The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has issued a reminder to technicians that they must be trained and tested through an EPA-authorized organization to service mobile air conditioning systems.
“With the temperatures soaring, it’s the perfect time for shops to make sure their service technicians have passed an EPA-approved program so they can legally perform air conditioning service work,” said Tim Zilke, CEO and president of ASE. “The ASE refrigerant recovery and recycling review and quiz offers a convenient way for service techs to quickly meet EPA requirements for air conditioning service. The EPA also requires technicians to have a Section 609 credential to purchase any automotive refrigerant in containers that are two pounds and larger.”
The ASE refrigerant recovery and recycling program is EPA-approved, meets Section 609 regulations and is offered in two different ways: online and in print.
The program covers the use of recycling equipment in compliance with industry standards, regulatory requirements, refrigerant containment, and the effects on the environment. To be certified, technicians must review the training material thoroughly and then pass a 609 quiz demonstrating their knowledge of the training material.
The certificate earned from a passing score on the ASE 609 quiz is deemed as certification in the context of the EPA only, ASE said. The credential is not equivalent to the technical certification from the ASE Certification program.
