10. Will I be EPA certified to handle freon?
This is question often asked by industry novices. No, and for very
good reason. I strongly discourage tapping into sealed freon
systems. In the last ten years, the EPA has made it painfully
obvious that they don't want freon exhausted into the atmosphere. The EPA
rules are stringent and the fines exorbitant.
System work is very risky, expensive and a money loser. It also represents
a tiny percentage of refrigeration work. All this is explained in the
manuals. This is not to say that you can't go take the EPA certification
exam, several students have and easily passed. But please read the manuals
before investing a thousand dollars in special equipment.
I personally decided to stop my men from doing system work over 15 years
ago. Call backs were always high and long term results very poor.
Today, system work is performed mainly during the factory five year
warranty period and on high end refrigerators like Subzero (costing new
$3500-$5000). Homeowners seldom opt to spend $500 - $700 on a regular ten
year old box; Instead they go buy a new one.
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