EPA 608 Type I practice test

Answer: B. A window air conditioner that was fully manufactured, charged, and hermetically sealed in a factory with 3 pounds of refrigerant

40 CFR 82.152 defines a small appliance as one that is fully manufactured, charged, and hermetically sealed in a factory with five (5) pounds or less of refrigerant, and lists window air conditioners as an example. Choice A is under 5 pounds but was charged in the field, not sealed in a factory. Choice C is the right kind of product, but 7 pounds is over the 5-pound limit. Choice D was assembled on site. All three parts of the definition must be met.

Source: 40 CFR 82.152 ('Small appliance'), eCFR as of 2026-10-19 (accessed 2026-10-21); EPA Section 608 Test Topics, Type 1 (Small Appliances), https://www.epa.gov/section608/test-topics (accessed 2026-10-21)

Answer: C. 90 percent

40 CFR 82.156(b)(2) requires recovery of 90 percent of the refrigerant when the recovery equipment was manufactured on or after November 15, 1993, and the appliance's compressor is functioning. 80 percent is the figure for older recovery equipment, or for newer equipment used on an appliance whose compressor is not functioning.

Exam note: EPA's Test Topics page and its Service Practice page both say equipment manufactured 'after November 15, 1993'. The regulation, 40 CFR 82.156(b), says 'on or after November 15, 1993'. The difference matters only for equipment built on that exact date. On the exam, treat 'after November 15, 1993' as the newer-equipment group.

Source: 40 CFR 82.156(b)(2), eCFR as of 2026-10-19 (accessed 2026-10-21); EPA, Stationary Refrigeration Service Practice Requirements, https://www.epa.gov/section608/stationary-refrigeration-service-practice-requirements (accessed 2026-10-21); EPA Section 608 Test Topics, Type 1 (Small Appliances), https://www.epa.gov/section608/test-topics (accessed 2026-10-21)

Answer: A. 90 percent with the test stand compressor operational and 80 percent when it is not operational

40 CFR 82.158(e) requires certification by an approved equipment testing organization showing the equipment can recover 90 percent of the refrigerant in the test stand when the test stand's compressor is operational, and 80 percent when it is not. The test follows Appendix C, Method for Testing Recovery Devices for Use with Small Appliances. These figures match the 90/80 field requirements in 82.156(b)(2). Choice B swaps the two numbers. Note that 82.158(e)(1) through (5) also allow certification based on achieving a four-inch vacuum.

Source: 40 CFR 82.158(e) and Appendix C to Subpart F, eCFR as of 2026-10-19 (accessed 2026-10-21); EPA, Refrigerant Recovery and Recycling Equipment Certification, https://www.epa.gov/section608/refrigerant-recovery-and-recycling-equipment-certification (accessed 2026-10-21)

Answer: D. Equipment that requires the assistance of components contained in an appliance to remove the refrigerant

40 CFR 82.152 defines system-dependent recovery equipment as equipment that requires the assistance of components contained in an appliance to remove the refrigerant from the appliance. EPA's Type I topics also call these 'passive' devices. Choice A is the definition of self-contained equipment. A system-dependent unit may be permanently attached as a pump-out unit, but the definition does not require it.

Source: 40 CFR 82.152 ('System-dependent recovery equipment'), eCFR as of 2026-10-19 (accessed 2026-10-21); EPA Section 608 Test Topics, Type 1 (Small Appliances), https://www.epa.gov/section608/test-topics (accessed 2026-10-21)

Answer: D. On both the high and low sides

EPA's Type I topics list the 'need to install both high and low side access valves when recovering refrigerant from small appliances with inoperative compressors.' With the compressor dead, the appliance cannot move refrigerant from one side to the other, so the technician needs access to both sides. A passive device still needs a way into the sealed system.

Source: EPA Section 608 Test Topics, Type 1 (Small Appliances), https://www.epa.gov/section608/test-topics (accessed 2026-10-21)

Answer: D. A non-pressurized recovery container

EPA lists 'use a vacuum pump with non-pressurized recovery container' as one method for recovering refrigerant from small appliances with inoperative compressors. Exhausting refrigerant outdoors is venting, which 40 CFR 82.154(a) prohibits. EPA's Core topics say disposable cylinders must never be refilled.

