HVACR318 – Refrigeration II

1. HVACR318 – Refrigeration II System Recovery

2. General Recovery Information • All recovery machines are different. Make sure you read the operation manual for the machine you are using. • Using a machine in the wrong manner can cause equipment damage and personal injury. • Wear safety glasses at all times.

3. The Three R’s • The three R’s of protecting the environment are: • Recovery • Recycling • Reclamation

4. Recovery Guidelines • Refrigerant should be recovered from a system as a liquid. • This is quicker and easier. • Recovering as a vapor will take considerably longer. • Refrigerant hoses should be good quality and have good sealing gaskets.

5. Recovery Guidelines • Some recovery units may require a warm-up period of up to 10 minutes. • Read all information regarding the recovery units you are using.

6. Recovery • Recovery is defined by the EPA as: • To remove refrigerant in any condition from a system and store it in an external container without necessarily testing or processing it in any way. • Refrigerant recovered can be re-used in the same system. • Recovered refrigerant can be re-used in a different system if owned by the same person or company.

7. Recovery • Per the EPA, refrigerant that has been recovered can not be sold to another customer unless it meets new refrigerant specifications under ARI-700.

8. Recycling • Recycling Refrigerant is defined as: • To clean the refrigerant by oil separation and single or multiple passes through devices such as replaceable core filter dryers. • The filter dryers reduce moisture, acid, and particulate matter. • Recycling means to clean up the refrigerant.

9. Reclamation • Reclaiming refrigerant is defined as: • Processing refrigerant to new product specifications by means that may include distillation. • This requires chemical analysis of the refrigerant. • The refrigerant is processed to new refrigerant standards.

10. Reclamation • Refrigerant that is reclaimed may be sold without hefty excise taxes. This is an incentive to save and reclaim old refrigerant.

11. Recovery Techniques • Active Recovery uses a dedicated compressor in the machine to move the refrigerant. • It can be done on a system with a bad or missing compressor.

12. Recovery Techniques • Passive Recovery is system dependent – the system’s compressor must be operational. • Passive recovery uses the system’s compressor to move the refrigerant.

13. Recovery Techniques • Piercing Valves: • You are required to recover refrigerant even in a hermetic (sealed) system with no access valves or fittings. • When servicing a sealed system, you cannot just cut the pipe and let the refrigerant out.

14. Recovery Techniques • Piercing Valves, cont’d. • A piercing valve will clamp onto the line and allow you to recover refrigerant so the system can be serviced. • Piercing valves are temporary and cannot be left on a system, because they leak. • Install a permanent valve while system is empty.

15. Recovery Procedures • Step 1: • Get all equipment together. You need: • Gauges • Recovery Cylinder • Scale • Recovery Machine

16. Recovery Procedures • Step 1, cont’d: • Net refrigerant is found with the following formula: W.C.___X 0.8 = ____80% Liquid level               + ____ T.W.                 ____ Total Capacity weight • W.C. and T.W. is stamped on the handle of the cylinder • Do not overfill. These cylinders can explode.

17. Recovery Procedures • Step 2: • Connect your gauges to the equipment. • Red Hose (High Side) goes to the high side of the equipment (Liquid Line). • Blue Hose (Low Side) goes to the low side of the equipment (Suction Line). • Make sure all gauge valves are closed.

18. Recovery Procedures • Step 3 • Connect the recovery machine. • Middle hose (most often white) from your gauge manifold will connect to the inlet port of the recovery machine. • Additional hose from the recovery machine will go to the liquid side of the recovery cylinder.

19. Step 4 • Starting from the hoses connected to the equipment you are recovering from, purge all the air out of the hoses. • Once you get to the gauges, open both side handles and the valve that goes to the white hose. If you have an extra hose, leave that one closed.

20. Recovery Procedures • Step 4, cont’d. • At the recovery machine, turn the inlet valve to ON and the discharge valve to ON. • Bleed the air out of the line at the recovery cylinder. • Open the valve on the recovery cylinder.

21. Recovery Procedures • Step 5: • Turn the recovery machine ON and wait until all the gauges show 0 PSI. (can go as low as 5 inches vacuum).

22. Recovery Procedures • Step 6: • Once system is empty: • Close all gauge handles. • Turn off recovery machine. • Turn off recovery cylinder valve.

23. Recovery Procedures • Step 7: • Disconnect recovery cylinder and machine – put them aside. • Weigh the recovery cylinder – record the weight and the net refrigerant recovered.

24. Recovery Rules • Recovered refrigerant cannot change ownership. • Refrigerant must be reclaimed to change ownership. • The refrigerant is the property of the person who owns the equipment.

25. Recovery Rules • Recovered refrigerant cannot be mixed. • Recovery containers must be DOT (department of transportation) approved and color coded gray with a yellow top.

26. Recovery Rules • All newly manufactured recovery and recycling machines must be certified by an EPA approved organization, to meet the requirements of the evacuation table (standards). • Always evacuate the machine before each use.

27. Recovery Rules • When recovering R134A, use a machine dedicated to that refrigerant. • The oil requirements are different. • Recover as a liquid when possible. • Most recovery machines will first get the liquid and then the vapor on their own.

28. Make Repairs • Now the system is empty. You can make whatever repairs are required. • Make sure that you do not leave any leaks, or braze near your gauges while they are connected. • Remove any Schraedercores while you are brazing. They are rubber and will burn.