What evacuation level must it reach on an R-11 chiller before the chiller is scrapped?

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

Evacuation levels for low-pressure appliances, and major versus non-major repairs.

The question

A contractor still owns a recovery unit manufactured in 1991. What evacuation level must it reach on an R-11 chiller before the chiller is scrapped?

• A25 inches of Hg vacuum, a looser level for older units
• B4 inches of Hg vacuum, the usual pre-1993 level
• C25 mm Hg absolute, the same as newer equipmentCorrect answer
• D0 psig, since older units cannot pull a vacuum

Why “25 mm Hg absolute, the same as newer equipment” is correct

For most appliance types Table 1 gives a looser level for recovery equipment made before November 15, 1993. The low-pressure row is the exception: both columns read 25 mm Hg absolute, so the age of the recovery unit does not change the target.

Source: 40 CFR 82.156(a), Table 1

Why the other answers are wrong

• 25 inches of Hg vacuum, a looser level for older units — The current Table 1 lists 25 mm Hg absolute in both the pre- and post-November 15, 1993 columns for low-pressure appliances.
• 4 inches of Hg vacuum, the usual pre-1993 level — 4 inches of Hg vacuum is a pre-1993 level for some higher-pressure appliances, not for low-pressure ones.
• 0 psig, since older units cannot pull a vacuum — Table 1 does not relax the low-pressure level for older recovery equipment.

Practice more of this

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