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2.0 Refrigerants 2.1 Discards Containing Refrigerants The types of refrigerants typically found in appliances are CFC -12 in refrigerators, freezers, and dehumidifiers and HCFC -22 in window and central air conditioners'. CFC - 114 may also be found in a small percentage of refrigerators. Some older refrigerators may also contain sulfur dioxide as the refrigerant and the occurrence of these in the waste stream is minimal, ranging from 2-5%','. A significantly fewer number of older refrigerators and freezers may contain ammonia as the refrigerant. Some dehumidifiers may contain CFC -500' and few window air-conditioning units may contain CFC -500 or CFC -502'. Some new refrigerators contain refrigerant HFC -134a but these units are not occurring in the disposal or recycling streams at this time. 2.2 How to Identify Types of Refrigerants Knowing the refrigerant type prior to extraction from the unit is very important. Mixing different types of refrigerants will most likely contaminate a load thereby rendering it non -recyclable. Ask your refrigerant reclaimer about refrigerant acceptance specifications. The first step in determining the type of refrigerant used in an appliance is to look at the identification tag attached to the unit (see Figures 2 & 3). The location of the tag varies as to the manufacturer and for refrigerators and freezers, it may be located on the front or back of the unit, inside the refrigerated compartment or on side of the door, or on the compressor unit1"'. For window or central air-conditioning units, removal of the face plate or other external body panels may be required to locate identification tag'o. One physical characteristic used to identify ammonia and sulfur dioxide refrigerators is the compressor. The compressor used in ammonia and sulfur dioxide refrigerators are approximately 2-3 times larger by volume than the compressors within CFC type refrigerators". The tops of sulfur dioxide and ammonia refrigerators are typically constructed as a separate section unlike the unibody of the CFC units (see Figures 3 & 4)". The evaporator coil is located directly underneath this top section19. Refrigerators containing ammonia refrigerant usually require natural gas to operate them and can be identified by looking on the back of the unit for a natural gas hook- up'. Note: there may also be an electrical cord attached which is used only for the light within the refrigerator. C 4