Title: Maytag Services
1- Maytag Services
- Refrigerant Handling
- Standard Operating Procedures
1
2- Federal EPA Refrigerant Recovery Guidelines
3Licensing Requirements
- Under section 608(c) of the 1990 Clean Air Act
Amendments, ( It is )unlawful for any person,
in the course of maintaining, servicing,
repairing or disposing of an appliance. to
knowingly vent or otherwise knowingly release or
dispose of any Class I or Class II substance used
as a refrigerant in such an appliance in a manner
which permits such substance to enter the
environment - The Act further establishes that any technician
that can be reasonably expected to enter a sealed
system during the course of repair of a
refrigeration appliance must be certified in
refrigerant handling by a Federal EPA approved
certification organization.
4EPA Penalties
- A willful release of refrigerants or failure to
follow EPA recovery guidelines carries stiff
penalties for the technician - 30,000 per occurrence
- Up to 5 years jail time
- EPA offers a 10,000 reward to anyone reporting a
violation
5Certification Classifications
- There are 4 certification classifications
- Type I- Allows technicians to perform service on
refrigeration equipment containing less than 5
lbs. of refrigerant. - Type II- Allows technicians to work on
refrigeration equipment containing more than 5
lbs. but less than 50 lbs. of refrigerant. - Type III-Allows a technician to work on
refrigeration equipment containing more than 50
lbs. of refrigerant - Universal- Allows a technician to work on any
refrigeration equipment, regardless of the amount
of refrigerant.
6Certification Guidelines
- Type I or Universal certification is required to
work on residential refrigeration appliances.
Type II and Type III certifications do not permit
working on small appliances. - Technicians are required to have valid
certification cards on their person anytime that
they are performing repairs on a refrigeration
system.
7EPA Restrictions
- Purchase of refrigerant is restricted to
certified technicians and Section 608(c)
certified technicians can only purchase
refrigerant in 30 lb. (minimum) containers. - Recovery of refrigerants must be accomplished
with an EPA approved recovery device. Two types
of recovery devices are allowed. - Active- a recovery pump that is able to pull a
system into a minimum 4 vacuum. - Passive- a non powered device capable of
capturing 80 of the system charge (such Recovery
bag)
8EPA Restrictions
- Use of refrigerant recovery bags, such as the
Whirlpool Ozone Saver Bag, is regulated by the
EPA. Compliance requires - The technician must recover a minimum of 80 of
the system charge. On a non working compressor,
the base of the compressor must be heated and
struck sharply with a hammer to free any
refrigerant trapped in the compressor oil. - Recovery bags are designed as temporary
refrigerant storage devices and should be removed
from vans each night. - The bag can only be used 4 times before it is
discarded. - The bag must be emptied within 48 hours
- Torn or damaged bags must be discarded.
9Recovered Refrigerant
- All Refrigerants must be recovered and reclaimed
- Mixed refrigerants cannot be reclaimed and must
be destroyed - Some refrigerants (R-12, R-134a) have value on
the reclaim market. - Every pound we have to destroy not only costs us
3-4 per pound to dispose of but we miss out on
the reclaim income that would have been generated
10Other EPA Recommendations
- All leaks should be located and repaired
- All hoses and manifold gauge sets must utilize
low loss fittings
11- US Department Of Transportation (DOT) Guidelines
12Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
- Technicians are required to carry MSD Sheets for
every type of chemical in their truck, including
acetylene, oxygen, glues, cleaners and
refrigerants. - Technicians should read and follow all
recommended safety guidelines when handling
refrigerants and other chemicals.
13Transportation of Refrigerants and other
Compressed Gasses
- Refrigerant, acetylene, oxygen, nitrogen, etc.
are all considered to be hazardous materials by
US DOT. Shipping of these containers is highly
regulated. - Before shipping any of these items by common
carrier, check with the carrier to determine
packaging and Bill of Lading requirements. - Air freighting of these items is strictly
prohibited. - All compressed gasses such as refrigerant,
acetylene, oxygen, aerosol and paint cans, etc.
must be in DOT approved containers and secured in
the van with chains or other significant
restraints to prevent containers from falling
over, rolling around in the truck, etc.
