What is the highest pressure the leaking component may be left at before it is opened?

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 leaking evaporator on an R-11 chiller cannot reach 25 mm Hg absolute without pulling in enough air to badly contaminate the refrigerant. What is the highest pressure the leaking component may be left at before it is opened?

• A0 psigCorrect answer
• B5 psig
• C10 psig
• D15 inches of Hg vacuum

Why “0 psig” is correct

When leaks make the Table 1 level unattainable, 40 CFR 82.156(a)(2) requires evacuating the leaking component to the lowest level that can be reached without substantially contaminating the refrigerant. That level may not be higher than 0 psig.

Source: 40 CFR 82.156(a)(2); EPA: Service Practice Requirements

Why the other answers are wrong

• 5 psig — 5 psig is the limit for oil changes, not for leaking components.
• 10 psig — 10 psig is a leak-test limit for low-pressure chillers, not an evacuation level.
• 15 inches of Hg vacuum — The rule does not set a fixed vacuum here; it requires the lowest level reachable without substantial contamination, never above 0 psig.

Practice more of this

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