Technician’s Guide and Workbook for the EPA Section 608 Test Section 1: Introduction

EPA Wheel

Background This Course is not designed to make you a qualified technician! Extensive on-the-job training coupled with related educational classroom sessions are a must for anyone who plans to be a competent technician. If it is your desire to learn about the trade through this course, you will be disappointed. There is no single course in existence that can teach you everything you need to know about HVACR or any other industry.

READ THE BOOK TOO! This Course provides information to aid you in your efforts to become certified under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) refrigerant recovery and recycling program. It is designed for non-certified technicians who already have a working knowledge of the trade and wish to become certified. To fully guarantee you will understand everything on the test you should read the Technician’s Guide and Workbook for the EPA 608 test cover to cover as well as listening to this presentation. Do not skip any of the sections.

Section 608 of the Clean Air Act 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F Technicians who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of equipment that could release ozone depleting refrigerants into the atmosphere must be certified. The test questions for that certification test were updated in 2018

608 TEST Technicians are required to pass an EPA-approved test to earn Section 608 Technician Certification. The tests are specific to the type of equipment the technician seeks to work on. Tests must be administered by an EPA-approved certifying organization. Section 608 Technician Certification credentials do not expire. Lost cards may be replaced by contacting the certifying organization.

Defining Who A Technician Is A "technician" as an individual who performs any of the following activities: Attaching and detaching hoses and gauges to and from an appliance to measure pressure within the appliance. Adding refrigerant to or removing refrigerant from an appliance. Any other activity that violates the integrity of a Motor vehicle air conditioner (MVAC) or small appliance (other than disposal). Apprentices are exempt from certification requirements provided they are closely and continually supervised by a certified technician.

608 Test Types To become certified, you must pass a written or oral test consisting of multiple choice questions. There are four sections to the test. The first is the Core that must be passed, along with at least one of the three other sections of the test. For heating, air conditioning and refrigeration technicians, the EPA has three levels of certification: Type I Type II Type III.

608 Certification You become certified for all of the Types that you pass on the exam in addition to the Core. As an example, if you pass the Core, Type I and Type III, you become certified as a Type I and Type III technician. If you pass the Core and Type I, you are certified as a Type I technician. If you pass all four sections, you earn the highest level of certification called a Universal certification that is good for Types I, II, and II. Note: Proof of certification is required to purchase refrigerants covered by Section 608 reg.

Links to EPA and Related Sites

Definitions of Section 608 Terms (1) Appliance Any device which contains and uses a Class I (chlorofluorocarbon; CFC), Class II (hydrofluorocarbon; HCFC) substance or substitute (e.g. Hydrofluorocarbon: HFC) as a refrigerant and which is used for household or commercial purposes, including any air conditioner, motor vehicle air conditioner, refrigerator, chiller, or freezer. For a system with multiple circuits, each independent circuit is considered a separate appliance. EPA interprets this definition to include all air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment except that designed and used exclusively for military purposes.   Apprentice Any person who is currently registered as an apprentice in maintenance, service, repair, or disposal of appliances with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship (or a State Apprenticeship Council recognized by the Office of Apprenticeship).

Definitions of Section 608 Terms (2) Comfort Cooling A category of air-conditioning appliances used to provide cooling in order to control heat and/or humidity in occupied facilities including, but not limited to, residential, office, and commercial buildings Commercial Refrigeration A category of refrigeration appliances used in the retail food and cold storage warehouse sectors. Industrial Process Refrigeration A category of refrigeration appliances used in industrial materials processing. Major Maintenance, Service, or Repair Maintenance, service, or repair that involves removal of the appliance compressor, condenser, evaporator, or auxiliary heat exchanger coil.  

Definitions of Section 608 Terms (3) Motor Vehicle Air Conditioner (MVAC)-Like Appliance Mechanical vapor compression, open-drive compressor appliances used to cool the driver's or passenger's compartment of an off-road vehicle, including agricultural and construction vehicles. This definition excludes appliances using HCFC-22 (also called R-22). Opening an Appliance Any service, maintenance, or repair on an appliance that would release any refrigerant from the appliance to the atmosphere. Connecting and disconnecting hoses and gauges to and from the appliance to measure pressures within the appliance and to add refrigerant to or recover refrigerant from the appliance are not considered "opening."  

