TheoryEPA Section 608 Refrigerant Practice Questions
Free EPA Section 608 Refrigerant practice questions with answers and plain-English explanations. Browse the PDF, video and online mock test.
EPA Section 608 Refrigerant Questions
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Q1Under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act, knowingly releasing (venting) refrigerant while servicing an appliance is:
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✓ Correct answer: Prohibited
Section 608 prohibits the knowing release of refrigerant during the maintenance, service, repair, or disposal of appliances. The venting prohibition applied to CFCs and HCFCs starting July 1, 1992, and to most substitutes (including HFCs) starting November 15, 1995.
Q2Which class of refrigerants contains chlorine and has the highest ozone-depletion potential?
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✓ Correct answer: CFCs
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) such as R-11 and R-12 are fully halogenated and contain chlorine, giving them the highest ozone-depletion potential. They have been phased out under the Montreal Protocol.
Q3Which statement best describes an HFC refrigerant such as R-134a?
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✓ Correct answer: Contains no chlorine and has zero ozone-depletion potential
HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) contain no chlorine, so their ozone-depletion potential is zero. They do, however, have a global-warming potential, which is why their use is also being managed.
Q4What does the chlorine released from CFCs and HCFCs do in the stratosphere?
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✓ Correct answer: Destroys ozone molecules
Once chlorine reaches the stratosphere, a single chlorine atom can destroy many ozone molecules in a repeating catalytic cycle, thinning the ozone layer that shields the Earth from ultraviolet radiation.
Q5The 'three R's' of refrigerant management are:
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✓ Correct answer: Recover, recycle, reclaim
Recover means to remove refrigerant and store it externally. Recycle means to clean it for reuse on site (oil separation, single or multiple passes). Reclaim means to reprocess it to meet the ARI/AHRI 700 new-product specification, which requires laboratory analysis.
Q6Which term means cleaning recovered refrigerant for on-site reuse using oil separation and filtration, without testing it to a purity specification?
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✓ Correct answer: Recycle
Recycling cleans refrigerant for reuse on the same site through oil separation and one or more passes through filter-driers. Unlike reclaiming, it does not require chemical analysis to a purity standard.
Q7To be sold as 'reclaimed,' recovered refrigerant must be processed to meet which purity standard?
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✓ Correct answer: AHRI/ARI 700
Reclaimed refrigerant must be reprocessed to the purity level specified by AHRI (formerly ARI) Standard 700 and verified by chemical analysis. Reclamation can only be performed off site by an EPA-certified reclaimer.
Q8Before an appliance is opened for major service or disposal, the technician must first:
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✓ Correct answer: Recover the refrigerant
Refrigerant must be recovered into an approved external container before the appliance is opened or disposed of, because venting refrigerant to the atmosphere is prohibited.
Q9A small, unavoidable release of refrigerant that occurs during a good-faith attempt to recover is known as:
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✓ Correct answer: A de minimis release
Releases that are small and unavoidable during good-faith attempts to recycle or recover refrigerant (such as the loss when connecting or disconnecting hoses) are considered de minimis and are not treated as a violation of the venting prohibition.
Q10Recovery and recycling equipment manufactured for use must be:
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✓ Correct answer: Certified by an EPA-approved equipment-testing organization
Recovery and recycling equipment must be certified by an EPA-approved testing organization (such as UL or AHRI) to meet EPA performance standards.
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