Wash. Admin. Code § 173-443-205

Current through Register Vol. 24-20, October 15, 2024

Section 173-443-205 - Required service practices

A person performing any installation, maintenance, service, repair, or disposal of a refrigeration or air conditioning system with a full charge greater than or equal to 50 pounds and that uses a refrigerant with a GWP of 150 or more must comply with all of the following conditions:

(1) The person must hold a current, valid, and applicable certificate issued under 40 C.F.R. § 82.161 (as amended November 18, 2016);

(2) In preparing equipment for recycling or disposal, the person may not intentionally disrupt the refrigerant circuit resulting in a discharge to the atmosphere unless an attempt to recover the refrigerant is made using certified refrigerant recovery equipment;

(3) The person must evacuate the equipment in accordance with 40 C.F.R. § 82.156 when evacuation is required before opening equipment to atmospheric conditions. Refrigerant may be returned to the equipment from which it is recovered or to another piece of equipment owned by the same person without being recycled or reclaimed;

(4) The person may not add an additional refrigerant charge unless the refrigerant being added:

(a) Consists wholly of a regulated refrigerant as defined in WAC 173-443-030;

(b) Is an acceptable alternative under the EPA Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program for the specific equipment;

(5) The person may not add an additional refrigerant charge to equipment known to have a refrigerant leak unless the additional charge is needed to maintain operations while preparing for or conducting a leak repair.

(6) The person must use refrigerant recovery or recycling equipment certified by EPA under 40 C.F.R. § 82.158 (as amended November 18, 2016).

(7) The person must evacuate refrigerant from a nonrefillable cylinder to a vacuum of 15 inches of mercury, relative to standard atmospheric pressure of 29.9 inches of mercury, before recycling or disposal; and

(8) The person must satisfy job site evacuation of refrigerants during recycling, recovering, reclaiming, or disposing in accordance with Title 40 C.F.R. § 82.156 (as amended November 18, 2016).

Wash. Admin. Code § 173-443-205

Adopted by WSR 23-24-041, Filed 11/30/2023, effective 12/31/2023