14Transportation of Refrigerants and other
Compressed Gasses
- All cylinder valves should be completely closed
and OXY/Acetylene regulators removed whenever a
cylinder is being transported - All cylinder must completely shut-off with no
leaks
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16Transportation of Refrigerants and other
Compressed Gasses
- The acetylene cylinder must not have been fully
closed and a small leak occurred - On the Monday morning when the van door was
opened, a large explosion took place. - Tech suffered damage to his ear drums and face.
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19Transportation of Refrigerants and other
Compressed Gasses
- Transporting refrigerant in charging cylinders
(such as Dial-a-Charge) is not permitted.
Charging cylinders must be empty of refrigerant
before transporting. - Some states go as far as requiring that
refrigerant be removed from self sealing hoses on
compound gauges. To assure compliance,
technicians should be sure to recover refrigerant
from gauges before transporting.
20Cylinder Safety
- New refrigerant is packaged in DOT 39 disposable
cylinders. When empty, these cylinders must be
disposed of properly. After evacuating the
cylinder (to 0 PSIG), the valve must be removed.
The tank can then be disposed of with other metal
waste. - Reuse of DOT 39 disposable cylinders (such as
storing or carrying compressed air) is illegal
and carries a penalty of 25,000 and up to 5
years in prison.
21Cylinder Safety
- Recovered refrigerant can only be stored in DOT
approved recovery cylinders (with the exception
of temporary storage in a refrigerant recovery
bag.) - US DOT regulates that recovery cylinders must not
be filled beyond 80 capacity. - Many of these tanks are equipped with a ball or
float switch that, when connected to a recovery
pump, will shut the pump off when the 80 mark on
the tank is reached.
22Cylinder Safety
- If the cylinder is not equipped with a ball or
float switch, the tank must be weighed prior to
each recovery to insure that it can accept
additional refrigerant. Cylinders are marked
with their empty or tare weight (TW) and water
content weight (WC). This represents the total
weight of the cylinder and contents when the
cylinder is filled to capacity. - Sometimes the tank is marked with the tare weight
and the MAX. Gross WT ___ LB. The max weight,
again, represents the total weight of the
cylinder when its filled to capacity.
23Cylinder Safety
- To insure that the recovery tank is not filled
beyond 80, the technician must determine the max
fill level for each tank. To do that, the
technician must compute the WC weight (if not
listed) and multiply by .8 - Example
- MAX weight 23.5 lbs, TW 10.5 lbs.
- Max WC weight 13 lbs. (23.5-10.5)
- Maximum refrigerant that can be put into tank
10.4 lbs. (13 lbs. WC X 80)
24Cylinder Safety
- Overfilled cylinders present a serious safety
hazard. Because liquids dont compress, any rise
in temperature can cause an over filled tank to
explode. Technicians must avoid overfilling or
exposing a tank to extreme temperatures. - In the summer, park in the shade whenever
possible - If the truck is equipped with vents, open them
- Never use an open flame to heat a refrigerant
cylinder
25Hydrostatic Cylinder Testing
- Recovery cylinders must be hydrostatically tested
every five years. The last test date will be
stamped or embossed on the shoulder of the
cylinder. In most cases, the tank will clearly
be marked with the first retest date. For
example, - FIRST RETEST DATE
- 06 07
- RETEST EVERY FIVE YEARS
- This means that the tank must be submitted for
testing prior to June of 2007 and every five
years after that (on or before the month of
June).
26Hydrostatic Cylinder Testing
- Older tanks may have the date stamped on them in
the pattern shown to the right. This stamp
indicates the last retest date and the testing
organization that completed the test. - In this example, this cylinder was last tested on
May of 2002 by tester A253. The next retest
date, therefore, is May of 2007.
A2 05 02 53
27Hydrostatic Cylinder Testing
- Technicians carrying tanks that are beyond the
required test date must discontinue use of the
cylinder immediately. - Filling of cylinders with expired test dates is
prohibited. - Any tank that has an expired test date must be
submitted to a reclaimer for refrigerant
processing and cylinder testing.
