Refrigerant Recovery: What It Is and How It Works

It’s evident that air conditioning is now a vital part of our daily lives. Most of us find it hard to picture living in a house that isn’t cool and comfortable at all times. With air conditioning, we can keep indoor temperatures and humidity at optimal levels, improving our ability to sleep and work efficiently and comfortably during hot weather.

When discussing air conditioning, one crucial element that frequently goes unnoticed is the refrigerant. Have you ever asked yourself what refrigerant recovery actually involves?

In the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) field, refrigerant recovery is an essential process that involves extracting cooling chemicals from air conditioning units. This procedure is not only vital for the effective operation of these systems but also plays a key role in protecting the environment.

Before we explore what refrigerant recovery is and why it matters, let’s first understand what refrigerants are. Refrigerants are substances used in cooling and heating systems, including air conditioners, refrigerators, and freezers. Their main role is to absorb and release heat, enabling these systems to either cool down or heat up. This ongoing cycle ensures that the desired temperature levels are consistently achieved and maintained.

However, if not managed properly, refrigerants can adversely affect the environment. They may leak from cooling systems over time and contribute to global warming. Therefore, it is essential to handle refrigerants and recover them properly.

Recovery of refrigerants – Recovery is often the first step before recycling or reclamation and is crucial during maintenance, servicing, or before disposing of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. Refrigerant recovery is the process of removing refrigerant from a system and storing it in a temporary and safe container.

Recycling refrigerants – Recycling refrigerants is done by first removing the refrigerant from the system containing it, and then sending it through equipment that will “clean” it. Cleaning refrigerants entails removing the moisture and particles that make it toxic.

Reclaiming refrigerants – Reclaiming refrigerants goes a step beyond simply recycling them by making sure that all impurities in the refrigerant are removed, thus returning it into its purest state. This is according to standards set in the AHRI-700.

The entire refrigerant recycling process is highly technical and prone to many hazards such as environmental contamination. Hence, this is why only licensed and qualified technicians can handle equipment that recycles refrigerants.

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