EPA Certification Overview

Section 608 of the Federal Clean Air Act requires that all persons who maintain, service, repair or dispose of appliances that contain regulated refrigerants be certified in proper refrigerant handling techniques.

The EPA has also placed a sales restriction on refrigerants, limiting the sale of regulated refrigerants to certified technicians only.

Technicians who violate the Clean Air Act provisions may be fined, lose their certification, and may be required to appear in Federal court.

There are four categories of certification:

Type I - Persons who maintain, service or repair small appliances must be certified as Type I Technicians

Type II - Persons who maintain, service, repair or dispose of high or very high pressure appliances, except for small appliances or motor vehicle air conditioning systems, must be certified as Type II technicians.

Type III - Persons who service, maintain, repair, or dispose of low pressure appliance must be certified as Type III technicians.

Universal - Persons who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of small appliances as well as high and low pressure equipment, must be certified as Universal technicians.

SECTION 608 EXAM FORMAT

EPA regulations require the test to be a "closed book" proctored exam. The only outside materials allowed are a temperature / pressure chart, scratch paper and a calculator.

The certification exam contains 4 sections - CORE - Type I - Type II - Type III. Each section contains 25 multiple choice questions. The technician must achieve a passing score of 70% in each Type in which they are to be certified. All technicians must pass the CORE section before receiving any certification. A technician seeking certification must correctly answer 18 out of 25 questions on the CORE and at least one other section of the exam. A technician seeking Universal certification must correctly answer 18 out of 25 questions on each section of the exam.

ESCO Institute was among the first programs to receive EPA approval to conduct the Clean Air Act Section 608 technician certification and has grown to become the industry leader with over 10,000 appointed test administrators at more than 5,000 testing locations nationwide.

SECTION 608 Study Materials

ESCO Institute publishes a 12 page manual that covers everything on the Universal exam. The book is clear, concise and intended to make you aware of the EPA regulations without adding information not related to the exam.

EPA Preparatory Manual
#1 Selling Preparatory Manual in the Industry EPA Preparatory CD

For information on where to take the test in your area call The ESCO Institute toll free at (800) 726-9696.