AC Refrigerant Dangers, Regulations, and What To Do About It

If your refrigerant is mishandled or leaks out of the system, it can be a danger to your health and the surrounding environment. Learn about the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, and more! At Advantage, We Got You.
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If the refrigerant ever gets mishandled or leaks out of the system, it can pose a danger to your health and the surrounding environment. As with other hazardous substances, there are refrigerant regulations that dictate how it is to be handled.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Air Act create the rules that make sure your HVAC technician is handling your system with care.
The EPA also updates these regulations regularly. This makes sure that the regulation reflects changes in environmental science and current advancements in technology.
The Clean Air Act (CAA) is a set of rules and guidelines signed in 1970 to coordinate State, Federal, and Tribal government efforts to clean up pollution in the air. It also incentivizes companies to develop and use technology that reduces emissions.
Congress has updated the CAA regularly as researchers discover new pollutants, health risks, and environmental dangers.
Title 40 is a regulation under the Clean Air Act that determines the model of refrigerant that goes into your AC or heat pump and how your HVAC technician has to maintain it.
If your AC unit is running low on refrigerant, it has a leak somewhere. Refrigerant does not just leave the system.
Title 40 says that a person operating or maintaining an AC or heat pump cannot vent refrigerant. Your technician cannot just top off a system with low refrigerant levels. A technician must repair the leak before they add any new refrigerant to the system.
According to the guidelines, you have 30 days to repair a refrigerant leak once it is discovered. If you cannot get it repaired in that time, then you have to create and record a plan to get it fixed within 120 days.
If you don't follow these guidelines, the EPA will fine you.
The fine can be as high as $37,500 per day. If a technician topped off the refrigerant and they did not repair the leak, they can lose their EPA certification and be fined as well.
If your AC cannot cool the air in your home, but you are still getting good air flow. You might have a refrigerant leak.
The most common cause of an HVAC system not cooling your home is airflow. You’ll want to rule that out, as it is usually a much easier fix.
First check:
Filter Cleanliness
Thermostat Settings
Vents and Registers are Open
AC Unit is Running
If all those parts are as they should be, contact your local HVAC professionals and ask for a leak check. They’ll be able to find any refrigerant leaks for you and perform the repair.
How To Stay Up to Date on Refrigerant Regulations
As we stated earlier, the CAA is a living document that changes, and it gives the EPA authority to change the related regulations as needed. If you want to make sure you’re getting up-to-date information, you can check back at our Learning Center regularly.
Or, if you want to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, there is a digital library of every federal regulation.
Who Are Advantage Heating and Air Conditioning?
We are your local HVAC Experts out of Salem, Oregon. We hope that this post gave you the information you need to know about refrigerant and how it has to be handled. If you have other questions about HVAC systems, check out our other blogs. To learn more about who we are and how we can help you, visit our website and follow us on social media - we’re here when you need us!