Refrigerant Handling and Environmental Regulations
Safe refrigerant handling and the rules behind it, followed through a first-year apprentice at an HVAC-R contractor in Kitchener: ozone depletion, climate change, ODP, GWP and the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment; identifying refrigerants, safety groups and cylinder labels; pressure, frostbite, oxygen deficiency and decomposition hazards; disposable, refillable and recovery cylinders and the fill limit; the federal ODSHAR and Federal Halocarbon Regulations, 2022 and Ontario's O. Reg. 463/10; the ozone depletion prevention card, purchase rules and records; recovery equipment and vapour, liquid and push-pull recovery; recovery levels, small appliances and end-of-life equipment; leak detection, nitrogen pressure testing, leak test notices and leak rates; and reclaim, destruction and certification review.
RAC-120 12 lessons · 4 h 5 min ▶ Video lessons coming soon
Offered by HSM University · Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
This is the Canadian version of this course. See the American version.
What you'll learn
- Explain how chlorine and bromine deplete stratospheric ozone and how HFCs contribute to climate change, and calculate carbon dioxide equivalents from ODP and GWP values
- Identify refrigerants from nameplates, retrofit labels, cylinder labels, safety data sheets, standing pressures and refrigerant identifiers, and apply ASHRAE 34 safety groups to handling
- Recognize and control the hazards of refrigerant work, including pressure, frostbite, oxygen deficiency, cardiac sensitization, decomposition products and flammability, and give first aid
- Select, inspect, fill, store and transport disposable, refillable and recovery cylinders, and calculate safe fill limits from water capacity and tare weight
- Explain the federal and provincial framework for refrigerants in Canada, including ODSHAR, the Federal Halocarbon Regulations, 2022, the code of practice and Ontario's O. Reg. 463/10
- Describe refrigerant certification and purchase rules, keep complete service records, leak test notices and empty notices, and reconcile refrigerant inventories
- Distinguish recovery, recycling and reclaiming, and set up certified recovery equipment, hoses, valves and access devices for fast, low-loss recovery
- Choose and perform vapour, liquid and push-pull recovery, finish jobs to a stable level, and detect non-condensables in recovery cylinders
- Apply required recovery levels and small appliance requirements, measure vacuum correctly, and manage refrigerant and equipment at the end of their life
- Find leaks systematically with visual, bubble, electronic, ultrasonic, dye and trace gas methods, and pressure test systems with nitrogen, correcting for temperature
- Calculate leak rates by the annualizing and rolling average methods, apply leak repair rules and timelines, and verify repairs with initial and follow-up tests
- Prepare recovered refrigerant for reuse, reclaiming or destruction, manage cylinder heels, and plan a complete decommissioning job that meets every requirement
Course content
12 lessons · 4 h 5 min total · final exam
- 1 Why refrigerant handling is regulated: ozone and climate 24 min · quiz
- 2 Identifying refrigerants: families, safety groups and labels 23 min · quiz
- 3 Personal safety: pressure, cold, asphyxiation and decomposition 22 min · quiz
- 4 Refrigerant cylinders: types, filling, storage and transport 20 min · quiz
- 5 Refrigerant law in Canada: federal and provincial rules 20 min · quiz
- 6 Certification, purchase restrictions and records 19 min · quiz
- 7 Recovery equipment, hoses and connections 17 min · quiz
- 8 Recovery methods: vapour, liquid and push-pull 21 min · quiz
- 9 Required recovery levels, small appliances and end-of-life equipment 20 min · quiz
- 10 Leak detection methods and leak testing 21 min · quiz
- 11 Leak repair rules, leak rates and verification 21 min · quiz
- 12 Reclaim, destruction and certification review 17 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
Safe refrigerant handling and the rules behind it, followed through a first-year apprentice at an HVAC-R contractor in Kitchener: ozone depletion, climate change, ODP, GWP and the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment; identifying refrigerants, safety groups and cylinder labels; pressure, frostbite, oxygen deficiency and decomposition hazards; disposable, refillable and recovery cylinders and the fill limit; the federal ODSHAR and Federal Halocarbon Regulations, 2022 and Ontario's O. Reg. 463/10; the ozone depletion prevention card, purchase rules and records; recovery equipment and vapour, liquid and push-pull recovery; recovery levels, small appliances and end-of-life equipment; leak detection, nitrogen pressure testing, leak test notices and leak rates; and reclaim, destruction and certification review.