---
title: "What evacuation vacuum level must a technician reach when recovering refrigerant from a high-pressure appliance with a full charge of 200 pounds or more? Answer in under 100 words."
canonical: https://www.m-i-n-d.ai/minds/hvac/evacuation-vacuum-level-must-technician-reach-recovering-refrigerant-high
jurisdiction: "US Federal · EPA Clean Air Act Section 608 (40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F)"
last_verified: 2026-08-26
license: CC BY 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
attribution: "Source: MIND (m-i-n-d.ai)"
---

# What evacuation vacuum level must a technician reach when recovering refrigerant from a high-pressure appliance with a full charge of 200 pounds or more? Answer in under 100 words.

Under EPA rules at 40 CFR § 82.156 (Table 1), a high-pressure appliance—or an isolated component of such an appliance—with a full charge of 200 pounds or more of refrigerant must be evacuated to 4 inches of Hg vacuum if the recovery/recycling equipment was manufactured or imported before November 15, 1993, and to 10 inches of Hg vacuum if the equipment was manufactured or imported on or after November 15, 1993. Levels are measured relative to standard atmospheric pressure of 29.9 inches Hg, and technicians must verify the applicable level is reached before opening the appliance.

## Details / How it works

Before opening or disposing of appliances (except small appliances, MVACs, and MVAC-like appliances), technicians must evacuate refrigerant—including all liquid refrigerant—to the levels in Table 1 of § 82.156, using recovery and/or recycling machine certified pursuant to § 82.158. A technician must verify that the applicable evacuation level has been reached in the appliance or the isolated part before it is opened. Technicians may evacuate either the entire appliance or only the part being serviced if the refrigerant in that part can be isolated to a system receiver.

## Numbers & thresholds

| Appliance type (per § 82.156 Table 1) | Equipment manufactured/imported **before** Nov 15, 1993 | Equipment manufactured/imported **on or after** Nov 15, 1993 |
|---|---|---|
| Very high-pressure appliance | 0 in. Hg | 0 in. Hg |
| High-pressure appliance, full charge < 200 lb | 0 in. Hg | 0 in. Hg |
| **High-pressure appliance, full charge ≥ 200 lb** | **4 in. Hg** | **10 in. Hg** |
| Medium-pressure appliance, full charge < 200 lb | 4 in. Hg | 10 in. Hg |
| Medium-pressure appliance, full charge ≥ 200 lb | 4 in. Hg | 15 in. Hg |
| Low-pressure appliance | 25 mm Hg absolute | 25 mm Hg absolute |

All values are inches of Hg vacuum relative to standard atmospheric pressure of 29.9 inches Hg.

## Exceptions & edge cases

- If leaks in the appliance make evacuation to the Table 1 levels unattainable or would substantially contaminate the recovered refrigerant, persons opening or disposing of the appliance must isolate leaking from non-leaking components wherever possible, evacuate non-leaking components to the Table 1 levels, and evacuate leaking components only to the lowest level attainable without substantially contaminating the refrigerant (this level may not exceed 0 psig).
- If the maintenance/service/repair is not major (as defined at § 82.152) and no post-service venting will occur, medium-, high-, and very high-pressure appliances need only be evacuated to no higher than 0 psig rather than the deeper Table 1 vacuums.
- For oil changes only, evacuation or pressurization to no higher than 5 psig is acceptable.

## Sources

- [1] U.S. National Archives, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations — 40 CFR 82.156 — Proper evacuation of refrigerant from appliances · https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/section-82.156 · as of 2026-08-26