Does the venting prohibition apply to HFC substitute refrigerants such as R-410A and R-134a?
Yes. R-410A, R-134a and other HFCs fall under the venting ban. There is no cutoff by equipment age or charge size. Only the substitutes the rule lists as exempt, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water, may be released.
- No, it covers only CFCs and HCFCs
- Only for equipment built after 2018
- Only when the system holds more than 50 pounds
- Yes, non-exempt substitutes are covered tooCorrect answer
Why “Yes, non-exempt substitutes are covered too” is correct
The prohibition in 40 CFR 82.154(a) applies to any refrigerant in an appliance, including substitutes. Only the specific substitutes and end-uses listed as exempt, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water, may be released.
Source: 40 CFR 82.154(a)
Why the other answers are wrong
- No, it covers only CFCs and HCFCs — Substitutes such as HFCs are covered unless specifically exempted.
- Only for equipment built after 2018 — The prohibition does not depend on the date the equipment was made.
- Only when the system holds more than 50 pounds — There is no charge-size limit on the venting prohibition.
The source, word for word
No person maintaining, servicing, repairing, or disposing of an appliance or industrial process refrigeration may knowingly vent or otherwise release into the environment any refrigerant from such appliances.
Starting on January 1, 2018, this section applies to evacuation of refrigerant from appliances containing any class I or class II refrigerant or any non-exempt substitute refrigerant
Zero ozone depletion does not mean free to vent
HFCs contain no chlorine and do not deplete ozone, which leads many people to assume the ban stops at CFCs and HCFCs. It does not. The ban reaches any refrigerant from an appliance unless the rule lists it as exempt, and no HFC is on that list. What may be released covers the exemptions.
HFCs are also subject to the evacuation requirements in 40 CFR 82.156, so an R-410A system has to be evacuated to the required level before it is opened, just as an R-22 system does.
Keep practicing
- EPA refrigerant recovery rules
- What CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs have in common
- What may be released without breaking the venting ban
- EPA 608 Core practice test
Unofficial, not affiliated with the EPA or any EPA-approved certifying organization. Questions are original practice written from public EPA material, not real exam questions.