How Refrigerant Reclamation Works

The process of refrigerant recycling reduces the contaminants in a refrigerant so that it can be used again. Once recycled, the refrigerant must be returned to its original piece of equipment or to another owned by the same company or person. Recycling differs from refrigerant reclamation, which uses multiple filtrations to bring a refrigerant to an AHRI - 7000 industry's purity standards. Following is a brief overview of refrigerant recycling, what the law says about it, benefits, and decisions to be made about refrigerant recycling.

How Recycling Is Performed

In refrigerant recycling, special equipment fitted with a compressor is used to vacuum the refrigerant from its original system. The refrigerant is then passed through a recycling system one or multiple times, depending on the type of recycling equipment used. From there, the refrigerant is cleansed by oil separation and such devices as core filter-driers, which reduce its particulates and moisture acidity. Oil and fans are used to keep the refrigerant from freezing from the cooling elements or expanding from too much heat.

Environmental Protection Agency Law

Anytime a refrigeration or air conditioning system is opened to be serviced, EPA law requires that an EPA-certified recovery device is used to remove the refrigerant. The refrigerant must then be transferred to a separate container, at which time the HVAC contractor will decide whether the refrigerant should be recycled on-site for reuse by the equipment owner or sent to a reclaimer for restoration to industry AHRI-700 purity specifications.

To Recycle or Reclaim

Often the equipment owner's decision to recycle a refrigerant depends upon its condition, or whether it will be used to recharge the same equipment. Other factors are whether the contractor has invested in recycling equipment, or if the equipment owner or contractor has decided to reclaim refrigerants.

Benefits of Refrigerant Recycling

Refrigerant recycling can benefit equipment owners by removing impurities that may build up over time and eventually pose threats to the entire system. Even so, recycling cannot cleanse the refrigerant to the levels at which a certified reclaimer can restore it to meet the purity requirements of AHRI Standard 700. Also, by law, only reclaimed refrigerants can be resold or used in another owner's system.

We at Refrigerant Solutions are here to help with recycling and reclaiming refrigerant materials for HVAC contractors and building and facility managers. Please call us at 508-543-5482 or fill our contact form.

Performing a Refrigerant Cleaning and Removal After a Motor Burn Out

Refrigerant reclamation professionals know that when a hermetic compressor's motor burns out, there may be contaminants left behind inside. This means it's also possible that contaminants are pumped out into the entire system, in which case they must be removed to avoid causing the next, new compressor to fail as well.

Here's how the most common cleanup method, a repetitive filter changeout, is performed.

The Cleanup

Once it has been determined that acids are present in a system's refrigerant, the certified technician will first recover the existing refrigerant. If it's reclaimed adequately, it may be reusable within the same system.

Next, the old compressor will be removed from the system entirely. Reusable components can be transferred to the new compressor prior to installation.

After determining the severity of the system's contamination, a suction-line filter and an oversized liquid-line drier are installed into the system.

Once all the parts have been checked, replaced, or refurbished, and the filter-driers have been installed, the whole system must be properly triple-evacuated with a vacuum pump and gauge.

After recharging and restarting the system, the technician will recommend allowing the system to run one for a few hours. They will observe any pressure drops across the suction-line filter-drier. If it's excessive, the technician will change the filter-drier again and check the oil. This process must be repeated until the pressure drop of the suction-line filter-drier remains below an acceptable amount.

Guaranteeing Results

After letting the system run for 24 hours, the technician will again check any pressure drops across the suction-line filter-drier and sample more oil. If the pressure is good according to refrigerant reclamation professionals, and the oil shows no signs of contamination, consider the system clean.

To finish, the technician will simply remove the suction-line filter-drier and come back to recheck the oil after a couple of weeks to ensure that the system stays clean.

For more information about refrigerant reclamation, cleaning, and removal, contact Refrigerant Solutions today.

Why Mixing Refrigerants Is Hazardous

Due in part to recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines in the Significant New Alternatives Policy program, HVAC and refrigerant reclamation professionals are starting to see more refrigerant varieties available on the market. As more natural refrigerants like carbon dioxide and ammonia appear to replace potentially climate-impacting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the risk of cross-contamination and mixing increases.

Here are the basic reasons why mixing refrigerants is hazardous, and also how it can be avoided in the field.

The Dangers of Mixing Refrigerants

The mixing of refrigerants can occur for any number of reasons, including homeowner error, improper technician training, and inadequate system labeling. This can lead to several hazards for technicians and homeowners alike.

For example, unintentionally adding a highly flammable hydrocarbon product to a system originally designed for non-flammable refrigerants significantly increases the risk of fire, explosion, and other injuries to both homeowners and technicians. Plus, there's also always the risk of cross-contamination and mixing to cause high-toxicity situations.

Avoiding Refrigerant Mixing

In addition to the immediate dangers of mixing refrigerants, it's also impractical. As more mixed refrigerants are turned in to reclaimers, the burden of removing impurities and separating the products can make reclamation services much more complicated and costly.

One of the easiest and most obvious ways to avoid refrigerant mixing is to check a unit's labels for its intended refrigerant types prior to performing any work, as well as determining if any prior work—a compressor change, evaporator replacement, or filter renewal, for example—has been done on the system by another technician.

Another way is to work with a certified technician who can use a refrigerant identifier tool to determine if another refrigerant has been used. These check for pressure and temperature and can reliably tell if multiple possible refrigerants are present in the system.

For more information about refrigerant mixing, or to learn more about our reclamation services, contact Refrigerant Solutions today.