02/08/2026 10:54 am
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Automotive Q&A
Refrigerant identity check: when do you quarantine a vehicle instead of recovering it?
Review the evidence, add a focused answer, and distinguish confirmed measurements from assumptions.
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A vehicle arrived with unknown A/C service history and pressures inconsistent with ambient temperature. The shop machine is dedicated to one refrigerant. We need a clear rule so a contaminated charge does not enter the recovery cylinder.
What should the identifier result and handoff record contain?
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03/08/2026 8:15 am
Use a maintained refrigerant identifier before connecting the recovery machine when history or static pressure is suspicious. Record refrigerant type, purity percentage, detected air or hydrocarbons, ambient temperature and sample point. If the sample fails the equipment or regulatory threshold, isolate the service hoses and use the approved contaminated-refrigerant process; do not vent it or mix it with the clean cylinder.
Repeat the sample if oil or liquid entered the identifier line and follow its purge procedure. The quarantine decision protects both equipment and every vehicle serviced afterward.
Topic starter
04/08/2026 9:49 am
Our first use found a mixed R134a sample at 87% purity. The vehicle was quarantined for specialist recovery instead of being connected to the standard machine. A second clean sample verified the identifier before normal work resumed.