28Labeling of Refrigerant Cylinders
- All refrigerant cylinders, both new and
recovered, must be properly labeled with their
content. - If the recovery cylinder is in its original
cardboard carton, there are boxes printed on the
carton that allow placing an X or a v mark next
to the type of refrigerant that is being carried.
- If out of the carton, most refrigeration supply
houses supply stickers and/or tags that can be
affixed to recovery cylinders to identify the
contents.
29Contaminated Refrigerants
- Normal contaminants, such as air, refrigerant oil
and water that are mixed with refrigerants in a
recovery cylinder are not an issue. Care should
be taken, however, to insure that no other
contaminants are added to the refrigerant. - If a reclaimer suspects that a refrigerant tank
is contaminated with unidentified chemicals,
regulations require that the contents of the tank
be analyzed and the refrigerant be disposed of.
Reclaimers charge a fee for this service.
30Mixed Refrigerants
- Mixing of refrigerants should be avoided.
- Refrigerants are considered to be mixed when more
than 3 of a second refrigerant is added to the
base refrigerant. For example, adding 1 lb of
R-22 to a cylinder that contains 20 lbs of R-134a
will render the entire tank as mixed. - Mixed refrigerants cannot be easily or
economically reclaimed and thus, must be
destroyed. Instead of the usual 25 or 30
handling fee for accepting used refrigerant, the
price to dispose of mixed refrigerants can exceed
100 per cylinder (3-4 per pound).
31Tracking of Refrigerant Usage and Recovery
- The Federal EPA has the ability to subpoena
refrigerant usage records of an individual and/or
a company to compare refrigerant purchases
against recovery levels. - Since the minimum recovery level for any system
is 80, a discrepancy between refrigerant
purchased and refrigerant recovered could
indicate that technicians are not recovering at
mandated rates. - Technicians must maintain logs to track
refrigerant usage
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33- Refrigerant Handling Process
34Required Equipment
- Over the next few months, each White Goods
technician will be supplied whatever equipment
theyre missing to insure they all have - Scale
- R-134a Charging Cylinder
- R-134a Manifold Gauge set
- Recovery pump
- 30 lb. recovery cylinder
- Electronic Leak Detector
- Hand valves (2)
- Process tube adapter kit
- Pinch off pliers
- Recovery Bags (2)
35Required Equipment
- Over the next few months, each specialty
technician will be supplied whatever equipment
theyre missing to insure they all have - Scale
- R-134a Charging Cylinder
- R-134a Manifold Gauge Set
- CFC Manifold Gauge Set
- Micron Gauge
- Recovery pump
- Vacuum pump
- 30 lb. recovery cylinder
- Electronic Leak Detector
- Hand valves (2)
- Process tube adapter kit
- Pinch off pliers
- Recovery bags (2)
36Required Equipment
- Over the next few months, each PTAC technician
will be supplied whatever equipment theyre
missing to insure they all have - Scale
- CFC/HCFC Manifold
- Vacuum Pump
- Micron gauge
- Recovery pump
- 30 lb. recovery cylinder
- Electronic Leak Detector
- Hand valves (2)
- Process tube adapter kit
- Pinch off pliers
PTAC techs who also work on White Goods will
also carry R-134a refrigerant and related tools
37Refrigerant Handling Process
- Virgin refrigerant
- Technicians serviced by land based currier will
continue to receive new refrigerant from RPDC - Technicians serviced by air currier must purchase
refrigerant locally. (Use Refron facilities when
possible to get quantity preferred pricing)
38Refrigerant Handling Process
- Used refrigerant
- Technicians serviced by land based currier will
return full cylinders to RPC - RPC will replace with empty, clean cylinder
- Technicians serviced by air currier must find
local parts supplier that is willing to accept
used refrigerant - Work with virgin refrigerant supplier
- Set up cylinder exchange program
39Bag vs. Pump
- Use recovery pump and tank on all Major Brand
refrigeration that - can be swept
- uses R-134a
- Use the bag when servicing systems with
