Refrigerant Tracking

Organizations are required to report annual refrigerant usage and track leak rates to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). If you work with a third-party agency to manage or confirm refrigerant safety, reporting is done through that agency. In Signature Service Management, refrigerant usage and leak information can be entered in the Refrigerant Tracking window, accessed from the equipment record attached to the service call. The Leak Rate Analysis method is set up in the Service Options window. See Choosing Service Options for more information. For information on setting up the lookup data, see Refrigerant Tracking Lookup Data.

Reports

Tracking Refrigerant Usage and Leak Rates

Refrigerant tracking data is entered and tracked for equipment included on a service call. You can also print a report that can be submitted to the appropriate agency for approval.

Select Cards > Service Management > Service Manager. The Service Manager window opens.
Select a customer and service call, and then select the Refrigerant Tracking button to open the Refrigerant Tracking window. You can also zoom on the Equipment ID and open the Refrigerant Tracking window from the equipment record. Several fields populate directly from the equipment record and/or service call.

The Customer ID/Name and Location/Name fields are display-only when accessing the Refrigerant Tracking window from the Service Call window.
Complete the following refrigerant fields, as necessary.
- Date of Service
  Defaults to the service call date, however, this field can be edited.
- Certification #
  Enter the certification number required to work on refrigeration systems, as specified under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act.
- Refrigerant Type
  Use the lookup to select the type of refrigerant. Depending on the equipment, this can be one of several primary types. Refer to the National Refrigeration Safety Code catalog for more information. This value may default from the equipment record. The unit of measure for the selected refrigerant type, for example, lbs., defaults next to the Optimal Charge, Refrigerant Added, and Refrigerant Recovered fields.
- Supplied By
  Enter the supplier information.
- Cylinder Number
  Enter the number of the refrigerant cylinder, and/or a short (30-character) description.
- Circuit Number
  Use the lookup to select the refrigerant circuit.
- Void (checkbox)
  If for some reason you need to void this record, mark this checkbox.
- Leak Found, Leak Repaired, Repair Attempted
  If a leak has been found, mark the appropriate checkbox to indicate general discovery and action taken.
- Leak Repaired / Repair Attempted
  After marking that a leak has been found, you are required to mark either Leak Repaired or Repair Attempted.
- Leak Location and Leak Sublocation
  Use the lookups to select the general (e.g. Condenser, Compressor) and specific (e.g. Ball Valve, Coil) areas where the leak has occurred.
- Fault Code
  Use the lookup to select the fault code that best describes the condition discovered, for example, a leaky pipe or corrosion. If the condition does not adequately match one of the other values, select Other. You must explain the fault if you select Other.
- Action Code
  Use the lookup to select the action code that best describes the steps taken to alleviate or fix the problem.
- Optimal Charge
  Enter the optimal refrigerant charge necessary to maintain safe cooling levels. This is often a manufacturer's initial value and may auto-populate from the equipment record.
- Ref. Equipment Type
  Use the lookup to select the refrigerant equipment type. The pounds indicate the amount of refrigerant the equipment can contain.
  - 0-Not Applicable (default)
  - 1 - Commercial Refrigeration 50 to 500 pounds
  - 2 - Commercial Refrigeration > 500 pounds
  - 3 - Industrial Process Refrigeration 50-500 pounds
  - 4 - Industrial Process Refrigeration >500 pounds
  - 5 - Comfort Cooling > 50 pounds
  - 6 - Mid-Size Appliance 5 - 40 pounds (leak rate not required)
- Current/Max Leak Rate
  If the current leak rate exceeds the maximum leak rate, an indicator icon displays to the right of the label.
- Recharged, Recovered, Recycled, Disposed, Accidentally Released
  For each of these fields, enter the amounts of old refrigerant that is recharged, recovered, recycled, disposed of, and/or accidentally released. The unit of measure defaults from the refrigerant type.
- New Added
  Enter the amount of new refrigerant that is added. The unit of measure defaults from the refrigerant type.
- Net Added
  Displays the calculated net amount of total refrigerant added. The unit of measure defaults from the refrigerant type.
- Initial Leak Test, Follow-up Leak Test
  If action was taken to verify the refrigerant leak repair, select the method that was used and the date of the initial test. If a follow-up test was performed, select an additional method and date. If no verification was performed, select N/A in both fields.
  
  The EPA states that follow-up testing must be completed at a defined interval based on the refrigeration equipment type. For more information, see https://www.epa.gov/section608.

Third Party Confirmation
If a third-party agency was used to manage and verify refrigeration safety, enter the verification number here. This value is not validated by the software.

Enter any optional comments.
The previous transactions are displayed in the scrolling section at the bottom of the window. This section displays the calculated leak rate history of the equipment based on the leak rate calculation method selected in the Setup Option settings. (See the Refrigerant Tracking Leak Rate Analysis Method setting in the Service Options window.) To view only voided records, mark Display Only Voided Records.
When you are finished, select Save. The printer button allows you to view a printable SSRS report with the information from a refrigerant tracking record.
- If you opened the Refrigerant Tracking window from the service call, you can use the scrolling window to select existing refrigerant tracking records for the service call.
- If you opened the Refrigerant Tracking window from the equipment record, you can use the scrolling window to select existing refrigerant tracking records for the equipment.