EPA 608 Numbers to Know: Evacuation Levels, Recovery Rules and Leak Rates

Learn every EPA 608 number with its condition

EPA 608 questions rarely ask for a bare number. They give you a situation (a 250-pound R-22 system, a dead compressor in a window unit, a chiller being opened for a minor repair) and ask which number applies. So each figure below comes with the condition that selects it and the rule it comes from, all checked against the eCFR text current as of October 22, 2026 and EPA's Test Topics page (last updated December 5, 2025).

Pressure classes behind EPA 608 Type II and Type III

Everything in Table 1 starts with the pressure class, defined in 40 CFR 82.152 by the refrigerant's liquid saturation pressure at 104 °F:

Gauges read psig, while the definitions use psia. EPA's Type II topics remind you to add 14.7 to convert psig to psia when you use a pressure-temperature chart. The pressure class also decides which test a question belongs to, which is how EPA 608 prep sorts its questions by Core and type.

Table 1 evacuation levels for EPA 608 Type II and Type III

Before opening or disposing of an appliance other than a small appliance or vehicle AC, the technician must evacuate it, liquid included, to these levels with certified recovery equipment and verify the level before opening (40 CFR 82.156(a)). Values are inches of mercury vacuum relative to 29.9 inches, except for low-pressure appliances.

A pattern makes the table easier to hold: the newer the recovery machine, the deeper the vacuum, and the lower the pressure class or the bigger the charge, the deeper the vacuum. Very high-pressure and small high-pressure systems need only 0 inches either way.

The exceptions matter as much as the table:

• Repair that is not major, with no evacuation to atmosphere afterward: evacuate medium-, high- and very high-pressure appliances to no higher than 0 psig, or pressurize low-pressure appliances to no higher than 0 psig, before opening
• Oil changes: evacuate or pressurize to no higher than 5 psig, or drain the oil into a receiver that is brought to that level
• "Major" repair: removing the compressor, condenser, evaporator or auxiliary heat exchange coil, or uncovering an opening of more than 4 square inches of flow area for more than 15 minutes (40 CFR 82.152)
• Leaky appliances: isolate leaking from non-leaking parts, take non-leaking parts to Table 1, and take leaking parts as low as possible without substantially contaminating the refrigerant, never above 0 psig
• Low-pressure pressurizing: for refrigerants that boil at or below 85 °F at 29.9 inches of mercury, do not use methods such as nitrogen that need purging afterward. Above 85 °F, use heat first, and nitrogen only from there up to atmospheric pressure

EPA's topics for both Type II and Type III add a practical step: after reaching the required vacuum, wait a few minutes to see whether the pressure rises, which signals refrigerant still in the system or the oil.

EPA 608 Type I recovery numbers for small appliances

Small appliances (factory-sealed, 5 pounds or less) use percentages instead of Table 1 (40 CFR 82.156(b)):

Related Type I and Type II numbers:

• 15 pounds: system-dependent (passive) recovery equipment may not be used on appliances with more than 15 pounds of refrigerant, unless it is a permanently attached pump-out unit (40 CFR 82.156(e))
• 5 to 50 pounds: technicians who recover refrigerant from appliances holding more than 5 and less than 50 pounds for disposal keep records for three years (40 CFR 82.156(a)(3))

EPA's Type I topics also expect you to know to install both high- and low-side access valves on a small appliance with an inoperative compressor, to run a working compressor during passive recovery, and to remove solderless access fittings at the end of service. You can test these Type I and Type II numbers in full EPA 608 prep at launch, where each question is tagged by test.

Leak repair numbers: Part 82 for ODS, Part 84 for HFCs

This is the area that has changed most since 2016. The percentages are the same, but which appliances they apply to depends on the refrigerant and the date.

EPA's Test Topics still list the leak-rate items under Type II and Type III in Part 82 terms, such as "other appliances containing more than 50 pounds," and do not mention Part 84. Learn the Part 82 column for the test, and know the Part 84 column for the job. The EPA refrigerant rules for 2027 guide covers the Part 84 dates in detail.

Cylinder, safety and chiller numbers from the EPA 608 test topics

These come from EPA's Test Topics rather than a single CFR table, so expect them in situational questions:

• 80%: do not fill a recovery cylinder more than 80 percent full
• Yellow and gray: the color code for reusable recovery cylinders, which must be DOT approved. Disposable cylinders are never refilled
• Nitrogen, with a regulator and relief valve: for pressure and leak testing, never oxygen or compressed air
• Plus 14.7: psig to psia on a pressure-temperature chart
• 130 °F: heat the oil in a low-pressure system to this temperature before removing it, to minimize refrigerant release
• Vapor before liquid: when recharging a low-pressure chiller, to keep water in the tubes from freezing. Circulate or drain the water during evacuation for the same reason
• R-123: ASHRAE Standard 15 calls for an equipment-room refrigerant sensor
• Hermetic compressors: do not energize them under vacuum

Dates and penalties where old EPA 608 guides are out of date

• Maximum Clean Air Act penalty. The statute sets the civil penalty "per day for each violation" (42 U.S.C. 7413(b)). Adjusted for inflation, 40 CFR 19.4 lists $124,426 for violations after November 2, 2015 when the penalty is assessed on or after January 8, 2025. The $37,500 figure some study guides still print is the older level for violations after January 12, 2009 through November 2, 2015
• Phaseout dates. EPA's phaseout pages list January 1, 1996 for the end of CFC production and import, 2020 for the end of HCFC-22 production and import, and 2030 for all HCFCs
• November 15, 1993. The equipment date that splits Table 1 and the small-appliance percentages
• January 1, 2018. Certification, evacuation and the sales restriction extended to non-exempt substitutes such as HFCs
• April 10, 2020, and January 1, 2026. HFC leak repair left Part 82 on the first date and returned under Part 84 on the second

ESCO Institute, an EPA-approved certifying program, describes the new EPA question bank, the only one allowed from January 2, 2027, as an update for current refrigerants, technologies and practices, and its transition FAQ answers "Nothing" to the question of what is changing in the Section 608 regulations. The numbers above are regulation numbers, so they still apply. The EPA 608 exam in 2027 guide covers the version change.

How to drill EPA 608 numbers so they stick

Flashcards work for the numbers, but only if the card carries the condition: "medium pressure, 230 lb, recovery machine made in 2015" on the front, "15 in Hg" on the back. Then switch to scenario questions, where you have to pick the condition yourself. The free EPA 608 practice questions include Table 1, small-appliance and leak-repair items with an explanation for each answer, and the EPA 608 study plan gives extra days to the test you pick. Because programs such as ESCO score each section on its own, see how many correct answers each section needs.

Passy's full prep is planned with 420 flashcards for these conditional numbers, but it is marked "At launch" with no checkout yet. You can look at the EPA 608 flashcards and practice planned for launch and use the free questions until then.