A household refrigerator was built in 1988. Which refrigerant is it most likely to hold?
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 household refrigerator was built in 1988. Which refrigerant is it most likely to hold?
- R-12Correct answer
- R-134a
- R-123
- R-410A
Why “R-12” is correct
EPA's test topics describe R-134a as the likely substitute for R-12, the CFC long used in household refrigerators. A refrigerator from the 1980s most likely holds R-12, which must be recovered, never vented.
Source: EPA: Test Topics
Why the other answers are wrong
- R-134a — R-134a became the usual substitute for R-12 later, as CFCs were phased out.
- R-123 — R-123 is a low-pressure refrigerant used in chillers.
- R-410A — R-410A is a high-pressure blend used mainly in air conditioning.
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.