the amount of ODSs like R-12 and global warming gases like R-134a going into the environment.