To begin working in the HVAC industry you will need to pass the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) HVAC certifications. These certifications are often referrd to as the EPA 608 certifications and this is the start of the Discover-HVAC.com course.
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Text Stephen Peters August 2016, updated November 2019
To pass the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) section 608 certifications you will need to learn and remember the information in the sections of our free online course. The tests themselves are short multiple choice exams which most people pay to take at a test centre. To become certified you will need to pass the core test as well as the one or more of the appliance type tests for the equipment you will be working on. Many people simply study for all three type tests to gain a universal certification as all of the tests are short and quite straightforward.
To work in Heating, Ventilation, Air conditioning, and Refrigeration (often referred to as HVAC or HVACR) you must first pass the EPA certifications. These are often referred to as the section 608 certifications (vehicle MVAC falls under section 609) after the section of federal law they fall under.
The original Clean Air Act was passed into law during 1970 when the federal government wanted to establish air quality standards. During 1985 British scientists discovered a hole in the ozone layer above the Antartic caused by man made chemicals commonly used in air conditioning and refigeration. It was quickly realised that if the size of the hole increased it would cause widespread crop loss, deforestation, increases in skin cancer rates, and eye disesae.
Following the ozone hole discovery an international agreement was reached to prevent further damage to the ozone layer by phasing out use of the chemicals causing the problem. This agreement became the treaty known as the Montreal Protocol. Since the treaty was signed in 1987 it has become one of the most successful environmental treaties ever and has been instrumental in the current reduction in the Antartic ozone hole.
To gain certification to work on any of the three classes of equipment defined by section 608 you must pass the core exam as well as the exam for the specific equipment type. Each of the four exams has twenty five multiple choice questions, you must have a score of 70% (i.e. 18 out of 25 correct answers) to pass. You can choose to take all of the exams to gain a universal qualification allowing you to work on any equipment. As you only need to pass once this is worth doing as you will have a wider choice of career paths both now and i the future.
The core section is the one test every one will need to pass. You can pick and choose which of the type certifications you take (although many people take them all to avoid revisiting EPA certification later on). The core test covers the reasons why this certification exists in the first place and explains the lengths technicians must go to in order to protect the enviroment. Safety is a large component of the core test, not only the safety of the technician, but the safe handling of refrigerant gases to prevent them leaking to the environment and to prevent fires.
The core test also covers the underlying theory behind refrigeration technologyi, introducing students to the fundamental concepts of refrigeration cycle. This is information that you will have to know when working on HVAC equipment in the field. People designing, specifying, installing, servicing, and reapring appliances have to fully understand the core HVAC theory to perform their jobs. The Discover-HVAC online course presents this in an underastanderble way.
Refrigerant recovery is also covered in detail in the core test. As it is illegal to release refrigerant gas to the atmosphere it follows that there must be refrigerant recovery techniques. Our course teaches you the basic recovery techniques when servicing or repairing an HVAC appliance. It also explains the type of refrigerant cylinders to use and how to calculate cylinder capacity as well as how to calculate the amount of refrigerant in a partially filled cylinder.
The core test is designed to cover a range of topics all technicians need to know regardless of the equipment they will be working on. The topics covered are:
The EPA defines a small appliance as a product manufactured and charged with refrigerant and then hermetically sealed in the factory with no more than five pounds of refrigerant. You will need to have already passed the core exam to gain type one certification. The type one test has 25 questions and as with the core test you must correctly answer 70% (18 questions) to pass. The topics covered are:
Over time the EPA have tightened the standards for refrigerant recovery equipment to lessen the amount of refrigerant released into the environment. Certified HVAC technicians are expected to know what the standards are, the dates they were introduced and the capabilities of the recovery equipment they are using. While older recovery equipment may not be found in common use today a recovery device desinged for older refrigerants may be used when performing refrigerant recovery on older appliances.
It makes sense then that the major component of the type one test concerns not just the recovery equipment being used but the techniques used to recover refrigerants. You must be able to identify the type of refrigerant used in the appliance and know how to remove it. In small appliances this is made harder as they are sealed from the factory and are not fitted with access fittings. You will need to know where and how to fit access fittings for recovery.
Any recovery that takes place should be performed in a safe manner as covered in the core test. You may find a question on safety in the test. MVAC systems are covered separately in the section 609 test however some small appliances may be found in recreational vehicles and campers.
Type two certification allows you to work on high, and very high pressure equipment. To gain this certification you must pass the proctored core exam as well as the type two exam. The topics specific to type two certification are:
Should a high pressure appliance develop a leak you will need to learn how to detect where the refrigerant is leaking from. The test also covers the diagnosis of leak symptoms within the appliance. Clearly this should be done in a safe manner using the correct inert gas to prevent further refrigerant escaping into the environment.
Appliances covered under the type two test are intended to be serviced and repaired and the EPA have specified proper methods to perfom leak repairs. You must know when a repair must be made as a legal requirement as well as the law concerning units approaching retirement and decommissioning. Yuo will also need to be able to calculate the amount or refrigerant that has leaked from an appliance with a leak.
When recovering refrigerant there are specifications for the proper techniques to use. You will need to know what these are as well as which are suitable for the type of equipment being repaired. A strong knowledge of refrigerant types and the recovery techniques specific to each one is essential.
Type three certification allows you to work on low pressure equipment. To gain this certification you must pass the proctored core exam as well as the type three exam. The topics specific to type three certification are:
Low pressure systems operate below atmospheric pressure and are semi-hermetic, which means they can (and do) suck in air through leaking connections and gaskets. While they are fitted with air purge units technicians must detect and repair any leaks that do occur. Since 1st January 2019 owners of low pressure appliances must keep records of appliance servicing as well as records of any refrigerant added or removed from the appliance. Technicians must provide invoices that indicate the amount of refrigerant added to the appliance.
Technicians must also check the owners recored and record the leak rate of the appliance. You will need to know the allowable leak rate for comfort cooling, commercial refrigeration, and industrial process refrigeration (IPR). There are different requirements depending on the quantity of refrigerant the system is designed to contain and deadlines when the owner must complete repairs by. Owners are also required to verify the leak has been repaired with further leak tests to a set schedule.
Due to the difference in pressure compared to small and high pressure appliances low pressure recovery techniques are substansially different. Technicians must be able to recover refrigerant from all parts of an appliance and deal with residual vapour once any liquid refrigerant has been removed. As low pressure systems often contain large quantities of regrigerant you will need to know what time saving equipment and techniques should be used.
Differences in low pressure systems also follow though to recharging the appliance. You will need to know how to add different refrigerants without causing water tubes to freeze when charging.
If you intend to pass the vehicle test under section 609 you will need to learn the MVAC course materiel. Be aware that some vehicle MVAC systems are covered under the EPA 608 certification so make sure you are training for the correct test for the equipment you will be working on.