Alternative Refrigerant Recovery The new rulings also adopt a standard for equipment that recovers a single, specific refrigerant other than CFC or HFC‐134a. This is not a specific SAE standard, but is one formulated by the EPA allowing UL and ETL to approve recovery only equipment designed to extract a single alternative refrigerant. Most of the alternative refrigerants that are approved under the EPA's SNAP (Significant New Alternatives Policy) program for use in motor vehicle air conditioners are blended compounds that may contain ozone depleting substances such as HCFC‐22. Recovery of these blended refrigerants requires a dedicated piece of equipment. They may not be recovered using the same equipment used for CFC or HFC‐134a. It is a violation of EPA regulations to recycle these refrigerants. The EPA requires that these blended refrigerants be sent to a certified reclaim facility. Contaminated refrigerants must be handled with some extra precautions. If you are unsure about a refrigerant, EPA strongly recommends (but does not require) that technicians obtain a refrigerant identifier as a useful tool. When a technician encounters a "mystery" refrigerant, it must be recovered using apiece of equipment dedicated to this purpose. Unapproved refrigerants may contain a high percentage of flammable substances, such as propane or butane, and afire hazard may result. Check with your equipment manufacturer to be sure the equipment has protection against risks of ignition. Once the refrigerant has been recovered, it must be properly stored and/or sent to a reclamation facility to be reclaimed or destroyed.
