Recover, recycle, reclaim
To recover is to remove refrigerant into an outside container, as it is. To recycle is to clean it at the job site, with oil separation and filter-driers, for reuse in the same owner’s equipment. To reclaim is to process it to the AHRI 700 purity standard, proven by analysis, which it must meet before it is sold to a new owner, with a few narrow exceptions.
From the lesson Recover, Recycle, Reclaim
Why it matters on the exam
The three words sound alike and the exam uses that. Expect a question that hangs on which one a step is, or on who may receive the refrigerant afterwards.
Key points
- Recover. Removal into a container, with no testing or processing.
- Recycle. Cleaning for reuse, usually on site, for the same owner's equipment.
- Reclaim. Processing to AHRI 700 by an EPA-certified reclaimer, required before a sale to a new owner.
Is it recover, recycle or reclaim?
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Drag each card into its box, or tap a card and then a box.
Common trap
Thinking recycled refrigerant can be sold. Recycled refrigerant goes back into the same owner’s equipment; to go to a new owner, it is reclaimed first.
Question 1 of 5
A technician wants to sell used refrigerant to a different customer. What must happen to it first?
Tap an answer and I’ll tell you why.
Question 1 is written for this page and checked by a person. The others are practice questions from the MindMax app. None are from a past exam.
Where it comes from
Lesson 1 in Recovery, Recycling and Reclamation · Core Section
Recover, Recycle, Reclaim
- Define recovery, recycling and reclamation and distinguish them from one another
- State that reclaimed refrigerant must meet the AHRI 700 purity standard
- State that used refrigerant must be reclaimed by an EPA-certified reclaimer before it is sold to a new owner
- State that recycled refrigerant may be returned to equipment belonging to the same owner
Key terms in this lesson
- Reclaim
- To process refrigerant to the AHRI 700 purity standard and prove it by analysis. Done by an EPA-certified reclaimer.
- Recover
- To remove refrigerant from a system into an outside container, without testing or processing it.
- Recycle
- To clean refrigerant by separating oil and passing it through filter-driers, usually at the job site, for reuse in the same owner's equipment.
Learn more
FAQ
Recovering only removes the refrigerant into a container, without testing or cleaning it. Recycling cleans it, usually at the job site, by separating oil and passing it through filter-driers, so it can go back into the same owner’s equipment.
Not as recycled refrigerant. It goes back into equipment belonging to the same owner. To go to a new owner, it is reclaimed first, to the AHRI 700 purity standard.
An EPA-certified reclaimer, who processes it to the AHRI 700 standard and proves its purity by chemical analysis.