New Refrigerant Requirements Effective Jan. 1

A new California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulation to minimize leaks of environmentally harmful refrigerants took effect Jan. 1. The new requirements build on long-established federal regulations for refrigeration systems.

All facilities with stationary non-residential refrigeration systems with more than 50 pounds of refrigerant are now required to perform refrigerant leak-detection inspections, leak repair and recordkeeping. This new regulation does not affect refrigeration systems that use ammonia or carbon dioxide as refrigerants.

Service technicians must be U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-certified and follow specified practices, including repairing leaks prior to recharging and properly evacuating cylinders before disposal. Refrigerant distributors, wholesalers and reclaimers are required to begin recordkeeping of received or distributed refrigerants, and sell refrigerants only to certified technicians or their employers.

For details on all requirements, go to www.arb.ca.gov/cc/reftrack/reftrack.htm, e-mail reftrackinfo@arb.ca.gov or call CARB at (916) 324-2517. Contact: Roger Richter, (916) 552-7570, rrichter@calhospital.org.