Pass608

    EPA 608 Type II: scope, evacuation levels, leak repair and the traps

    Type II certification covers medium-, high- and very high-pressure appliances, except small appliances, motor-vehicle AC (MVAC) and MVAC-like appliances. The Type II test is 25 Core questions plus 25 Type II questions, closed book and proctored, with a 70% pass mark. Most programs score that as 18 of 25 in each section.

    Who does what: EPA writes the rules and the question bank and keeps the bank secret. One of 87 approved certifying programs (EPA list, Aug 20, 2026) gives the test and issues the card. Pass608 is an independent study tool with original practice questions written to EPA's published topics.

    What Type II covers

    The rule, 40 CFR 82.161(a)(1)(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."

    Pressure classes, 40 CFR 82.152:

    ClassSaturation pressure at 104 °FRefrigerants the CFR namesCertification
    Lowbelow 45 psiaR-11, R-123, R-113, R-245faType III
    Medium45–170 psiaR-114, R-124, R-12, R-134a, R-500Type II
    High170–355 psiaR-22, R-407A, R-407C, R-410A, R-502Type II
    Very highabove 355 psia, or critical temperature below 104 °FR-13, R-23, R-503, R-508A, R-508BType II

    Edges:

    • A small appliance is factory-sealed with 5 lb or less of refrigerant. That is Type I.
    • MVAC is Section 609, a different credential. For MVAC-like appliances, 82.161 allows Type II or Section 609.
    • EPA's Certification Requirements page (updated July 15, 2026) calls Type II "high- or very high-pressure appliances" and leaves out medium-pressure. The CFR includes medium-pressure, and the CFR is the rule. A stationary R-134a system that isn't a small appliance is Type II work; R-134a car AC is Section 609.

    The CFR names no A2L (R-32, R-454B) in any pressure class, so we don't assign one. The Type II/III line is 45 psia at 104 °F; high and very high are both Type II. See A2L refrigerants.

    The Type II test

    • 50 questions: 25 Core (Core guide) and 25 Type II, closed book and proctored (Appendix D). Universal is 100.
    • Pass mark 70%. SkillCat scores 70% overall per exam, not per section.
    • EPA sets no time limit; your program does. Calculator and P/T-chart rules differ by program too (program rules, dated).
    • EPA lists 20 Type II topics (updated Dec 5, 2025).

    Evacuation: Table 1 and when it applies

    40 CFR 82.156(a): "Before opening appliances (except small appliances, MVACs, and MVAC-like appliances) or disposing of such appliances, technicians must evacuate the refrigerant, including all the liquid refrigerant, to the levels in Table 1," using a machine "certified pursuant to § 82.158."

    Table 1—Required Levels of Evacuation for Appliances [Except for small appliances, MVACs, and MVAC-like appliances] "Inches of Hg vacuum (relative to standard atmospheric pressure of 29.9 inches Hg)"

    Type of applianceUsing recovery and/or recycling equipment manufactured or imported before November 15, 1993Using recovery and/or recycling equipment manufactured or imported on or after November 15, 1993
    Very high-pressure appliance00
    High-pressure appliance, or isolated component of such appliance, with a full charge of less than 200 pounds of refrigerant00
    High-pressure appliance, or isolated component of such appliance, with a full charge of 200 pounds or more of refrigerant410
    Medium-pressure appliance, or isolated component of such appliance, with a full charge of less than 200 pounds of refrigerant410
    Medium-pressure appliance, or isolated component of such appliance, with a full charge of 200 pounds or more of refrigerant415
    Low-pressure appliance25 mm Hg absolute25 mm Hg absolute

    eCFR, up to date as of Sept 22, 2026. "0" means atmospheric pressure. The low-pressure row is Type III material.

    The conditions that decide which number applies:

    1. Disposal or a major repair. Table 1, by pressure class, charge size and the age of your recovery machine.
    2. A non-major repair where "evacuation of the appliance to the atmosphere is not to be performed after completion of the maintenance": a medium-, high- or very high-pressure appliance must "Be evacuated to a pressure no higher than 0 psig before it is opened."
    3. A leaking appliance. Applies "If leaks in the appliance make evacuation to the levels in Table 1 unattainable or would substantially contaminate the refrigerant being recovered." Isolate the leaking part; take the rest to Table 1 and the leaking part as low as you can without contaminating the refrigerant. "This level may not exceed 0 psig."
    4. Verify. "A technician must verify that the applicable level of evacuation has been reached in the appliance or the part before it is opened." EPA's topics add: wait a few minutes after reaching the required vacuum. If pressure rises, liquid refrigerant is still in the system or the oil.

    Worked example: disposal of a 250-lb R-22 system with a 2020 recovery machine. High-pressure, 200 lb or more, post-1993: 10 in. Hg vacuum.

    System-dependent recovery: the 15-lb limit

    40 CFR 82.156: "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." System-dependent equipment "requires the assistance of components contained in an appliance" to remove refrigerant (82.152).

