Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine February 2018

S tate, National, Chapter News State national Chapter News

after a certified individual leaves the employer. New record keeping requirements for appliances containing 5 to 50 pounds of refrigerant become effective. Technicians must keep records of; the location, date of recovery, and type of refrigerant recovered for each disposed appliance, the quantity of refrigerant by type recovered from disposed appliances in each calendar month. In addition, the quantity of refrigerant, and type, transferred for reclamation or destruction, the person to whom it was transferred, and the date of the transfer. All requirements for the maintenance, service, repair and disposal of CFC and HCFC are extended to HFC and HFO refrigerants. The EPA requires new wording on certification cards issued January 1, 2018 and beyond. As a result, any new and replacement certification cards will have a new look. The wording on new certification cards includes: “[Name of person] has successfully passed a [Type I, Type II, Type III, and/or Universal, as appropriate] exam on how to responsibly handle refrigerants as required by EPA’s National Recycling and Emission Reduction Program.” A new Section 608 EPA Certification Exam has been developed to incorporate the new regulations. It is currently being reviewed by the EPA prior to release. Cards issued prior to January 1, 2018 remain valid.

EPA Section 608 Changes –

Effective January 1, 2018

Effective January 1, 2018 HFC and HFO refrigerants are now included in the sales restriction. These refrigerants may only be sold to technicians certified under Section 608 and Section 609 of the Federal Clean Air Act. Wholesalers and others who re-sell refrigerants must maintain invoices that indicate: purchaser name, sale date, and the quantity of CFC, HCFC, HFC and HFO refrigerants purchased. These records must be maintained for no less than three years. Employers must require proof of certification for technicians and must maintain a copy of their certification at their place of business for three years Effective January 1, 2018 new regulations impacting the way refrigerants are handled and sold go into effect. Additional regulatory changes will go into effect on January 1, 2019.