EPA 608 Practice Test Answers (40 CFR 82)
EPA 608 answers for independent study: review 45 Section 608 technician questions, the ones test takers report first, each answered from and quoted from the current 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F on eCFR or EPA's own Section 608 pages. Not an official EPA or certifying-program answer key.
EPA Section 608 technician practice questions: certification types, recovery equipment, evacuation levels, leak repair, venting and disposal, cited to the current 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F and EPA Section 608 pages.
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01The EPA definition of a small appliance includes:
Products manufactured, fully charged, and hermetically sealed in a factory containing five pounds or less of refrigerant.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Small appliance means any appliance that is fully manufactured, charged, and hermetically sealed in a factory with five (5) pounds or less of refrigerant, including, but not limited to, refrigerators and freezers”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗02Anyone who recovers refrigerant during maintenance, service or repair of small appliances must be certified as either a Universal Tech or a:
Type I Technician.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(i) Persons who maintain, service, or repair small appliances must be certified as Type I technicians.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗03Technicians with a Type I small appliance certification are certified to recover refrigerant during the maintenance, service or repair of:
Packaged terminal air conditioners ("PTACs") with 5 pounds or less of refrigerant.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(i) Persons who maintain, service, or repair small appliances must be certified as Type I technicians.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗04Which of the following is not a Type I appliance? A) an MVAC-like system that holds three pounds of R-12 B) a water cooler that holds 13 ounces of R-12 C) a food freezer that holds 22 ounces of R-22 D) a dehumidifier with seven ounces of R-500
A) An MVAC-like system that holds three pounds of R-12. Technicians working on MVAC-like appliances need Type II or Section 609 (subpart B) certification; water coolers, freezers and dehumidifiers are small appliances.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“room air conditioners (including window air conditioners, portable air conditioners, and packaged terminal air heat pumps), dehumidifiers, under-the-counter ice makers, vending machines, and drinking water coolers”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗05Technicians are certified to recover refrigerant during the maintenance, service, or repair of high-pressure equipment if they receive a passing grade on which of the following examinations?
Type II (high-pressure certification).
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(ii) Persons who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of medium-, high-, or very high-pressure appliances (except small appliances, MVACs, and MVAC-like appliances) must be certified as Type II technicians.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗06A Very-High-Pressure appliance is one that uses a refrigerant with a liquid phase saturation pressure above 355 psia at 104F. This definition includes but is not limited to appliances using which of the refrigerants listed below: a. R-23 b. R-13 c. R-503 d. all of the above
d. All of the above.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Very high-pressure appliance means an appliance that uses a refrigerant with a critical temperature below 104 °F or with a liquid phase saturation pressure above 355 psia at 104 °F. Examples include but are not limited to appliances using R-13, R-23, R-503, R-508A, and R-508B.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗07The EPA Section 608 certification must be renewed every:
It is never renewed: Section 608 technician certification has no expiration date.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Tests must be administered by an EPA-approved certifying organization. Section 608 Technician Certification credentials do not expire.”
— EPA Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements (epa.gov) ↗08Recovery equipment used for the service or repair of small appliances must be certified by an EPA-approved laboratory if the recovery equipment was manufactured after:
November 15, 1993. Equipment made before that date is considered certified if it meets the older performance levels.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(1) Equipment manufactured or imported before November 15, 1993, will be considered certified if it is capable of either recovering 80 percent of the refr”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗09Recovery devices that were manufactured after November 15, 1993 and are used for recovery of refrigerant from small appliances must be capable of:
Recovering 90% of the refrigerant when the compressor is operating, or achieving a 4-inch vacuum under the conditions of ARI 740-1993.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(2) Equipment manufactured or imported on or after November 15, 1993, may also be certified if it is capable of achieving a four-inch vacuum under the conditions of appendix B1 of this subpart, based upon ARI Standard 740-1993.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗10Recovery devices that were manufactured before November 15, 1993 and are used for recovery of refrigerant from small appliances must be capable of:
