Refrigerant Charging and Recovery: Getting the Charge Exactly Right
An HVAC system runs efficiently only at the correct charge. Overcharge or undercharge and you lose capacity, waste energy, and shorten the compressor life.
QUICK ANSWER
Refrigerant charging sets the exact amount of refrigerant using superheat for fixed-orifice systems or subcooling for TXV systems, verified by weighing in the charge on a scale. Recovery removes refrigerant into a recovery cylinder before service, as required by law. The most common field error is charging by pressure alone instead of superheat, subcooling, and weight.
Charge by Superheat or Subcooling, Not Guesswork
Charging by pressure alone is how systems end up wrong. Fixed-orifice systems are charged by superheat, TXV systems by subcooling, and a weigh-in confirms the total. This is a measurement discipline, not a feel.
Recovery Is the Law
- Recover before opening: refrigerant goes into a recovery cylinder, never the atmosphere.
- Cylinder limits: never overfill a recovery cylinder past its safe capacity.
- Documentation: track recovered and added refrigerant for compliance.
It Follows Evacuation
You charge only after a proper evacuation, and recovery is governed by EPA 608 rules.
WE BUILD THIS IN VR — THE PRIME VR
We build charging and recovery into VR so technicians practice superheat and subcooling calculation, weigh-in, and safe recovery on realistic systems. The scoring layer flags a pressure-only charge or an overfilled recovery cylinder.
Book a discovery callFrequently Asked Questions
How do you charge a system correctly? +
Use superheat for fixed-orifice systems and subcooling for TXV systems, and confirm the total by weighing in the refrigerant. Charging by pressure alone leads to overcharge or undercharge.
What is refrigerant recovery? +
Recovery removes refrigerant from a system into a recovery cylinder before service, as required by EPA rules. It prevents venting refrigerant to the atmosphere.
What happens if a system is overcharged? +
Overcharging raises head pressure, floods the compressor with liquid, reduces efficiency, and shortens compressor life. An accurate charge is essential to performance and longevity.
Train precise charging at scale
We build your charging standard into scored VR practice.