- Burnouts
- Unknown refrigerant
- Drop-in refrigerant
40Bag Handling Process
- Technicians serviced by land based currier
- Return bags to RPC with tag identifying contents
as - Unknown refrigerant
- R-134a Burnout
- R-22, MP-39, etc
- RPC will replace with empty, clean bag
- Technicians serviced by air currier
- Transfer contents of bag to a cylinder every
night - R-134a burnouts to R-134a tank
- R-22 to R-22 tank
- If enough R-410 is encountered, R-410 to its own
cylinder - All other refrigerants to mixed refrigerants
tank
41RPC refrigerant handling
- Each RPC responsible to
- Maintain supply of empty tanks on hand to
replenish tanks when a full tank is received - Empty bags within 24 hours into appropriate
recovery tank - R-134a
- R-22
- R-410
- All other refrigerants to mixed refrigerants
tank
42- Approved Sealed System Repair Process
43Why Change to Sweep
- Vacuum pumps require constant maintenance
- Oil changes every 3 or 4 normal evacuations
- After processing every burnout
- Dirty oil renders pump incapable of pulling
system to required vacuum levels to assure
complete dehydration - Without ability to gauge dehydration level, there
is no way to gauge how effective a vacuum was
pulled, even with a well maintained vacuum pump - Properly performed sweep superior to deep
evacuation with poorly maintained pump or without
measuring micron levels in system
44Why is proper dehydration important?
- In order for water to boil at normal room
temperatures, system pressure must be dropped
below 27 vacuum (About 3,000 Microns or less) - Vacuum must be held over system until Micron
levels drop below 300 microns - Depending on pump conditions, proper dehydration
could take several minutes or several hours.
Unless system pressure is dropped to 300 microns
or less, there is still water left in the system.
45What happens when water is left in the system?
- Moisture and refrigerant create acids
- Acids eat away at compressor winding insulation
- Acids and oil create sludge which plugs cap tubes
46Why is proper dehydration even more important
with R-134a?
- R-134a systems do not mix well with with mineral
oils and require the use of Ester oils - Ester oil are hygroscopic, meaning that they have
a great affinity for moisture (actually pull and
absorb moisture out of the air) - Ester oils are made from acids that have been
dehydrated - When exposed to atmospheric moisture, the oil
actually pulls vapor out of the air - The airborne moisture combines with the ester oil
and returns it to its original acidic state - Acids eat away at the compressor windings
- Acids combine with R-134a to form salts and gels
which can plug the capillary tube. - Moisture in the system will eventually destroy
the compressor (not a matter of if but when)
47Why Change to Sweep
- Sweep has been used in the industry for over 30
years (Maytag, GE, Whirlpool, Sears, Montgomery
Wards and a slew of independents) - Over the 30 year period, no conclusive proof has
ever surfaced that sweep results in any more
repeat failures than deep evacuation - In fact, laboratory testing has shown that a
properly performed sweep is superior to deep evac
that is performed with poorly maintained vacuum
pump or without an accurate method of measuring
dehydration levels in system
48Processing R-134a systems
- R-134a requires dedicated equipment to prevent
cross contamination - R-134a systems should not be open to the
atmosphere for longer than 20 minutes (max) - Verify compressor is nitrogen charged
- Keep plugs in compressor until ready to make
final connections to system tubing
49Processing R-134a systems
- Low side leaks
- Find and repair leak
- Replace compressor and dryer
- High side leaks
- Find and repair leak
- Replace drier
- Compressor burnout
- Flush system
- Replace compressor and drier
50Processing R-134a systems
- Because of the small system charges of modern
refrigerators, accurate charging is critical - On a 5 oz. system, overcharging by ½ oz. results
in 10 overcharge - Because of energy and cooling capacity issues,
its better to be slightly undercharged than to
be overcharged by any amount.
