What helps release refrigerant held in the compressor oil?
Recovery techniques · EPA 608 Type I. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Identifying refrigerants, access valves, passive recovery and solderless fittings.
The question
A freezer's compressor is dead, and the technician is using a passive recovery device. What helps release refrigerant held in the compressor oil?
- Packing the compressor in ice
- Adding nitrogen to the low side
- Opening an access valve to the air for a moment
- Warming the compressor and striking it sharplyCorrect answer
Why “Warming the compressor and striking it sharply” is correct
EPA's test topics list heating and sharply striking the compressor as ways to recover from a small appliance with an inoperative compressor. Refrigerant dissolved in the oil boils off more readily when warmed and agitated.
Source: EPA: Test Topics
Why the other answers are wrong
- Packing the compressor in ice — Cooling the oil holds more refrigerant in it, not less.
- Adding nitrogen to the low side — Nitrogen would mix into the recovered refrigerant and is not one of the listed methods.
- Opening an access valve to the air for a moment — That would vent refrigerant and let air into the system.
Practice more of this
More EPA 608 Type I practice questions, or see every EPA 608 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.