Source: EPA Section 608 Test Topics, Type 1 (Small Appliances), https://www.epa.gov/section608/test-topics (accessed 2026-10-21); 40 CFR 82.154(a)(1), eCFR as of 2026-10-19 (accessed 2026-10-21)

Answer: A. Noncondensable gas, such as air, is mixed with the refrigerant

EPA's Type I topics list using pressure and temperature to detect noncondensables. A peer-reviewed study posted on DOE's OSTI site explains the usual method: under Dalton's Law, the total pressure of a gas mixture is the sum of each gas's partial pressure. With the system off and in thermal balance, noncondensable gas adds pressure on top of the refrigerant's own, so the saturation temperature calculated from the measured pressure is higher than the measured temperature. Appendix A to Subpart F says noncondensable gases are mainly air. An undercharge does not push pressure above the saturation value, and internal compressor leakage does not change the pressure once the system has equalized.

Source: EPA Section 608 Test Topics, Type 1 (Small Appliances), https://www.epa.gov/section608/test-topics (accessed 2026-10-21); Hu, Y. and D.P. Yuill, 'Non-condensable gas in the refrigerant of air-source heat pumps', Int. J. Refrigeration 153 (2023), author manuscript on DOE OSTI, https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/2432615 (accessed 2026-10-21); 40 CFR part 82, subpart F, Appendix A §5.10.1, eCFR as of 2026-10-19 (accessed 2026-10-21)

Answer: D. A ban on manufacturing or importing units that use an HFC, or a blend containing one, with a global warming potential of 150 or greater

40 CFR 84.54(a) states that no person may manufacture or import products listed in that paragraph. Item (a)(3) covers household refrigerators and freezers that use a regulated substance, or a blend containing one, with a global warming potential of 150 or greater, effective January 1, 2025. Paragraph 84.54(b) adds a second step: three years after that date (January 1, 2028), such products may no longer be sold or distributed either. The rule targets new products. It does not ban servicing existing R-134a units, it does not change the 80/90 percent recovery rules in 82.156(b), and Type I technicians remain eligible buyers under the sales restriction in 82.154(c)(1)(i).

Exam note: This rule postdates most study guides, and the EPA test bank may not cover it. 40 CFR 84.54 was last amended effective 2026-07-27 (FR 2026-10387), but that amendment did not change paragraph (a)(3). Text is from eCFR as of 2026-10-19.

Source: 40 CFR 84.54(a)(3) and (b), eCFR as of 2026-10-19 (accessed 2026-10-21); 40 CFR 82.154(c)(1)(i) and 82.156(b), eCFR as of 2026-10-19 (accessed 2026-10-21)

Answer: C. The vapor is heavier than air and may collect in low spaces

The ILO/WHO card states that R-12 gas is heavier than air and may accumulate in lowered spaces, causing a deficiency of oxygen. Its relative vapor density is 4.2 (air = 1). The card also states that R-12 is not combustible, so it does not use up oxygen by burning. EPA's Core safety topics list oxygen deprivation as a risk of refrigerant exposure.

Source: ILO/WHO International Chemical Safety Card ICSC 0048, Dichlorodifluoromethane, https://chemicalsafety.ilo.org/dyn/icsc/showcard.display?p_version=2&;p_card_id=0048&p_lang=en (accessed 2026-10-21); EPA Section 608 Test Topics, Core (Safety), https://www.epa.gov/section608/test-topics (accessed 2026-10-21)

Answer: A. The name and address of the person who recovered the refrigerant, and the date it was recovered

40 CFR 82.155(b)(2) requires a signed statement to include the name and address of the person who recovered the refrigerant and the date it was recovered. A signed contract with the supplier is the alternative. EPA states that it does not mandate or accept a sticker as verification. If all the refrigerant had leaked out, the final processor needs a different signed statement saying so (82.155(b)(2)(iii)).

Source: 40 CFR 82.155(b)(2), eCFR as of 2026-10-19 (accessed 2026-10-21); EPA, Stationary Refrigeration Safe Disposal Requirements, https://www.epa.gov/section608/stationary-refrigeration-safe-disposal-requirements (accessed 2026-10-21)