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EPA Section 608 Reduces Refrigerant Gas Emissions

By Daniel Stouffer

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 18Jun2010 Word count: 505 Viewed: 305 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Under Section 608 of the U.S. Clean Air Act written by the EPA a number of years ago, regulations are set forth regarding the handling, recovery and recycling of refrigerants during service, maintenance, repair, or disposal. Refrigerant gases are a major contributor to global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer because they contain harmful chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons.

As stated in Section 608, it is illegal to intentionally vent refrigerants into the air during routine maintenance, servicing, repairing, or disposal of equipment. Although refrigerants discharged during normal operation is allowable, monitoring of such systems is required.

The U.S. Clean Air Act (Section 608) explains the current restrictions on the use of refrigerant gases, the guidelines for their phase-out, the eventual elimination of the chemical compounds and the accepted and approved substitutes. The regulation applies to many commercial and industrial uses. They include retail food refrigeration, cold storage warehouses, chillers, industrial process refrigeration, packaged air conditioners and heat pumps, and transport refrigeration.

There are major record-keeping regulations under Section 608 for technicians, owners and operators of systems using refrigerant gases, wholesalers of refrigerants and reclaimers. Anyone involved in any part of the process that involves refrigerants must keep proper records outlining the date, type of service and amount of refrigerant involved. These records are required to be submitted to the EPA for compliance purposes. Those who fail to follow the law could be subject to fines of up to $32,500 per day per violation.

The leak repair requirements outlined in Section 608 applies to commercial refrigeration, air-conditioning systems, industrial process refrigeration appliances, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. When a leak occurs, owners of the business or facility must keep precise records of how much gas was discharged before it was repaired. This information, along with repair documentation must be reported under the U.S. Clean Air Act. Failure to do so results in severe fines.

A leak repair timeline is specifically spelled out under Section 608. The law mandates that refrigerant leaks be repaired within 30 days. This time frame is contingent not on the total quantity of refrigerant loss, but rather the projected discharge over a 12-month period based on the current leak rate. In order to track this information, the regulation requires companies to keep accurate records and submit them as required. Those who fail to comply face strict penalties.

Complying with The U.S. Clean Air Act (Section 608) means technicians must follow evacuation requirements when opening cooling and refrigeration systems during maintenance, service and repair circumstances. The regulation requires refrigerant reclaimers who reprocess used refrigerant back to specified purity levels to be certified by the EPA.

A number of topics are covered under Section 608 of the U.S. Clean Air Act as well as specific guidelines related to various issues and circumstances involving refrigerants. These include protocols for service technicians, refrigerant sales and distribution guidelines and refrigerant reclamation and leak repair requirements. Those who manufacture or import refrigerant recovery and recycling equipment must have it tested by an EPA approved facility and provide certification to buyers.

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