For years now, we have been associated with the industry which provides installation, repair and air conditioning service in Arlington TX. We have seen it grow before our very eyes. Young aspirants entered the field and turned into fully experienced professionals. Others failed to deliver and switched, afraid of the challenges that awaited them. Even today, we see young air conditioning technicians working their way to achieve perfection in their trade. However, since they are inexperienced, they are bound to commit mistakes and errors.

Young air conditioning technicians do commit on-job mistakes.

And it’s natural. The only thing which matters is realizing these mistakes and correcting them for their future practices. One such common mistake which we often see young and even some experienced professionals commit is:

The mishandling of air conditioning refrigerants.

The mishandling practices involve:

• Improper recovery of refrigerants from air conditioning units during installation or servicing.
• Venting out the recovered refrigerant.
• Improper recycling of refrigerants, recovered from a system.
• Improper disposition of refrigerants for reclamation or destruction process.

We have already discussed the potential environmental hazards of mishandling refrigerants. However, it’s not just the environmental hazards which demand proper handling of air conditioning refrigerants; if recovered and recycled properly there can be significant savings in consumption of these refrigerants which is beneficial for the customer.

And obviously as customers, you too have some responsibility to leverage your share in playing a positive role towards environment conservation and protection.

Therefore, knowing the basics of refrigerant handling is not only beneficial for the education of young technicians but also for the customers to ensure that the process is executed safely and appropriately. It is a shared responsibility. So let’s get started.

The Definitions

Before you plunge into the basics of refrigerant handling practices, it is important that you know the definition of some important terms which together constitute the handling process. For more information please contact a reliable company which provides repair and air conditioning service in Arlington, TX.

Recovery Process: It is the safe extraction of refrigerant from an air conditioning unit, during servicing or repairing of the system and transferring it to an external storage cylinder. It involves the use of certified machinery and process.

Recycling Process: It is the cleaning of the recovered refrigerant—without complying with the reclamation standards—for reuse in the system. It can be done on site or the refrigerant can be transported to an external facility.

Reclamation Process: It is the act of restoring the recovered refrigerant back to its original virginity and cannot be done on-site. There are dedicated facilities which provide refrigerant reclamation solutions. For more information on where you can find a refrigerant reclamation facility in your area, contact a local company which provides repair and air conditioning service in Arlington, TX.

We will now look into the details of some important considerations to make before you start the recovery process.

Factors to Consider Before Starting the Recovery Process

Please note this is not a complete list of factors to consider before the start of recovery process. Contact your local company which provides repair and air conditioning service in Arlington, TX for further guidance.

• Make sure that the technician has read the Material Specification Data Sheet which is provided by all refrigerant manufacturers. If you want to know about any safety precautions, which you as a house owner must exercise as per the instructions on the sheet, ask the available technician.
• Make sure that you have all the necessary safety gears with you as the high pressurized refrigerant may cause bodily injury if mishandled.
• Make sure the working pressure of the external cylinder is known to avoid any mishaps.
• The recovery of the refrigerant must be executed in a well ventilated area where there are no flammable sources in the vicinity.

Recovering the Air Conditioning Refrigerant

The recovery of air conditioning refrigerants involves the use of high pressured equipment and can be carried out through three different methods. These are:

1. Vapor recovery method
2. Liquid recovery method
3. Push pull recovery method

Each of these methods revolves around basic suction mechanism. The technical details of these methods are beyond the scope of this blog, as we are only focusing on the fundamentals and the handling precautions which need to be administered. To gain more insight about how each of these methods is performed, please contact a local company which provides repair and air conditioning service in Arlington, TX. However, there are important considerations which you need to make during the recovery process.

• The recovery cylinder should only be filled to 80 percent of its total capacity, ensuring that the working pressure is not exceeded.
• The cylinders which store the recovered refrigerants should not be kept under direct sunlight or exposed to high temperatures.
• Different grades of refrigerants should not be stored in the same cylinder.
• A weighing scale should be used to monitor how much refrigerant has been stored inside a cylinder.

Recycling the Air Conditioning Refrigerant

Before the recovered refrigerant can be reused, it is important that your local air conditioning service in Arlington, TX must clean the refrigerant from contaminants. These contaminants include moisture, acidity, particulate matter etc. The recycling process not only helps to cut on service charges as homeowner don’t have to pay for replenishing the refrigerant but it also prevents the venting of the refrigerant into the atmosphere which is an illegal practice.

The recycling can be done either through oil separation technique or passing the refrigerant through filter driers. Recycling process involves some important considerations, which include:

• Analyzing the condition of the refrigerant to assess whether it is suitable for recycling.
• The recycled refrigerant should be stored in a container which is dry and free from contaminants like oil or acid.
• The recycled refrigerant can only be used in the system from which it is recovered.

To learn more about the execution of the recycling process please consult a company which provides reliable air conditioning service in Arlington, TX.

Reclamation of Recovered Refrigerant

Sometimes, the recovered refrigerant is not in the condition for reuse even if it is to be recycled. As such the refrigerant needs to be safely disposed off to a reclamation facility where it is restored to its virgin state by the process of distillation. To learn more about how this entire process is conducted please contact a local company which provides repair and air conditioning service in Arlington, TX. The reclaimed refrigerant can then be reused or resold in the market. With the production of HCFC refrigerants coming to a halt, homeowners will have to increasingly rely on reclaimed HCFC beyond 2020. Please make sure that the storage cylinder is safely transported to the external facility, maintaining the required temperature and pressure.

Refrigerants should be handled carefully during the repair and servicing of air conditioning systems. If you are looking for a servicing company in Arlington, TX which deals in air conditioning units, please contact us.