What does the rule allow?

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 needs to change the oil in a 75-pound R-22 system without pulling the whole system down. What does the rule allow?

• ADraining the oil while the system is still at its operating pressure
• BDraining it into a system receiver taken to 5 psig or lowerCorrect answer
• CDraining the oil once the system is below 15 psig
• DAdding nitrogen before draining the oil

Why “Draining it into a system receiver taken to 5 psig or lower” is correct

For oil changes, the technician may evacuate the appliance to no higher than 5 psig, or drain the oil into a system receiver that is evacuated or pressurized to no higher than 5 psig. Either way, the refrigerant dissolved in the oil is recovered.

Source: 40 CFR 82.156(a)(1)(iii); EPA: Service Practice Requirements

Why the other answers are wrong

• Draining the oil while the system is still at its operating pressure — Draining at operating pressure would release the refrigerant dissolved in the oil.
• Draining the oil once the system is below 15 psig — The limit is 5 psig, not 15.
• Adding nitrogen before draining the oil — Adding nitrogen does not meet the 5 psig requirement.

Practice more of this

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