Hydrochlorofluorocarbons
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons, or HCFCs, are
chemicals that are mainly used as refrigerants
in the air-conditioning and refrigeration industries.
Unfortunately, releases of HCFCs damage the
ozone layer, which shields the Earth from harmful
ultraviolet radiation and are greenhouse gases. The
United States is one of more than 195 countries
to phase out the manufacture of ozone-depleting
substances and find alternatives.
Phaseout of HCFC-22 and
HCFC-142b
HCFC-22 (or R-22) is often used in air-conditioning
and refrigeration equipment. HCFC-142b is also
used as a refrigerant, often as a component of a
blend. It had also been used for foam blowing or
as a propellant in aerosol cans. These two HCFCs
are being phased out according to the following
schedule:
January 1, 2010
Ban on production, import and use of HCFC-22
and HCFC-142b except for on-going servicing
needs of existing equipment
January 1, 2020
Ban on remaining production and import of
HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b
After 2020, the servicing of systems that use R-22
or blends containing HCFC-22 or HCFC-142b will
rely on recovered or stockpiled quantities. It is
difficult to predict when these supplies will run
out. Supplies may be available until almost all
equipment containing R-22 or R-142b is retired.
However, in the future, supplies will be more
limited and costs of HCFCs will likely rise.
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
What Technicians and
Contractors Need to Know
About Phasing Out
HCFC Refrigerants to
Protect the Ozone Layer
EPA Ozone Web Site
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/
EPA Stratospheric Ozone Information Hotline
1.800.296.1996
ENERGY STAR Web Site
http://www.energystar.gov/
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Mail Code 6205J
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20460-0001
EPA-430-F-09-081
Disclaimer:
EPA promotes energy efficiency and the safe
use of ozone-friendly substances, and does not
endorse any particular company or its products.
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
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Your Role
As an air-conditioning or refrigeration technician,
you play an important role in the phaseout of HCFC
refrigerants by installing, servicing, and repairing
equipment that may contain HCFCs.
This brochure will help you:
• better understand your responsibilities under
the regulations,
• adapt to changing industry practices, and
• provide consumers with appropriate
information about the HCFC phaseout.
Servicing Air-Conditioning
Systems
You must have EPA Section 608 certification
to service refrigeration and air-conditioning
equipment containing HCFCs.
As a best practice, locate and repair leaks instead
of "topping-off" leaking systems.
It is illegal to intentionally release any refrigerant
when servicing, repairing, or maintaining
equipment. In most cases, you must use
refrigerant recovery equipment during service,
maintenance, or repair.
You must certify in writing to your EPA Regional
Office that you have and will properly use
EPA-certified refrigerant recovery and recycling
equipment.
In some cases, you may recharge equipment with
recovered HCFC refrigerants. If the refrigerant is
being charged back into the same appliance or to
another appliance owned by the same person, the
used refrigerant does not need to be recycled or
reclaimed.
Recovered refrigerant cannot be sold to a new
owner; instead, it must be sent to an EPA-
certified reclaimer prior to sale.
A recovered refrigerant is one that was removed
from refrigeration or air-conditioning equipment
and stored in an external container without
necessarily being tested or processed in any way.
A recycled refrigerant has been extracted and
cleaned for reuse without meeting the stringent
requirements for reclamation.
A reclaimed refrigerant has been reprocessed
using specialized machinery and tested to meet
industry purity standards.
Disposing of Refrigeration and
Air-Conditioning Equipment
Prior to equipment disposal, you must properly
recover HCFCs from existing refrigeration
and air-conditioning equipment to help ensure
the availability of future supplies, protect the
ozone layer, and comply with the law.
You may send recovered HCFC refrigerants to be
reclaimed or destroyed.
Alternative Refrigerants
EPA maintains a list of acceptable and
unacceptable substitutes for specific refrigeration
and air-conditioning end-uses.
Alternative refrigerants generally cannot be used
as a "drop-in" replacement in an existing system
without modifying the system components.
When purchasing alternative refrigerants, consider
the cost, availability, and required equipment. Also
check that the refrigerant is acceptable for your
expected use and consistent with the equipment
manufacturer's recommendations and warranties.
There are several acceptable alternatives to
R-22 that do not deplete the ozone layer.
These include R-407C and R-410A. Note that
R-410A can be used in new, not retrofitted,
residential air conditioners. For more
information on substitutes visit
www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/refrigerants/.
EPA does not require certification for technicians
that service appliances with non-ozone depleting
refrigerants.
It is illegal to intentionally release any refrigerants,
including the alternatives like HFCs (for example,
R-410A).
What Should I Tell My
Customers About the
Phaseout?
The production and import (not use) of the HCFC
refrigerants is being phased out both in the United
States and worldwide. This phaseout will repair the
ozone layer and reduce incidences of skin cancer
and cataracts.
They are not required to stop using HCFC
refrigerants nor to replace existing equipment.
However, the available supply of R-22 and blends
containing HCFC-142b will decrease in the future.
EPA has banned the manufacture of new
air-conditioning equipment containing R-22.
Customers can repair existing systems even
replacing major components, so long as they are
available.
The phaseout period provides time to switch to
ozone-friendly refrigerants when they normally
would replace their refrigerant and
air-conditioning equipment.
They should visit the EPA web site at
www.epa.gov/ozone/ for more information.
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