Type I — small appliances

25% of the EPA 608 · blueprint 40 CFR part 82 subpart F, appendix D, section d (test content)

Short answer

Type I certifies you to maintain, service or repair small appliances — units manufactured, charged and hermetically sealed in a factory with five pounds of refrigerant or less. Its 25 items concentrate on recovery: the 80 and 90 percent thresholds, the four inches of mercury alternative, passive recovery from a unit whose compressor has failed, and access valves. It is the only type that may be offered as a mail-in test.

Why it matters on this exam

Type I is the narrowest section and the most formulaic, which makes it the cheapest 25 items on the test if you learn the recovery numbers exactly. It is also the section most often oversimplified, because the three recovery options are routinely collapsed into one.

Key concepts

What counts as a small appliance. Section 82.152: manufactured, charged and hermetically sealed in a factory with five (5) pounds or less of refrigerant. All three conditions matter. Refrigerators and freezers, window and portable air conditioners, packaged terminal heat pumps, dehumidifiers, under-counter ice makers and vending machines are named in the definition.
The three recovery options, from 82.156(b). Before opening or disposing of a small appliance you must use certified recovery equipment and satisfy one of:

recover 80 percent of the refrigerant, if the equipment was manufactured before 15 November 1993; or
with equipment manufactured on or after that date, recover 90 percent when the appliance's compressor is working, or 80 percent when it is not; or
evacuate the appliance to four inches of mercury vacuum.

Passive recovery from a dead compressor. With a system-dependent device on a unit whose compressor does not run, you may heat and sharply strike the compressor, or use a vacuum pump with a non-pressurised recovery container. You must install both high and low side access valves, because there is no compressor to move refrigerant from one side to the other.
Operate a working compressor. The mirror of the above: when you are using a system-dependent device and the compressor does run, run it. That is what makes the passive device work.
Solderless access fittings should be removed at the end of the job — they are a leak path if left in place.
Disposal needs no certification. Under 82.161(a)(1)(vii), a person disposing of a small appliance does not need to be certified. The recovery requirements in 82.156(b) still apply to whoever does it.

Common mistakes

Answering "90 percent" for any post-1993 machine. The 90 percent figure is conditional on the appliance's compressor working; with a dead compressor the same equipment needs 80 percent.
Assuming a mail-in Type I builds toward Universal. It cannot. Appendix D: "Mail-in format Type I tests cannot be used toward a Universal certification." And the mail-in pass mark is 84 percent, not 70.

Worked example

A domestic refrigerator with a seized compressor is going to the tip. You have a recovery machine built in 2015. The 90 percent figure does not apply, because the compressor is not functioning — you need 80 percent, or you can evacuate to four inches of mercury instead. Using a system-dependent device you would install access valves on both the high and low sides, since the appliance cannot move its own refrigerant. And the person actually disposing of the unit does not need to hold any certification, though the recovery rule still applies to the work.

Original practice questions

Type I — small appliancesDifficulty 2/5

Under 40 CFR 82.152, which description matches the definition of a small appliance?

AFully manufactured and charged on site with twenty pounds or less of any refrigerant
BFully manufactured, charged and hermetically sealed in a factory with five pounds or less
CAny self-contained unit holding five pounds or less, whether factory sealed or field charged
DAny domestic refrigeration unit sold for household use regardless of its refrigerant charge

Show answer and rationale

Correct: B. All three conditions in the definition matter together: factory manufactured, factory charged, and hermetically sealed, with a charge of five pounds or less. A field-charged unit is not a small appliance however small it is.

C — Factory sealing is part of the definition; a field-charged unit falls outside it entirely.
D — The definition is about construction and charge size, not about who the unit was sold to.
A — Twenty pounds is the MVAC-like threshold, and on-site charging excludes a unit from the definition.

Type I — small appliancesDifficulty 3/5

Using recovery equipment manufactured in 2015 on a small appliance whose compressor no longer runs, what must you achieve?

ARecover ninety percent of the charge, or evacuate to ten inches of mercury vacuum
BRecover one hundred percent of the charge before the appliance may be opened at all
CRecover eighty percent of the charge, or evacuate to four inches of mercury vacuum
DRecover ninety percent of the charge, or evacuate to four inches of mercury vacuum

Show answer and rationale

Correct: C. Section 82.156(b)(2) makes the ninety percent figure conditional on the compressor functioning. With a dead compressor and post-1993 equipment the requirement drops to eighty percent, and the four inches of mercury option under 82.156(b)(3) remains available either way.

D — Ninety percent applies only when the appliance's compressor is working; this one is not.
A — Ten inches of mercury is a Table 1 figure for larger appliances, not a small-appliance option.
B — The rule never requires complete recovery; it sets percentage and vacuum thresholds instead.

Type I — small appliancesDifficulty 3/5

Why must both high and low side access valves be installed when recovering from a small appliance with an inoperative compressor?

AThe recovery machine requires two connections before its internal pump will start up
BRegulations require two access points on every small appliance being serviced or opened
CThe second valve provides a route for nitrogen to be introduced during the recovery
DNothing in the appliance can move refrigerant from one side of the system to the other

Show answer and rationale

Correct: D. A system-dependent device relies on the appliance's own compressor to shift refrigerant. With the compressor dead, refrigerant trapped on the far side of the restriction has no path out unless you open both sides.

A — Recovery machines do not impose a two-connection requirement of their own to operate.
B — The rule does not require two access points generally; the reason here is the failed compressor.
C — Nitrogen is a leak-detection gas and plays no part in recovering from a small appliance.

All 5 Type I — small appliances questions →

Tools for this topic

EPA 608 certification type finder — Type I, II, III or Universal is decided by the equipment you work on and what you do to it, not by your job title. This walks the rule at 40 CFR 82.161(a)(1) and gives you the type, with the citation.

5 flashcards for Type I — small appliances

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Primary references

40 CFR Part 82 Subpart F — Recycling and Emissions Reduction — Office of the Federal Register (eCFR) · government · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22
Section 608 Test Topics — United States Environmental Protection Agency · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22
Appendix D to Subpart F of Part 82 — Standards for Becoming a Certifying Program for Technicians — Office of the Federal Register (eCFR) · government · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22

Last reviewed: 2026-10-18Next review by: 2026-12-17Reviewed by: Openverse editorial team, Authoring and fact verificationHow we verify facts