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.