By Tim Leeds
Scott Stockdill of Modern Aire, Inc. recently received his Environmental Protection Agency Refrigeration Certificate, authorizing him to service equipment using ozone depleting refrigerants.
Stockdill has Class II authorization, which allows him to service any systems in the area, said Dennis Morgan of Modern Aire.
The requirement of certification to handle these refrigerants went into effect on Nov. 14, 1994. The regulations came out of the Clean Air Act of 1990.
In order to perform service in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry, technicians must take and pass a test consisting of questions approved by the EPA. The test consists of several levels of questions, which are based on the type of equipment a technician services.
There are four levels on the test. There is a core set of questions, which must be passed to receive any certification, and a set of questions for Type I certification for service of small appliances, Type II for service of high or very high pressure systems except small appliances, and Type III for service of low pressure systems. Universal certification qualifies the technician to work on any of the three systems.
The EPA regulations under Section 608 of the 1990 Clean Air Act are that the technician meets minimum requirements to contain, conserve and re-use refrigerants, preventing their escape into the atmosphere.
EPA representatives may require technicians to demonstrate their ability to do so at the technicians' places of work. Their certification could be revoked if they fail to demonstrate or properly use equipment in the process.
Much of the process, at least for conservation and containment, is not new. Processes to maintain tight systems in refrigeration have been in use for many years. Under the new regulations, the requirements the processes are used for will be more tightly enforced.
Morgan and Bill Twiford of Modern Aire hold EPA Universal Certification, allowing them to service Types I, II and III systems and equipment.
