Why must a refrigerant cylinder never be heated with a torch?
Safety · EPA 608 Core. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Exposure risks, protective equipment, the 80% cylinder limit and nitrogen for leak testing.
The question
Why must a refrigerant cylinder never be heated with a torch?
- The pressure can rise rapidly and rupture the cylinderCorrect answer
- The flame will turn the refrigerant into oxygen
- It voids the cylinder's color code
- It makes the refrigerant flammable
Why “The pressure can rise rapidly and rupture the cylinder” is correct
Heating a cylinder with an open flame can raise its pressure and weaken the metal, causing a rupture or explosion. Open flames can also break refrigerant down into toxic products.
Source: EPA: Test Topics
Why the other answers are wrong
- The flame will turn the refrigerant into oxygen — Heat does not turn refrigerant into oxygen.
- It voids the cylinder's color code — The danger is rupture, not the color code.
- It makes the refrigerant flammable — Heating does not make a nonflammable refrigerant flammable; the hazard is pressure.
Practice more of this
More EPA 608 Core practice questions, or see every EPA 608 practice test.
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