51Affect of Over/Undercharge on 950 BTU Compressor
52Problem with using a scale to charge small systems
- One quarter ounce resolution could undercharge or
overcharge a system by as much as 10- 20
(depending on system charge) - Unless scale is calibrated on a regular basis,
there is no way to determine accuracy of scale - Movement of the cylinder during charging changes
the reading on the scale and could cause the
final charge to be off by as much as 50
53Adding system charge
- Use Dial-a-Charge for all R-134a products.
- Charging scales should be used for
- Drop-ins
- R-22
- To weigh recovery cylinders if cylinder is not
equipped with a ball float valve
54Approved Sealed System Process
- Sweep charge is the only approved method of
refrigerator and freezer system processing for
most product lines - Exceptions
- PTACS
- Samsung 4 drawer side by side
- Refrigerator technicians will need to turn in
their vacuum pumps - Note Vacuum pumps will be re-allocated to
commercial and specialty techs
55 56Sweep Charge Steps
- Reconfirm need for the sealed system repair
- Verify that new compressor is nitrogen charged
(should hear a pop when line plug is removed from
compressor) - Reinstall plugs on compressor to prevent excess
air from entering system while old compressor is
removed from the system - Attach temporary line taps to low side and drier
process stubs - Attach gauges and recovery pump. Recover
refrigerant per pump manufacturers recommended
procedures
57Sweep Charge Steps
- Cut out and remove old compressor
- Install new drier
- Install and plumb new compressor in place (keep
compressor tubes plugged until ready to attach to
system. This will assure that the system does
not stay open longer than the recommended 20
minutes.) - Attach process stub adapters to new compressor
and drier process stubs - Reattach gauges. High and low side hoses should
have hand valves attached at end of each hose
58Sweep Charge Steps
- Fill Dial-a-Charge with system charge plus 8 oz.
and heat refrigerant until pressure on
Dial-a-Charge is 30 lbs. over ambient. Remember
to capture refrigerant if bleeding of the
cylinder is necessary (EPA reg) - Attach Dial-a-Charge to common hose on manifold
gauge set. - Purge air out of all hoses and pre-charge high
side hose with liquid. - Charge 4 oz of refrigerant into the system using
the hand valve at the end of the high side hose
to meter the refrigerant into system.
59Sweep Charge Steps
- Check all joints for leaks with a mirror and
electronic leak detector - Turn compressor on and allow charge to circulate
for 5 minutes - Close hand valve at drier
- Reattach pump and recover sweep charge as a
liquid from the drier process stub while the
compressor is running. - Continue to run recovery pump until the system is
down to the pump design pressure (usually around
20 inch vacuum on most pumps)
60Sweep Charge Steps
- Close hand valve at drier and turn off compressor
and pump - Recheck pressure on Dial-a-Charge to make sure it
is still at 30 lbs. over ambient. Reheat if
necessary - Disconnect pump and reattach Dial-a-Charge to
center hose of gauge set - Purge hoses and pre-charge high side hose with
liquid - Using the hand valve, meter system charge into
the system Important Once the charge is added
and the hand valve is closed, DO NOT reopen.
61Sweep Charge Steps
- Using pinch off pliers, pinch off the high side
process stub. - Remove the hand valve and process tub adapter and
braise the stub shut - Repeat process with low side process stub
- Check for low side leaks.
- Restart the compressor and check high side for
leaks. - Check current draw and feel compressor discharge
for heat movement. Check air supply in freezer.
If air is cold and current draw is normal, repair
was successful.
62 63Processing R-12 Systems with Drop-in Refrigerants
- MP-39 only approved R-12 substitute
- Hot Shot should not be purchased or used due to
safety concerns (flammable- contains 6 methane) - As with all blends, the sweep and final charges
of MP39 must go into the system as a liquid - Requires that refrigerant be heated to 30 lb.
over ambient - If no heater blanket available for MP-39 tank,
tank can be submersed into a partially filled 5
gallon bucket of warm water. - Water should be no hotter than your skin can
tolerate (125º F) - Charge must go into high side to prevent slugging
of compressor - Some older refrigerators have direct suction
pumps and adding liquid to low side could dump
refrigerant into compression chamber