Definitions of Section 608 Terms (4) Reclaim To reprocess recovered refrigerant to at least the purity specified in the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) Standard 700 and to verify this purity using the analytical methodology prescribed in the standard. Reclamation requires specialized machinery not available at a particular job site or auto repair shop. The technician will recover the refrigerant and then send it either to a general reclaimer or back to the refrigerant manufacturer.   Recover To remove refrigerant in any condition from an appliance and store it in an external container without necessarily testing or processing it in any way.

Definitions of Section 608 Terms (5) Recycle When referring to a refrigerant, recycle means to extract refrigerant from an appliance (except MVACs) and clean refrigerant for reuse in equipment of the same owner without meeting all of the requirements for reclamation. In general, recycled refrigerant is refrigerant that is cleaned using oil separation and single or multiple passes through devices, such as replaceable core filter-driers, which reduce moisture, acidity, and particulate matter. Under Section 609 of the Clean Air Act, refrigerant can be removed from one car's air conditioner, recycled on site, and then charged into a different car. Refrigerant Circuit The parts of an appliance that are normally connected to each other (or are separated only by internal valves) and are designed to contain refrigerant.  

Definitions of Section 608 Terms (6) Refrigerant Pressure Classifications shown in Table 1 are examples of refrigerants that fall in the “very high”, “high”, and “low” pressure categories.  

Definitions of Section 608 Terms (6) Small Appliance Any of the following products that is fully manufactured, charged, and hermetically sealed in a factory with five pounds or less of refrigerant: refrigerators and freezers designed for home use, room air conditioners (including window air conditioners and packaged terminal air conditioners), packaged terminal heat pumps, dehumidifiers, under-the-counter ice makers, vending machines, and drinking water coolers. Self-Contained (Active) Uses its own means to draw refrigerant out of the refrigerator system. System-Dependent (Passive) Relies upon the compressor in an appliance and/or the pressure of the refrigerant in the appliance to remove the refrigerant into an external container.  

Definitions of Section 608 Terms (7) Technician Any person who, in the course of maintenance, service, or repair of an appliance (except MVACs), could be reasonably expected to violate the integrity of the refrigerant circuit and thereby release Class I or Class II refrigerants into the environment. This term also means any person who, in the course of disposal of an appliance (except small appliances, MVACs, and MVAC-like appliances), could be reasonably expected to violate the integrity of the refrigerant circuit and thereby release refrigerants from the appliance into the environment. Activities reasonably expected to violate the integrity of the refrigerant circuit include but are not limited to: attaching or detaching hoses and gauges to and from the appliance, adding or removing refrigerant, adding or removing components, and cutting the refrigerant line. Activities such as painting the appliance, rewiring an external electrical circuit, replacing insulation on a length of pipe, or tightening nuts and bolts are not reasonably expected to violate the integrity of the refrigerant circuit.  

Definitions of Section 608 Terms (8) Activities conducted on appliances that have been properly evacuated are not reasonably expected to release refrigerants unless the activity includes adding refrigerant to the appliance. Technicians could include but are not limited to installers, contractor employees, in-house service personnel, and owners and/or operators of appliances. This term also means any person disposing of appliances, except for small appliances.

Definitions of Section 608 Terms (9) Technician certifications are classified according to the following types: Type I: For technicians who maintain, service, or repair small (household) appliances. Must pass the Core exam and the Type I exam to receive a Type I certification. Type II: For technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of high-pressure or very-high-pressure appliances, except small appliances and Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners (MVACs). Must pass the Core exam and the Type II exam to receive a Type II certification. Type III: For technicians who maintain, service, or repair low-pressure appliances or dispose of low-pressure appliances. Must pass the Core exam and the Type III exam to receive a Type III certification. Universal: For technicians who maintain, service, or repair low-pressure, high-pressure and very high-pressure equipment. Passing the Core and Type I, Type II, and Type III exams qualifies a technician for a universal certification.  

Definitions of Section 608 Terms (10) Class I Substances One of several groups of chemicals with an ozone-depletion potential (ODP) of 0.2 or higher, relative to R-11 being 1.0. This includes CFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform. See Text for a description of CFC phase out dates. Class II Substances A chemical with an ozone-depletion potential of less than 0.2, including all HCFCs. See Text for a description of HCFC phase out dates.