Freon Recovery Process

Recovery Equipment

• Equipment that is used during Freon recovery includes safety goggles, gloves, a recovery cylinder, a scale and a refrigerant recovery unit. The unit has hoses that connect to the cooling device's coolant storage area, which may be a tank or a hollow, metal coil. Another hose connects to the recovery cylinder. An 80 percent tank overfill sensor cable from the recovery unit hooks up to the liquid level safety switch in a recovery cylinder. The sensor shuts off the recovery unit if the tank becomes 80 percent full. The Freon recovery unit has a filter and an acid core dryer that is used when recovering Freon from an old refrigerant system.

Recovery Methods

• There are three types of Freon recovery methods; liquid recovery, push-pull recovery and vapor recovery. According to ContractingBusiness.com, vapor or gas Freon often makes up 75 to 80 percent of the amount of Freon that is recovered or removed from a refrigeration device. Liquid recovery makes up the other 20 to 25 percent of the Freon that is removed during the recovery process.

Liquid Recovery

• Oil-less compressors and constant pressure regulator valves on Freon recovery units make them able to recover liquid. The internal "flash off" device in the compressor of the recovery unit allows the system to tolerate the liquid Freon, which is quite cold and can freeze materials upon contact. Liquid recovery is the same as standard vapor recovery. The hoses of the recovery unit are connected to the high side valves of the system and manifold. The liquid recovery method is used when there are large volumes of Freon to be transferred to a recovery tank or when the refrigeration system is designed for liquid Freon recovery.

Push-pull Recovery

• The push-pull recovery method can be done if there are less than 10 lbs. of refrigerant in the device that needs to be recovered, the system allows a solid column of liquid Freon to form with an accumulator and a heat pump or reversing valve. In the push-pull recovery method, four hoses are connected to the refrigeration device's manifold. One connects to the tank vapor center port; the second connects to the low side of the manifold and the suction side of the refrigerant recovery unit. The third hose, a low-loss hose, is connected to the discharge side of the recovery unit and the low-side service port of the refrigeration manifold. The fourth is a low-loss hose that is connected to the high-side service port on the manifold to the recovery tank's liquid valve. The recovery tank is then placed on a scale and its valves are opened. The refrigerant recovery machine is started and the low-side valve of the manifold is opened. Any liquid Freon that is in the refrigeration unit is then pumped out of the manifold and into the recovery tank. Once the scale stops rising, or the tank stops getting heavy, it means that there is no more liquid to recover and the technician switches the recovery unit to vapor recovery mode.

Vapor Recovery

• Vapor recovery is the most common method used when recovering Freon from refrigeration devices like automobile air conditioning units, or building HVAC systems. A hose is connected to the low-service side port and the center port of the coolant manifold. Another hose is connected to the low-side of the manifold and the suction side of the recovery equipment. A low-loss hose is connected to the discharge valve of the recovery equipment and the recovery tank liquid port. The last hose connects to the tank vapor port and the high gauge of the manifold. The valves of the manifold are closed and the vapor and liquid valves of the recovery cylinder are opened. The recovery system is turned on and then pumps vapor into the recovery tank.