Recovering 80% of the refrigerant whether or not the compressor is operating, or achieving a 4-inch vacuum when tested with a properly calibrated pressure gauge.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Equipment manufactured or imported before November 15, 1993, will be considered certified if it is capable of either recovering 80 percent of the refrigerant in the system, whether or not the compressor of the test stand is operational, or achieving a four-inch vacuum when tested using a properly calibrated pressure gauge”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗11Recovery or recycling equipment which was manufactured after November 15, 1993 and is used to recover refrigerant from small appliances prior to the disposal of the small appliance must be used to: a. recover 95% of the refrigerant from the appliance whether or not the compressor is functional. b. recover 80% of the refrigerant in an appliance if the appliance's compressor is inoperative. c. recover 90% of the refrigerant in an appliance if the appliance's compressor is operational. d. both "b" and "c"
d. Both "b" and "c": 80% if the compressor is inoperative, 90% if it is operational.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(2) When using recovery equipment manufactured on or after November 15, 1993, recover 90 percent of the refrigerant in the appliance when the compressor in the appliance is functioning, or 80 percent of the refrigerant in the appliance when the compressor in the appliance is not functioning”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗12With a non-operating system compressor, recovery equipment must be capable of recovering:
80 percent of the refrigerant, or achieving 4 inches of vacuum.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(2) Equipment manufactured or imported on or after November 15, 1993, may also be certified if it is capable of achieving a four-inch vacuum under the conditions of appendix B1 of this subpart, based upon ARI Standard 740-1993.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗13A passive system-dependent recovery device for small appliances:
Captures refrigerant in a non-pressurized container.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Methods to recover refrigerant from small appliances with inoperative compressors using a system-dependent or "passive" recovery device (e.g., heat and sharply strike the compressor, use a vacuum pump with non-pressurized recovery container)”
— EPA Section 608 Technician Certification Test Topics (epa.gov) ↗14When using a passive system-dependent recovery process, you should access both the high and low side of the system for the refrigerant recovery if _____________ .
The system's compressor does not run.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Need to install both high and low side access valves when recovering refrigerant from small appliances with inoperative compressors”
— EPA Section 608 Technician Certification Test Topics (epa.gov) ↗15System dependent recovery methods may only be used on appliances containing:
15 pounds of refrigerant or less (unless the system-dependent equipment is permanently attached as a pump-out unit).
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(e) System-dependent equipment may not be used with appliances with a full charge of more than 15 pounds of refrigerant, unless the system-dependent equipment is permanently attached to the appliance as a pump-out unit.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗16Recovery equipment that relies upon the compressor in the appliance and or the pressure of the refrigerant in the appliance would be considered:
System-dependent.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“System-dependent recovery equipment means refrigerant recovery equipment that requires the assistance of components contained in an appliance to remove the refrigerant from the appliance.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗17The sale of CFC and HCFC refrigerants is:
Restricted to technicians who are EPA certified (with limited exceptions such as resale to reclaimers or wholesalers).
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(i) The buyer has been certified as a Type I, Type II, Type III, or Universal technician under § 82.161”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗18Complete the statement about leaks in small appliances. The EPA .....
Does not require a leak in a small appliance to be repaired; the leak repair rules apply only to appliances with a full charge of 50 or more pounds.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Small appliance means any appliance that is fully manufactured, charged, and hermetically sealed in a factory with five (5) pounds or less of refrigerant, including, but not limited to, refrigerators and freezers”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗19EPA regulations require that leaking commercial and industrial process refrigeration be repaired when the leak rate exceeds _____ percent of the charge per year.
20 percent for commercial refrigeration and 30 percent for industrial process refrigeration (the older single 35 percent rate no longer applies).
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(2) Leak Rates: (i) 20 percent leak rate for commercial refrigeration equipment; (ii) 30 percent leak rate for industrial process refrigeration equipment”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗20Starting in 2019, what is the leak rate threshold for industrial process refrigeration equipment with a full charge of 50 or more pounds of an HCFC refrigerant? a. 5% b. 10% c. 20% d. 30%
d. 30%
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(2) Leak Rates: (i) 20 percent leak rate for commercial refrigeration equipment; (ii) 30 percent leak rate for industrial process refrigeration equipment”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗21Starting in 2019, EPA regulations require that all chillers containing more than 50 pounds of ozone-depleting refrigerant that are used for comfort cooling be repaired when the leak rate exceeds: a. 5% of the charge per year. b. 10% of the charge per year. c. 20% of the charge per year. d. 30% of the charge per year.
