Straight Talk on Refrigerant Recycle Training The Law: Federal law prohibits releasing CFC-12 into the atmosphere. The prohibition on venting Freon-12 to the atmosphere has been in effect since 1992. This 1992 regulation established standards for equipment that recovers and recycles CFC-12 refrigerant from motor vehicle air conditioners, rules for training and testing technicians to handle this equipment, and record-keeping requirements for service facilities and for refrigerant retailers. Another rule, published in May 1995, established a standard for equipment that recovers but does not recycle CFC-12, and training and testing technicians to handle this equipment. Approved Equipment: Technicians repairing, or servicing Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners must use either recover/ recycle or recover-only equipment approved by the EPA. The EPA-approved recovery/recycling equipment cleans the refrigerant so that oil, air, and moisture contaminants reach acceptably low levels. This dealership has selected approved equipment from the EPA-approved list. The EPA list is available at https://www.epa.gov/mvac/section-609-certifiedequipment. Technician Training and Certification: Technicians who repair or service CFC-12 and HFC-134a motor vehicle air conditioners must be trained and certified by an EPA-approved organization. R-1234yf is now the choice of refrigerant for new models of automobiles. As of Jan. 1, 2018, technicians are required to show their certification card to purchase R-134a and R-1234yf refrigerant in quantities of two pounds or more. Training programs must include information on the proper use of equipment, the regulatory requirements, the importance of refrigerant recovery, and the effects of ozone depletion. To be certified, technicians must pass a test demonstrating their knowledge in these areas. Recent Happenings: EPA has started rigorous enforcement against dealers and has fined dealers $20,000+ for having non-certified technicians work on air-conditioning systems on automobiles. As a technician, you are required to adhere to this training and certification in a diligent manner. What To Do: All technicians must obtain a copy of their certification and forward a copy to the Service Manager and a copy to the Business Office for retention in the employee files. Employees not certified must decline all A/C-related jobs and notify the dispatcher and the Service Manager of their inability to do the work. Anyone working on A/C without certification is in violation of Federal law and is subject to disciplinary action including termination from the dealership. If you have lost your certificate card, please contact the issuance company to receive a new copy immediately. If reissuance is not possible, please retake the training from the list of EPA-approved training programs in the link provided in the paragraph below. How Do I Verify My Certification: Only EPA-approved training programs are valid for the purposes of this law. Training from auto manufacturers or other governmental agencies such as SCAQMD is NOT valid for the purposes of this law. The list of EPA-approved training programs is available at https://www.epa.gov/mvac/section-609technician-training-and-certification-programs. Verify that the training certificate issued to you is from an agency on the approved list. If not, complete your certification through one of the agencies listed on the site prior to working on any A/Crelated job. I Am a Lube Tech or in the Body Shop: If you are a lube tech, sooner or later you will get to be a regular tech, so get your A/C training certificate now. The language of the federal law is very expansive. It states that “… no person repairing or servicing motor vehicles for consideration may perform any service on a motor vehicle air conditioner involving the refrigerant.” So if you work in a body shop installing A/C hoses or condenser, it involves the refrigerant and hence requires certification. ©Celly Services, Inc. 22
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