How can the technician protect the tubes from freezing?
Recovery techniques · EPA 608 Type III. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Liquid then vapor, heating oil, protecting water tubes, and high-pressure cut-outs.
The question
The chilled-water pump on an R-123 chiller cannot run while the refrigerant is being recovered. How can the technician protect the tubes from freezing?
- Add antifreeze to the refrigerant
- Speed up recovery to finish faster
- Drain the water from the tubesCorrect answer
- Close the water valves and leave the water in place
Why “Drain the water from the tubes” is correct
EPA's test topics list two ways to prevent freezing during evacuation: circulate the water or remove it. If the water cannot be circulated, draining the tubes removes the risk.
Source: EPA: Test Topics
Why the other answers are wrong
- Add antifreeze to the refrigerant — Nothing should be added to the refrigerant; the water side is what needs attention.
- Speed up recovery to finish faster — Faster recovery cools the refrigerant faster and makes freezing more likely.
- Close the water valves and leave the water in place — Stagnant water in the tubes is exactly what freezes.
Practice more of this
More EPA 608 Type III 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.