    Keep the pound figures apart:

    FigureWhat it marksRule
    5 lb or lessSmall appliance (Type I)40 CFR 82.152
    more than 15 lbNo system-dependent recovery40 CFR 82.156
    15 lb or moreHFC/substitute leak repair, from Jan 1, 202640 CFR 84.106
    50 lb or moreODS leak repair40 CFR 82.157
    200 lbTable 1 split40 CFR 82.156
    1,500 lb or moreAutomatic leak detection: commercial refrigeration and IPR; existing systems by Jan 1, 202740 CFR 84.108

    Major vs non-major repair

    The current definition, 40 CFR 82.152 (eCFR, Sept 22, 2026; last amended at 81 FR 82349, Nov 18, 2016):

    "Major maintenance, service, or repair means any maintenance, service, or repair that involves the removal of any or all of the following appliance components: compressor, condenser, evaporator, or auxiliary heat exchange coil; or any maintenance, service, or repair that involves uncovering an opening of more than four (4) square inches of 'flow area' for more than 15 minutes."

    Pulling a compressor, condenser, evaporator or auxiliary coil is always major. Anything else is non-major unless it opens more than 4 square inches of flow area for more than 15 minutes.

    Leak repair: two rules, not one

    Since April 10, 2020, 40 CFR 82.157 "applies only to appliances with a full charge of 50 or more pounds" of CFC or HCFC refrigerant. HFC leak repair returned on January 1, 2026 under the AIM Act, at 40 CFR 84.106.

    40 CFR 82.157 (Clean Air Act §608)40 CFR 84.106 (AIM Act)
    RefrigerantClass I or II (CFC, or HCFC such as R-22), or a blend containing oneAn HFC ("regulated substance"), or a substitute with GWP "greater than 53"
    Full charge50 lb or more15 lb or more
    In forceSince Jan 1, 2019; ODS-only since April 10, 2020Since Jan 1, 2026
    Not covered—Residential and light commercial AC and heat pumps
    Commercial refrigeration20%20%
    Industrial process refrigeration30%30%
    Comfort cooling and other10%10% (also refrigerated transport)
    Repair deadline"within 30 days (or 120 days if an industrial process shutdown is required)"Same wording

    eCFR 82.157 up to date as of Sept 21, 2026; 84.106 as of Sept 22, 2026.

    The AIM Act rule's certified technician is "a technician that has been certified per the provisions at 40 CFR 82.161" (84.102): your 608 card covers both. The 35% and 15% rates were the pre-2019 figures (81 FR 82272, Nov 18, 2016).

    EPA's Type II topic list (Dec 5, 2025) still frames leak rates the 82.157 way ("more than 50 pounds") and doesn't mention 84.106. EPA said on May 21, 2026 it will reconsider "the rest of the 2024 ER&R Rule," and a proposal to exempt transport refrigeration units from leak repair (91 FR 30532) is pending. We re-check both monthly.

    Leak testing

    From EPA's Type II topics:

    • Signs of a leak: excessive superheat, and oil traces on hermetic systems.
    • Leak test before charging or recharging.
    • Test-gas order: nitrogen alone is best. Nitrogen with a trace of R-22 is better than pure refrigerant.
    • Never oxygen or compressed air. Nitrogen goes through a regulator and relief valve.

    Nitrogen is exempt from the venting prohibition "in any application" (40 CFR 82.154(a)(1)).

    Recovery technique and shop rules

    Also from EPA's Type II topics:

    • Recover liquid first. It speeds the job.
    • Chill the recovery vessel, or heat the appliance or vessel you're recovering from.
    • Prevent cross-contamination when switching a recovery machine to a new refrigerant.
    • Don't energize a hermetic compressor under vacuum.
    • Hydrocarbons are not approved for retrofits. Under SNAP, "22a" products and all flammability class 3 refrigerants are unacceptable for retrofitting residential and light commercial split AC (EPA, March 3, 2026).
    • ASHRAE Standard 15 equipment rooms need an oxygen-deprivation sensor with all refrigerants.

    P/T basics: psig + 14.7

    Gauges read psig. The pressure classes are defined in psia. EPA's topic: "add 14.7 to translate pounds per square inch gauge (psig) to pounds per square inch absolute (psia)." A gauge reading of 69 psig is 83.7 psia.

    At 104 °F, NIST data put R-22 at 222.43 psia (about 207.7 psig), inside the 170–355 psia high-pressure band, and R-134a at 147.44 psia (about 132.7 psig), inside the 45–170 medium band.

    The Type II traps

    1. Wrong column. Pre-1993 vs post-1993 recovery equipment.
    2. 10 vs 15. At 200 lb or more, high-pressure is 10 and medium is 15. High under 200 lb is 0.
    3. Values not in the table. Table 1 has only 0, 4, 10 and 15 in. Hg, plus 25 mm Hg absolute.
    4. Non-major repair. 0 psig, not Table 1.
    5. Old leak rates. 20/30/10 today; 35/35/15 is pre-2019.
    6. HFCs under 82.157. Not since April 10, 2020. HFCs fall under 84.106.
    7. psig vs psia. Convert before comparing to a class line.
    8. "High-pressure only." The CFR includes medium-pressure.

    Practice Type II

    Core + Type II is $15 one-time: Core and Type II simulators, 50-question Type II exams with rationales, and the A2L/A3 module. 7-day money-back; no pass guarantee. Start the free Core section — free account, no card, or see pricing.

    Sources

    All checked September 23–24, 2026. eCFR pages were up to date as of Sept 17–22, 2026.