Section 609 - Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning (MVAC) Certification
Since 1993, all technicians performing automotive a/c service for consideration must certify to the U.S. EPA that they understand how to properly handle and recover refrigerant.According to the EPA, no person repairing or servicing motor vehicles for consideration may perform any service on a motor vehicle air conditioner involving the refrigerant for such air conditioner without properly using approved refrigerant recycling equipment and no such person may perform such service unless such person has been properly trained and certified. See: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/609/index.html
As a technician, there are many ways which you can certify. Listed below, you will find some of the popular online sources for Section 609 certification.
Mainstream Engineering - www.epatest.com
Study their manual on-line, or download it and read it at your convenience. When you are ready, take the exam for only $19.95. Your exam is graded and your results are displayed immediately. A temporary certification card can be printed out, and a permanent one is mailed to you.
Mobile Air Conditioning Society - http://www.macsw.org/
You can download the Section 609 study manual in Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) format, then order the test and take it online, or order the test online to be sent to you in the mail. The test and study manual are also available in Spanish. The cost is $15.00.
Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) – http://www.ase.com
For a mere $15.00 you can study and take the ASE section 609 certification test online.
Your quiz will be automatically graded and you will see your test results online. If you pass the test, you can print out your results as temporary credential.