Refrigerant Recovery Step-by-Step: HVAC Procedure Guide and ARC Documentation Checklist

The Recovery Workflow That Protects Your Licence (and Stops Refrigerant Loss Arguments)

Refrigerant recovery is one of those “quiet” jobs that rarely gets praise when it’s done well, but it creates real pain when it’s done poorly. If you’ve ever arrived on a site and found a cylinder with unknown contents, a system that has been vented “because it was faster”, or a customer asking where the gas went, you already know why recovery needs to be controlled and repeatable.

In Australia, recovery isn’t just “good practice”. It’s part of doing regulated work responsibly, and it’s tied to documentation and record-keeping expectations. The practical reality is simple: when you recover properly, you can defend your method, protect your equipment, and reduce call-backs caused by contamination, mixed refrigerant, or “we thought it was empty” mistakes.

This guide is built for Australian HVAC and refrigeration tradies who want a step-by-step recovery workflow that works on real jobs. We’ll cover safe setup, cylinder handling, when to recover vapour vs liquid, how to know when you’re actually finished, and an ARC-style documentation checklist you can use to keep your reporting clean without turning every job into paperwork overload.

If you’re building a recovery setup or replacing tired gear, start with the category so you’re not scrolling through unrelated items: recovery machines for refrigerant recovery work in Australia.

What Refrigerant Recovery Is (and What It Isn’t)

Refrigerant recovery is the controlled removal of refrigerant from a system into an approved recovery cylinder, using equipment designed for that job. The goal is to remove refrigerant without venting, without contaminating the refrigerant (where practical), and without damaging the system or your tools. Done properly, recovery is repeatable and defensible.

Recovery is not the same as evacuation. Recovery removes refrigerant. Evacuation removes air and moisture after the system has been opened. Confusing those steps creates the classic “we pulled a vacuum so it must be fine” mistake, where refrigerant handling and moisture control get blurred into one story.

Recovery also isn’t “just pumping it into any cylinder”. Cylinder choice, fill level control, and keeping refrigerant types separated are core parts of doing the job safely. If you ignore those basics, you can create a cylinder hazard, contaminate recoverable refrigerant, or turn a simple service job into a disposal problem.

Before You Start: Safety, Compliance, and Job Control

Recovery jobs go wrong for predictable reasons: wrong cylinder, unknown refrigerant, uncontrolled heat, poor hose management, and no plan for what happens if the refrigerant is contaminated. The fix is not “more effort”. The fix is a simple pre-start routine that keeps the job inside safe boundaries.

Confirm the scope and the limit. Are you recovering from a small split system, a supermarket pack, a coolroom, or a rooftop? The job size changes how you stage cylinders, how you manage heat, and how you plan time. A controlled routine begins with knowing what you’re walking into.

Know what refrigerant you’re dealing with. If the label is missing, treat it as unknown until proven otherwise. “Unknown” changes how you recover, store, and label. Mixing “maybe R22” with “probably R410A” is how cylinders become unusable and risky.

Control access and ignition risks. Some refrigerants and oils change the risk profile. The safe approach is always to remove ignition risks, control the work zone, and avoid improvising around hot surfaces or electrical compartments.

Keep your documentation expectations realistic. You don’t need a novel. You need a clean record of what you recovered, where it went, and what you did next. ARC-style record keeping is easier when you treat it like a checklist, not a report-writing exercise.

If you want an ARC-friendly reference for record-keeping expectations and templates, this ARCtick resource is a useful starting point: ARCtick record keeping guidance (PDF).

Recovery Gear Basics: What You Actually Need on Real Jobs

A recovery job can be done with surprisingly few “must-have” pieces, as long as those pieces work together and your method is consistent. The gear is the foundation, but the workflow is what stops losses and mistakes.

Recovery machine. Choose a recovery machine that suits your job size and typical refrigerants. The key is reliable performance, stable operation, and a routine you can repeat. If you want to compare options by workload, start here: browse refrigerant recovery machines.

Approved recovery cylinder(s). You need the correct rated cylinder for the refrigerant class and job. You also need to keep refrigerant types separated. The practical habit is labelling and segregation, not “we’ll remember later”.

Charging / recovery hoses rated for the job. Recovery is not the time for tired hoses and unknown seals. Use hoses that suit recovery work and keep them clean. If you’re building the hose side of your kit, start here: charging and recovery hoses.

Scale for weight-based control. The simplest, most defensible fill control method is weight. It protects you from accidental overfill and it makes your reporting cleaner. If you’re adding this to your workflow, start with: charging scales for refrigerant cylinder weighing.

