To what level must the appliance be evacuated before it is opened?

Recovery requirements · EPA 608 Type II. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.

Evacuation levels by charge size and equipment date, major repairs, and system-dependent limits.

The question

A technician is replacing the compressor on a very high-pressure appliance that uses R-23, using recovery equipment manufactured in 2019. To what level must the appliance be evacuated before it is opened?

• A0 inches of Hg vacuumCorrect answer
• B4 inches of Hg vacuum
• C10 inches of Hg vacuum
• D15 inches of Hg vacuum

Why “0 inches of Hg vacuum” is correct

Table 1 sets a single level for very high-pressure appliances: 0 inches of Hg vacuum, whatever the recovery equipment date or charge size. R-23 is one of the examples EPA gives of a very high-pressure refrigerant.

Source: 40 CFR 82.156(a), Table 1; 40 CFR 82.152

Why the other answers are wrong

• 4 inches of Hg vacuum — 4 inches applies to some medium- and high-pressure rows with pre-1993 equipment, not to very high-pressure appliances.
• 10 inches of Hg vacuum — 10 inches is for large high-pressure or small medium-pressure appliances with newer equipment.
• 15 inches of Hg vacuum — 15 inches is only for medium-pressure appliances of 200 pounds or more with newer equipment.

Practice more of this

More EPA 608 Type II practice questions, or see every EPA 608 practice test.