Certified Recovery Cylinder

Store, Transport, and Reclaim with a certified recovery cylinder

A certified recovery cylinder is a specially designed pressure vessel used by HVAC and refrigeration technicians to safely store recovered refrigerant when servicing or decommissioning air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

Unlike a standard refrigerant cylinder, a recovery cylinder is intended to hold refrigerant that has been removed from equipment. The refrigerant may be contaminated with oil, moisture, air, or mixed refrigerants, so it is not suitable for dispensing new refrigerant back into systems without proper processing.

How Can You Tell It's A Certified Recovery Cylinder?

DOT/TC Certification

The cylinder is manufactured and tested to meet applicable pressure vessel regulations (such as U.S. Department of Transportation requirements).

Gray Body With Yellow Top

In North America, recovery cylinders are commonly color-coded this way to distinguish them from virgin refrigerant cylinders.

Dual-Valve Design
Many have separate vapor and liquid valves to make recovery and transfer easier.

Pressure Rating
They are built to safely withstand the high pressures of refrigerants such as R-410A, R-32, R-134a, and others, depending on the cylinder’s specifications.

Reusable
Recovery cylinders are designed for repeated use and must be periodically inspected and recertified according to applicable regulations.

Why "certified" matters

A certified recovery cylinder has been:

  • Pressure tested by the manufacturer.
  • Marked with its working pressure and test pressure.
  • Approved for transporting recovered refrigerant.
  • Subject to periodic recertification requirements (for example, hydrostatic testing at prescribed intervals in many countries).

Important safety rules

  • Never fill a recovery cylinder beyond 80% of its water capacity to allow for thermal expansion.
  • Use only cylinders rated for the refrigerant being recovered.
  • Do not mix different refrigerants unless they are intended to be mixed, as this can make reclamation difficult or impossible.
  • Weigh the cylinder during recovery to avoid overfilling.

Typical uses

HVAC technicians use certified recovery cylinders when:

  • Replacing compressors.
  • Repairing leaks.
  • Retrofitting systems.
  • Recovering refrigerant before disposing of equipment.
  • Transporting recovered refrigerant to a reclamation or recycling facility.


Using a certified recovery cylinder is both a safety requirement and, in many jurisdictions, a legal requirement when recovering refrigerants because it helps prevent accidental refrigerant releases and ensures the refrigerant can be transported safely.