Low-loss habits. Even with great tools, most refrigerant losses happen during connect and disconnect. Your method matters: hose management, valve sequencing, and not rushing the final step.

Step-by-Step Refrigerant Recovery Workflow

This workflow is written to be practical and repeatable. It aims to reduce losses, reduce contamination risk, and make your documentation simple. It also assumes you’re doing recovery as part of regulated HVAC/R work and you’re following appropriate licensing and site rules.

Step 1: Confirm refrigerant identity (or declare it unknown). Check the unit label, service history, site notes, and cylinder segregation rules. If the refrigerant cannot be confirmed, treat it as unknown. That changes your cylinder labelling and what happens next. The worst move is to “guess” and mix.

Step 2: Choose the right recovery cylinder and check its status. Confirm the cylinder is approved for the refrigerant class and job. Confirm it’s empty enough for the expected recovered mass. Confirm it’s clearly labelled. Confirm the valves and seals are in good condition. If the cylinder is questionable, stop. Recovery is not the place to “make it work”.

Step 3: Weigh the cylinder before you connect. Record the starting weight (tare + current contents). Weight is your control method and your proof. It tells you how much you recovered and it protects you from accidental overfill. Even if the job is “small”, this habit keeps your reporting consistent.

Step 4: Stage the cylinder safely. Put the cylinder where it won’t fall, heat soak, or get knocked. Recovery creates heat. If the cylinder is in direct sun or near a hot plant room wall, your pressures will climb and your recovery speed will drop. Good staging saves time.

Step 5: Plan the recovery path and hose layout. Keep hoses short where practical, avoid sharp kinks, and avoid traps where liquid can sit. Recovery speed and control improve when the path is clean. This is also where most disconnect losses are decided. A neat layout means a neat finish.

Step 6: Connect with a “no surprise” valve sequence. The goal is to avoid blasting liquid into places you didn’t intend, avoid air ingress, and avoid unnecessary venting. Use a consistent connection sequence every job so you’re not improvising under pressure.

Step 7: Decide vapour recovery vs liquid recovery (when appropriate). Vapour recovery is often simpler and safer for many common service jobs, but it can be slower. Liquid recovery can be faster when controlled properly, but it increases the importance of method, heat management, and not over-speeding the process. If you’re not confident, the safe move is controlled vapour recovery with good cylinder management.

Step 8: Start recovery and watch the trend, not the moment. The most common mistake is reacting to a single pressure moment. Watch the behaviour over time: is pressure dropping steadily, is the cylinder warming, is the machine running smoothly, is the job stabilising? A stable trend is a better guide than a single number.

Step 9: Manage heat and flow so the job stays controlled. As recovery progresses, cylinder pressure rises and speed can slow. Don’t “fight it” with unsafe shortcuts. Manage cylinder staging, allow time, and keep the recovery machine operating inside a stable range. Controlled recovery often finishes faster than rushed recovery because you avoid shutdowns and rework.

Step 10: Know when you’re actually finished. “Finished” means the system is at a stable low pressure appropriate to your method and the machine behaviour indicates there’s no meaningful refrigerant remaining to recover. Don’t confuse a temporary dip with completion. A practical habit is to pause and observe stability rather than declaring victory the moment the gauge looks good.

Step 11: Isolate, close valves, and prevent disconnect losses. This is where refrigerant gets wasted. Close the right valves in the right order, isolate the cylinder, and control the hose contents. The goal is not just “disconnect quickly”. The goal is “disconnect cleanly”.

Step 12: Weigh the cylinder again and record recovered mass. Your final weight minus starting weight gives recovered mass. This is the cleanest reporting metric and the easiest compliance habit. It also helps you spot anomalies, like a job where the recovered mass doesn’t match expected system charge, which can trigger a sensible leak check pathway.

Step 13: Label the cylinder clearly (especially if anything is uncertain). If refrigerant identity is confirmed, label it. If refrigerant identity is uncertain, label it as unknown and segregate it. Cylinder labelling is not admin. It prevents the next job from becoming a hazard.

Step 14: Decide next step: repair, leak test, evacuation, recharge, or disposal pathway. Recovery is often not the end of the job. It’s the safe start of whatever comes next. The clean approach is to recover, document, then choose the next measurement step based on the fault and site scope.

ARC Documentation Checklist: What to Record So Your Recovery Is Defensible

Good documentation isn’t about paperwork for its own sake. It’s about being able to answer the obvious questions later: what refrigerant was in the system, how much did you remove, where did it go, and what happened next. When your notes are clean, the story stays clean.