b. 10% of the charge per year.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(iii) 10 percent leak rate for comfort cooling appliances or other appliances with a full charge of 50 or more pounds of refrigerant”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗22A chiller containing 150 pounds of HCFC refrigerant is leaking above the leak rate threshold. Unless granted additional time, what must be completed within 30 days? a. Repair the appliance so that it leaks below the threshold and conduct the initial verification test. b. Retrofit the appliance to a different natural refrigerant approved by ASHRAE. c. Document that all OEM replacement parts have been ordered. d. Notify the EPA of the leak rate and the time required to complete the repair.
a. Repair the appliance so that it leaks below the threshold and conduct the initial verification test.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(1) Initial verification test. Unless granted additional time, an initial verification test must be performed within 30 days (or 120 days if an industrial process shutdown is required) of an appliance exceeding the applicable leak rate”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗23A chiller with a charge of 200 pounds has passed the initial verification leak test. When must a follow-up verification test be conducted? a. The same day. b. The next day. c. Within 10 days. d. Within 30 days.
c. Within 10 days.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“A follow-up verification test must be performed within 10 days of the successful initial verification test or 10 days of the appliance reaching normal operating characteristics and conditions”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗24Who is responsible for keeping records of all leak inspections and any completed leak repair verification tests? a. The original installing technician's employers b. Only the technician that has actually performed each inspection or verification test. c. The owner and/or operator of the equipment d. The EPA leak rate assessment division
c. The owner and/or operator of the equipment.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(3) Owners or operators must keep records of leak inspections that include the date of inspection, the method(s) used to conduct the leak inspection, a list of the location of each leak that was identified”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗25How long must owners and operators of low-pressure chillers using HCFC refrigerant keep records of leak inspections, initial verification, and follow-up verification tests? a. 2 years b. 3 years c. 5 years d. Life of the appliance
b. 3 years.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(l) Recordkeeping. All records identified in this paragraph must be kept for at least three years in electronic or paper format, unless otherwise specified.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗26Which of the following CANNOT be used as a reason to extend the appliance repair deadlines? a. Requirements of federal, state, or local regulations make the repair within 30 days impossible. b. The appliance is located in an area that is subject to radiological contamination. c. Necessary repair parts are unavailable. d. A certified service technician is not available.
d. A certified service technician is not available.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Components that must be replaced as part of the repair are not available within 30 days (or 120 days if an industrial process shutdown is required).”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗27How long must a technician evacuating refrigerant from appliances with a full charge of more than 5 pounds and less than 50 pounds that are being disposed of keep records of the event? a. 1 year b. 3 years c. 5 years d. 10 years
b. 3 years.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“technicians evacuating refrigerant from appliances with a full charge of more than 5 and less than 50 pounds of refrigerant for purposes of disposal of that appliance must keep records documenting the following for three years”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗28When using recovery and recycling equipment manufactured after November 15, 1993 technicians must evacuate low-pressure appliances to the following level before disposing of the appliance:
25 mm Hg absolute.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Low-pressure appliance 25 mm Hg absolute 25 mm Hg absolute”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗29Appliances need not be evacuated all the way to the prescribed level when:
Leaks in the appliance make evacuation to the prescribed level unattainable.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(2) If leaks in the appliance make evacuation to the levels in Table 1 unattainable or would substantially contaminate the refrigerant being recovered, persons opening or disposing of the appliance must”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗30If a leak in an appliance makes the prescribed evacuation level unattainable, the appliance can be evacuated to:
0 psig (the lowest level attainable without substantially contaminating the refrigerant, never above 0 psig).
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Evacuate leaking components to be opened or disposed of to the lowest level that can be attained without substantially contaminating the refrigerant. This level may not exceed 0 psig.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗31True or false: Recovery must also include evacuation to a level the technician feels is sufficient.
False. Technicians must evacuate to the levels set in Table 1 of the rule, not to a level of their own choosing.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“technicians must evacuate the refrigerant, including all the liquid refrigerant, to the levels in Table 1 using a recovery and/or recycling machine certified pursuant to § 82.158”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗32Under EPA regulations which of the following methods can be used to pressurize an R-11 or R-123 system for the purpose of opening the system for a non-major repair?
