What is the recovery level for HCFC22 over 200 lbs after November 15, 1993?

The recovery level for HCFC-22, commonly referred to as refrigerant R-22, is crucial to understand in the context of environmental regulations and recovery practices. Specifically, for appliances containing more than 200 pounds of this refrigerant, the EPA mandates that technicians achieving recovery must ensure that the refrigerant is removed to a minimum level of 10 inches of mercury vacuum.

This standard was established to minimize the release of ozone-depleting substances into the atmosphere and to ensure that the refrigerant can be reprocessed or disposed of safely. Therefore, when working with HCFC-22 in any system that contains more than 200 pounds of refrigerant, achieving a recovery level of 10 inches of mercury is necessary to comply with EPA regulations set forth after November 15, 1993.

Understanding the specific recovery level required helps ensure compliance with environmental standards, promotes safety in handling refrigerants, and supports the efforts to protect the ozone layer.