The checklist below is written to be practical. Use it as a template for your job sheets or service reports. Not every field is needed for every job, but the core fields make your recovery easy to defend.

Common Recovery Mistakes That Create Call-Backs (or Cylinder Headaches)

Most recovery problems are not “bad equipment” problems. They are repeatable workflow errors. Fix the habit and the job improves immediately.

Mistake: Mixing refrigerants. This is one of the most expensive mistakes in the long run. A mixed cylinder is hard to use responsibly and can create disposal complexity. The fix is simple: confirm refrigerant type or label it unknown and segregate it. Do not “hope”.

Mistake: Not weighing the cylinder. Without weight, you’re guessing fill level and recovered mass. That’s risky and it creates weak reporting. A scale-based habit turns recovery into a clean, defensible process.

Mistake: Rushing the finish. Many losses happen during disconnect. If you rush valve sequencing and hose management, you can waste refrigerant, create air ingress, and leave the job with a messy outcome. Slow the last minute down and your overall job often gets faster.

Mistake: Poor heat management. Cylinder and ambient heat affect pressure and recovery speed. If the cylinder is heat-soaked or staged poorly, the job drags, pressures rise, and the chance of shutdown increases. A shaded, stable staging position is a simple fix.

Mistake: Over-claiming what recovery “proves”. Recovery proves you removed refrigerant into a cylinder. It does not prove the system is tight, dry, or repaired. Keep the story accurate: recover, document, then test and verify the next step.

Recovery Reporting: A Simple, Repeatable Write-Up That Holds Up Later

A good recovery note is boring. That’s a compliment. It means anyone reading it later can understand what happened without guessing.

Start with what you did. “Recovered refrigerant from split system / coolroom / rooftop unit into approved recovery cylinder.” Add refrigerant type if confirmed, or note “unknown”.

Record your control metric. “Cylinder weight before recovery: X. Cylinder weight after recovery: Y. Recovered mass: Y minus X.” This is the cleanest line in the report and it reduces questions later.

Record the reason and the next step. “Recovery completed prior to compressor replacement” or “Recovery completed for decommissioning” or “Recovery completed prior to leak repair and evacuation.” Keep it factual and avoid big conclusions that aren’t proven yet.

If you want your setup to support repeatable recovery notes, build around three simple kit pillars: a reliable machine, quality hoses, and a stable scale. Start with the core categories: recovery machines, charging hoses, and charging scale.

Soft next step: If you tell our team what refrigerants you deal with most and what job sizes you’re recovering from (splits, commercial packs, refrigeration cabinets, or mixed work), we can help you match a recovery setup that suits your workflow and reporting needs.

FAQs

Do I always need to recover refrigerant? If you are opening a system or removing refrigerant as part of HVAC/R work, the safe and compliant approach is controlled recovery into an approved cylinder. The key is to treat recovery as part of regulated work and keep the process defensible.

How do I avoid mixing refrigerants? Confirm refrigerant identity where possible. If you can’t confirm it, label it as unknown and segregate it. Never “guess” and never mix “probably” refrigerants into a cylinder you want to keep usable.

What’s the most reliable way to control cylinder fill? Weight. Weigh the cylinder before and after recovery and record the recovered mass. This protects you from overfill and gives you clean reporting.

How do I know recovery is complete? Completion is about stable behaviour, not a single moment. Use a method that allows you to observe stability and confirm there’s no meaningful refrigerant left to recover before you disconnect and declare the job finished.

Why does recovery sometimes slow down near the end? Heat and pressure management matter. As the cylinder warms and pressures change, recovery speed can drop. Controlled staging and not rushing the final stage usually prevents the stop-start cycle that wastes time.

What should I record for ARC-style documentation? At minimum: site details, unit details, refrigerant type (or unknown), cylinder identification, starting and final cylinder weights, recovered mass, reason for recovery, and next steps taken. A simple checklist keeps it clean.

Can I recover refrigerant without a scale? You can physically move refrigerant without a scale, but you lose your cleanest control and reporting metric. If you want defensible recovery and fewer cylinder headaches, weight-based control is the practical standard.

Keep Recovery Simple, Controlled, and Defensible

The best recovery workflow is the one you can repeat under pressure on a real job. Confirm refrigerant identity (or label it unknown), choose the right cylinder, weigh before and after, manage heat and hose layout, and slow down the disconnect so you don’t waste refrigerant in the last minute.

If you’re building or upgrading your recovery setup, start with the categories that support a repeatable method: recovery machines, charging hoses, and charging scales. Soft next step: contact our team for compatibility advice and tell us what refrigerants and job sizes you’re working with most often.