609 ESCO QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS
Who Must Be Certified? Any person that services Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning (MVAC) must
be certified. Servicing of motor vehicle air conditioning includes repairs, leak testing, and
"topping off" of air conditioning systems low on refrigerant, as well as any other repair to the
vehicle that requires dismantling any part of the air conditioner. NOTE: Service performed on
HCFC-22 air conditioner systems typically found on busses, is NOT covered under section 609,
but rather section 608 of the Clean Air Act. Technician certification IS required under section
608. For more information on Section 608 certification, contact The ESCO Institute at (800) 726-
9696. Test Format The certification test contains 50 multiple-choice questions. All of the
information necessary for the technician to achieve a passing score on the certification test is
contained within this manual. The certification test will contain a variety of qu - CORRECT
ANSWER -frist page
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion During the last 100 years, refrigerants such as; CFCs, HCFCs,
HFCs, and HFOs have dramatically changed our lifestyles. Little did we know that the use and
release of these compounds into the atmosphere would have devastating effects on the Earth's
environment. One of these effects is far removed from the Earth's surface, in the Stratosphere.
Located between 7 and 30 miles above the Earth's surface, the Stratosphere contains the Ozone
layer. The Ozone layer is the earth's security blanket. The Ozone layer serves two important
functions. Ozone protects us from harmful Ultra Violet Radiation and helps to maintain stable
Earth temperatures. Depletion of Ozone in the Stratosphere causes: Increased eye disease Skin
cancer Crop loss Deforestation Reduced marine life Increased ground level ozone An Ozone
molecule consists of three oxygen atoms (O3). When CFC's are released into the atmosphere, t -
CORRECT ANSWER -2nd page
Montreal Protocol The Montreal Protocol is an international agreement (treaty) regulating the
production and use of CFC's, HCFC's, halons, methyl chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride
entered into force in mid 1989. This landmark agreement initially called for a production and
consumption freeze. It currently calls for a stepwise reduction and eventual production phase
out of various ozone depleting substances. The production phase-out of CFC's was completed
on December 31, 1995. At present, HFC-134a is used by most new car manufacturers as a
replacement for CFC-12 and older vehicles may be converted to use HFC-134a by following
, proper retrofit procedures. Although HFC-134a is considered ozone friendly, it is not without
environmental impact. It has been found to be a greenhouse gas and contributes to the
problems of global warming. Effective November 15, 1995, HFC-134a must be recovered.
Penalty Section 609 of the Fe - CORRECT ANSWER -page 3
Recover/recycle equipment must be certified by an EPA approved independent standards te
sting organization, i.e. UL or ETL, to extract and recycle refrigerant from a motor vehicle air
conditioner to a standard set forth by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The equi
pment standards were SAE J1990 for CFC-12 and SAE J2210 for HFC-
134a. A motor vehicle air conditioning industry sponsored research project indicated that e
quipment designed to meet SAE standards J2210 did not recover refrigerant from MVAC sys
tems as well as was previously assumed. As much as 30% of refrigerant remained in an M
VAC system when J2210 recovery equipment indicated all refrigerant had been recovered.
MVAC service technicians rely on complete refrigerant recovery to refill MVAC systems acco
rding to the motor vehicle manufacturer specification. In light of substandard recovery perf
ormance, SAE revised their standards to include performance - CORRECT ANSWER -page 4
Contaminated refrigerants must be handled with some extra precautions. If you are unsure
about a refrigerant, EPA strongly recommends (but does not require) that technicians obtai
n a refrigerant identifier as a useful tool. When a technician encounters a "mystery" refrige
rant, it must be recovered using a piece of equipment dedicated to this purpose. Unapprov
ed refrigerants may contain a high percentage of flammable substances, such as propane or
butane, and a fire hazard may result. Check with your equipment manufacturer to be sure
the equipment has protection against risks of ignition. Once the refrigerant has been recov
ered, it must be properly stored and/or sent to a reclamation facility to be reclaimed or de
stroyed. Refrigerants From Non-Mobile Sources Refrigerant recovered from non-
mobile sources, such as residential or commercial air conditioners or refrigeration systems
may not be used in MVAC systems or reco - CORRECT ANSWER -page 5
HFO-1234yf The Hydro Fluoro Olefin Refrigerant HFO-
1234yf was developed through a joint project between Chemours (Formally DuPont) and H
oneywell. HFO-
1234yf is expected to become the preferred global alternative refrigerant candidate for aut
omotive OEM applications and the aftermarket. HFO-
1234yf has a GWP of 4 and an ODP of zero. HFO-
ANSWERS
Who Must Be Certified? Any person that services Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning (MVAC) must
be certified. Servicing of motor vehicle air conditioning includes repairs, leak testing, and
"topping off" of air conditioning systems low on refrigerant, as well as any other repair to the
vehicle that requires dismantling any part of the air conditioner. NOTE: Service performed on
HCFC-22 air conditioner systems typically found on busses, is NOT covered under section 609,
but rather section 608 of the Clean Air Act. Technician certification IS required under section
608. For more information on Section 608 certification, contact The ESCO Institute at (800) 726-
9696. Test Format The certification test contains 50 multiple-choice questions. All of the
information necessary for the technician to achieve a passing score on the certification test is
contained within this manual. The certification test will contain a variety of qu - CORRECT
ANSWER -frist page
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion During the last 100 years, refrigerants such as; CFCs, HCFCs,
HFCs, and HFOs have dramatically changed our lifestyles. Little did we know that the use and
release of these compounds into the atmosphere would have devastating effects on the Earth's
environment. One of these effects is far removed from the Earth's surface, in the Stratosphere.
