A field-assembled mini-split air conditioning system is charged with refrigerant on-site by the installer, and its total charge happens to be under 5 pounds. Is this appliance classified as a Type I small appliance?
Not quite. The answer is D: No — the Type I definition requires the appliance to be manufactured, charged, AND hermetically sealed at the factory; a field-charged system does not meet that definition regardless of its charge weight
Charge weight alone doesn't make an appliance Type I — the factory-sealed, factory-charged condition is an equally essential part of the definition. A field-charged mini-split, however small its charge, was not sealed at the factory the way the definition requires, so it falls under a different classification (typically Type II) even with a sub-5-pound charge.
Reference: 40 CFR Part 82 § 82.152 (Definition of 'small appliance')
Checked against the official text
Read the eCFR text current through 2026-10-30 of § 82.152. The definition requires the appliance to be fully manufactured, charged, and hermetically sealed in a factory; a field-charged system fails that test regardless of charge size.
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