I am a little late getting this out. On October 1, 2018, the
EPA proposed a rules change that would effectively wipe out all regulations on
non-ozone depleting refrigerants.
Really, the only ozone depleting refrigerant that is widely
in service now is R-22, which will be pretty much extinct in a few years. For
all of today’s refrigerants, such as HFCs and HFOs, this rule change would mean
anyone could purchase refrigerant, no certification would be required to handle
refrigerant, no refrigerant recovery would be required, no mandatory leak
checks, pretty much no regulations. This would put technicians following best industry
practices at an economic disadvantage compared to folks who don’t both
purchasing things like recovery machines. It would open up the path for Home
Depot and Lowes to sell systems to the public, since purchasers would no longer
be required to be certified. I believe it would lead to more mangled equipment,
as well as mangled DIY folks who watched a You-Tube video on how to change
their own compressor. I urge you to write in to the EPA and tell them that you
want to keep the current regulations, passed on November 18, 2016. All comments
must be received by November 15, 2018.
Here is a link to the full text of the proposed rule changes
Here are the instructions for submitting a comment
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0629,
at www.regulations.gov. You will need to copy and paste the Docket ID
