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Emerging legislation and tougher demands from contractors
means adhering to the right standards has never been so important. Click below for
easy navigation of the REFCOM members operating standards.
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All deliveries of refrigerants are checked
and records made of the following:
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Supplier - where it has come from
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Weight of the refrigerant including cylinder on delivery
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Date supplied
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Refrigerant type
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Cylinder serial Number or other identifier where disposable cylinders
are used.
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Disposable cylinders filled after 4th July 2007 are banned from sale and use
A sheet or record card can be attached to the cylinder as
a convenient way of achieving this.
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Mac Whirter AC
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2.1 An up-to-date record of all refrigerant stock must be kept. This
could be in a manual card file system or electronically on a computer.
2.2 Engineers must account for all uses of refrigerant. It is important
these are included on job or service sheets, which must have details of the equipment
that the refrigerant has been charged into. The details include the owner of the equipment
and the plant serial number where available.
2.3 The engineer must complete the refrigerant cylinder records on the service documents
and ensure that the amount of refrigerant in the cylinder at the end of any work corresponds
to these sheets.
2.4 Refrigerant cylinders must be stored securely outside or in a
well-ventilated room, away from sources of heat. Large cylinders need to be restrained
to prevent them from falling over. Full and empty cylinders should be stored separately,
as should virgin and recovered refrigerant. Ideally, all cylinders are kept in a locked
storage area with nominated key-holders who maintain a record of cylinder movements.
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Aspen AC
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DEFINITION - The collection and storage of refrigerant from, for example, machinery, equipment and containment vessels during servicing or before disposal.
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3.1 Stock records must show the location
of all recovery cylinders e.g. van or site.
3.2 It is essential that engineers account for all recovery of refrigerant
and include these details on job/service sheets. These sheets must have full details
of the equipment that the refrigerant has been recovered from, including the owner
of the equipment and the plant serial number where available.
3.3 It is the engineer's responsibility to fill in service sheet refrigerant
records and ensure that the amount of refrigerant in the cylinder at the end
of any work corresponds to the details on the sheet.
3.4 A receipt for the amount of refrigerant recovered must be issued
to the customer, either as part of the job/service sheets or separately for their log book entry.
3.5 Receipts need to be obtained for all recovery cylinders and returned to the supplier
with the following information embodied in a Hazardous Waste Consignment Note:
Type and/or condition of refrigerant
Weight of the refrigerant to be returned
Date returned
Serial number
Important note: It is imperative that different types of refrigerant are not mixed
in a recovery cylinder since the varying refrigerant types can lead to odd mixtures, creating excessive pressures and causing cylinders
to be dangerously overfilled, which could result in a possible explosion. Mixed gas in recovery cylinders is destroyed, not reclaimed.
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Aspen AC
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DEFINITION - The reuse of a recovered refrigerant following a basic cleaning process such as filtering and drying.Recycling normally involves recharge back into equipment and it is often carried out on site.
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4.1 Refrigerant that is not suiatble for reuse must be returned for reclamation or destruction.
4.2 Hazardous Waste Consignment Notes are required by law when returning used refrigerants to reprocessor, directly or via suppliers.
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Mac Whirter AC
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DEFINITION - The reprocessing and upgrading of a used refrigerant through such processes as filtering, drying, distillation and chemical treatment in order to restore the substance to a specified standard of performance, which often involves processing off site at a central facility.
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5.1 A licence must be obtained from the Environment
Agency to undertake reclamation. Contact your local branch for details.
5.2 A full chemical analysis is required for all reclaimed refrigerants.
This can be achieved using a gas chromatograph.
5.3 All virgin refrigerants must comply with the American specification
ARI700.
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6.1 Records of refrigerant use and/or
recovery are maintained and filed for review, providing a comprehensive audit trail
of all refrigerants.
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Mac Whirter AC
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7.1 On first inspection, 75% of company operatives handling refrigerants should have current
refrigerant handling certificates, either City & Guilds 2078 or CITB Safe Refrigerant
Handling. On subsequent inspections, 100% of operatives handling refrigerants must hold one of the above
current refrigerant safe handling certificates.
7.2 ACRIB Registration
REFCOM relies on ACRIB to carry out the authentication of competance of operatives and can provide registration on proof, by original certificate, of passing one of the above qualifications.
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8.1 It is imperative that recovery equipment must be capable of handling
the refrigerant types to be recovered CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs must not be mixed through a machine if reclamation or recycling is the objective.
8.2 All operatives must have access to recovery and weighing equipment.
The number of recovery machines to operatives is not fixed, however, a ratio of one pump
to one operative is ideal where the operatives are mobile and travel to different
sites. Due to the intense use of weighing machines, a purchase order and matching invoice must be presented as proof of purchase
for inspection. If equipment is more than 12 months old, an in-house or independent
calibration certificate will be requested to prove the equipment is still functioning
correctly.
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Aspen AC
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9.1 ALL handlers of refrigerant employed as sub-contractors, shall adhere to the same conditions
for all aspects of refrigerant handling detailed in this checklist.
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10.1 Companies must have a current licence to transport waste. This can be obtained from their local EA Office.
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