Located between 7 and 30 miles above the Earth's surface, the Stratosphere contains the Ozone
layer. The Ozone layer is the earth's security blanket. The Ozone layer serves two important
functions. Ozone protects us from harmful Ultra Violet Radiation and helps to maintain stable
Earth temperatures. Depletion of Ozone in the Stratosphere causes: Increased eye disease Skin
cancer Crop loss Deforestation Reduced marine life Increased ground level ozone An Ozone
molecule consists of three oxygen atoms (O3). When CFC's are released into the atmosphere, t -
CORRECT ANSWER -2nd page
Montreal Protocol The Montreal Protocol is an international agreement (treaty) regulating the
production and use of CFC's, HCFC's, halons, methyl chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride
entered into force in mid 1989. This landmark agreement initially called for a production and
consumption freeze. It currently calls for a stepwise reduction and eventual production phase
out of various ozone depleting substances. The production phase-out of CFC's was completed
on December 31, 1995. At present, HFC-134a is used by most new car manufacturers as a
replacement for CFC-12 and older vehicles may be converted to use HFC-134a by following
, proper retrofit procedures. Although HFC-134a is considered ozone friendly, it is not without
environmental impact. It has been found to be a greenhouse gas and contributes to the
problems of global warming. Effective November 15, 1995, HFC-134a must be recovered.
Penalty Section 609 of the Fe - CORRECT ANSWER -page 3
Recover/recycle equipment must be certified by an EPA approved independent standards te
sting organization, i.e. UL or ETL, to extract and recycle refrigerant from a motor vehicle air
conditioner to a standard set forth by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The equi
pment standards were SAE J1990 for CFC-12 and SAE J2210 for HFC-
134a. A motor vehicle air conditioning industry sponsored research project indicated that e
quipment designed to meet SAE standards J2210 did not recover refrigerant from MVAC sys
tems as well as was previously assumed. As much as 30% of refrigerant remained in an M
VAC system when J2210 recovery equipment indicated all refrigerant had been recovered.
MVAC service technicians rely on complete refrigerant recovery to refill MVAC systems acco
rding to the motor vehicle manufacturer specification. In light of substandard recovery perf
ormance, SAE revised their standards to include performance - CORRECT ANSWER -page 4
Contaminated refrigerants must be handled with some extra precautions. If you are unsure
about a refrigerant, EPA strongly recommends (but does not require) that technicians obtai
n a refrigerant identifier as a useful tool. When a technician encounters a "mystery" refrige
rant, it must be recovered using a piece of equipment dedicated to this purpose. Unapprov
ed refrigerants may contain a high percentage of flammable substances, such as propane or
butane, and a fire hazard may result. Check with your equipment manufacturer to be sure
the equipment has protection against risks of ignition. Once the refrigerant has been recov
ered, it must be properly stored and/or sent to a reclamation facility to be reclaimed or de
stroyed. Refrigerants From Non-Mobile Sources Refrigerant recovered from non-
mobile sources, such as residential or commercial air conditioners or refrigeration systems
may not be used in MVAC systems or reco - CORRECT ANSWER -page 5
HFO-1234yf The Hydro Fluoro Olefin Refrigerant HFO-
1234yf was developed through a joint project between Chemours (Formally DuPont) and H
oneywell. HFO-
1234yf is expected to become the preferred global alternative refrigerant candidate for aut
omotive OEM applications and the aftermarket. HFO-
1234yf has a GWP of 4 and an ODP of zero. HFO-
