Skills Hub
equipment-service
Charging by Weight (Cylinder Method)
Always tested on the EPA 608
Charge a system with refrigerant using the cylinder-and-scale method.
About this skill
Charging by weight using an electronic scale and the refrigerant cylinder, with liquid charging into the high side and vapor charging into the low side to prevent liquid slugging the compressor.
11 total steps
4 critical steps
Time limit: 15 min
What graders are watching for
- 1Liquid charging only into the high side
- 2Vapor charging into the low side (avoid liquid slugging)
- 3Verify superheat/subcooling against the manufacturer''s spec
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
- !Liquid charging into the low side (compressor damage)
- !Charging by weight alone without checking superheat/subcooling
- !Overfilling the cylinder (no room for expansion)
Practice this skill step-by-step
The static walkthrough above is the marketing overview. The full step-by-step interactive practice (with critical-step highlighting, per-step "why this matters" rationale, and what graders watch for on each individual step) is unlocked with a subscription.