A technician arrives to recover refrigerant from a small appliance and finds that its compressor will not run at all. Which recovery approach must be used?
Not quite. The answer is D: Self-contained recovery equipment, since system-dependent recovery relies on a functioning compressor that is not available in this case
An inoperative compressor rules out system-dependent recovery by definition — there's no functioning compressor to lean on. Self-contained recovery equipment, which brings its own independent compressor, is the method that still works in this situation, which is exactly why it exists as a distinct category rather than being redundant with system-dependent recovery.
Reference: 40 CFR Part 82 § 82.152 (Definitions of system-dependent and self-contained recovery equipment)
Checked against the official text
Read the eCFR text current through 2026-10-30 of § 82.152. System-dependent equipment needs components of the appliance; self-contained does not. An appliance whose compressor will not run therefore leaves only self-contained equipment. This follows from the definitions rather than being stated as a stand-alone rule.
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