Under the current Section 608 leak-repair rule for appliances with a full charge of 50 pounds or more of an ozone-depleting refrigerant (such as R-22), a comfort-cooling appliance must be repaired (or retrofitted/retired) once its annual leak rate exceeds what level?
Not quite. The answer is B: 10%
Since the 2016 rule took effect on January 1, 2019, the comfort-cooling trigger is 10% of full charge per year (20% for commercial refrigeration, 30% for industrial process refrigeration). The older 15% comfort-cooling figure (35% for commercial and industrial) was the rule before 2019 and is the classic trap. The 2020 rule narrowed § 82.157 to appliances with 50 lb or more of ozone-depleting refrigerant such as R-22; leak repair for HFC-only appliances comes from the AIM Act rule (40 CFR 84.106) instead.
Reference: 40 CFR Part 82 § 82.157(a), (c)(2) (Leak-rate thresholds)
Checked against the official text
Read the eCFR text current through 2026-10-30 of § 82.157. (c)(2)(iii): 10 percent for comfort cooling and other appliances with 50+ lb; (c)(2)(i): 20 percent commercial refrigeration; (c)(2)(ii): 30 percent industrial process refrigeration. (a) limits the section to appliances with 50+ lb of class I/II refrigerant.