Warming the refrigerant, for example with controlled hot water or a built-in system heating device.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Examples include but are not limited to appliances using R-11, R-123, R-113, and R-245fa.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗33Refrigerant can not be called "reclaimed" unless it:
Has been reprocessed and chemically analyzed to verify it meets the AHRI Standard 700 (formerly ARI-700) purity specifications.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Reclaim means to reprocess recovered refrigerant to all of the specifications in appendix A of this subpart (based on AHRI Standard 700-2016, Specifications for Refrigerants ) that are applicable to that refrigerant and to verify that the refrigerant meets these specifications using the analytical methodology”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗34_______ is the process of removing refrigerant in any condition from a system and storing it in a container without necessarily testing or processing it in any way.
Recover (refrigerant recovery).
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Recover means to remove refrigerant in any condition from an appliance and to store it in an external container without necessarily testing or processing it in any way.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗35Recycling is defined as:
Cleaning refrigerant for reuse by oil separation and single or multiple passes through devices, such as filter-driers, that reduce moisture, acidity and particulate matter.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“In general, recycled refrigerant is cleaned using oil separation and single or multiple passes through devices, such as replaceable core filter-driers, which reduce moisture, acidity, and particulate matter.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗36Which appliances are covered by Section 608?
Any device which contains and uses a class I or class II substance (or a substitute) as a refrigerant and is used for household or commercial purposes.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“Appliance means any device which contains and uses a class I or class II substance or substitute as a refrigerant and which is used for household or commercial purposes”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗37Who is responsible for removing the refrigerant from household refrigerators prior to disposal?
The final person in the disposal chain (such as a scrap metal recycler or landfill owner).
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“The final person in the disposal chain (such as a scrap metal recycler or landfill owner) is responsible for ensuring that refrigerant is recovered from equipment before its final disposal.”
— EPA Stationary Refrigeration Safe Disposal Requirements (epa.gov) ↗38What must you do to the refrigerant in an appliance before disposing of the appliance?
Recover the refrigerant, or verify (with a signed statement or contract) that it was previously recovered.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(1) Recover any remaining refrigerant from the appliance in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section; or (2) Verify using a signed statement or a contract that all refrigerant that had not leaked previously has been recovered from the appliance”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗39What is known as "de minimis" releases?
Small releases of refrigerant that occur during good-faith attempts to recover or recycle it, such as when connecting or disconnecting hoses; they are not subject to the venting prohibition.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“"De minimis" quantities of refrigerant released while making good faith attempts to recapture and recycle or safely dispose of refrigerant”
— EPA Stationary Refrigeration Prohibition on Venting Refrigerants (epa.gov) ↗40When nitrogen is used to pressurize or blow debris out of the system:
The nitrogen may be vented to the ambient air.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“following substitutes in the following end-uses are exempt from this prohibition and from the requirements of this subpart: (i) Carbon dioxide in any application; (ii) Nitrogen in any application”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗41What is the Montreal Protocol?
An international treaty to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out production and use of ozone-depleting substances.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“The international treaty governing the protection of stratospheric ozone. The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer and its amendments control the phaseout of ODS production and use.”
— EPA Section 608 Technician Certification Test Topics (epa.gov) ↗42Where must a Section 608 certified technician keep a copy of their certificate?
At their place of business, and until three years after they stop working as a technician.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(4) (i) Technicians certified under this section must keep a copy of their certificate at their place of business. (ii) Technicians must maintain a copy of their certificate until three years after no longer operating as a technician.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗43Must a person who only disposes of small appliances, MVACs or MVAC-like appliances be Section 608 certified?
No. Persons who dispose of small appliances, MVACs, and MVAC-like appliances are not required to be certified.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(vii) Persons who dispose of small appliances, MVACs, and MVAC-like appliances are not required to be certified.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗44For an oil change on a low-pressure appliance, to what pressure must the appliance (or a system receiver holding the drained oil) be brought before it is opened?
No higher than 5 psig.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“(iii) For the purposes of oil changes, be evacuated or pressurized to a pressure no higher than 5 psig, before it is opened”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗45Which refrigerants are given as examples for high-pressure appliances in the Section 608 rule?
R-22, R-407A, R-407C, R-410A and R-502.
VERIFIED AGAINST THE SOURCE
“liquid phase saturation pressure between 170 psia and 355 psia at 104 °F. Examples include but are not limited to appliances using R-22, R-407A, R-407C, R-410A, and R-502.”
— 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Recycling and Emissions Reduction (eCFR, current as of 2026-10-29) ↗Know questions we're missing?
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