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Record a Refrigerant Charge Event

When you add or save a refrigerant line on a work order, TuffOps creates a charge event for the EPA log. You pick the event type, the cert that backs the work, and (for recoveries) the destination. The system handles the rest — leak rate calcs, chronic-leaker tracking, and compliance gating all run automatically.

Before you start​

  • The work order is in ongoing status. The Items card is hidden until you start the work order.
  • You're certified for refrigerant work and your active cert is in TuffOps. The cert dropdown on the row pulls from your Settings → EPA Certifications entries.
  • You have compliance.record_charge (the technician role gets this by default).
  • For recoveries, you have a registered recovery cylinder ready. See Register Recovery Equipment.

Steps​

  1. Add or open the refrigerant item

    On the Items card, add the refrigerant item or open an existing refrigerant row. A regulated refrigerant row shows a small refrigerant icon next to the item name.

  2. Pick the event type

    In the row's charge fields:

    • Event type — pick what you're doing on this row:
      • top_off — adding refrigerant to a unit that's already in service.
      • removal_recovery — pulling refrigerant out for recovery.
      • installation — initial charge on a new unit.
      • removal_disposal — pulling refrigerant out for disposal (rare).
    • Designation — virgin, reclaimed, or recovered. The list mirrors the catalog the office maintains.

  3. (Recoveries only) Pick the destination

    For removal_recovery rows, the destination panel opens:

    • Destination kind — to_cylinder, to_reclaimer, etc.
    • Recovery cylinder — pick from your registered cylinders. Required when the kind names a cylinder.
    • Reclaimer / cert # — for reclaimer destinations.

  4. Set the quantity

    Use the row's Quantity field. The unit is pounds. Decimals are allowed.

  5. Pick your cert

    • Technician certification — pick the cert that backs the work. The dropdown is scoped to your active certs.
    • If the dropdown is empty, save the work order once after picking the technician on the row. TuffOps then refreshes the cert list.

  6. Save

    Select the green Update Work Order button at the bottom of the form. The charge event is created on save.

What happens next​

  • Each saved refrigerant row writes a regulatory_charge_events row with your cert ID, the unit, the event type, the quantity, and the timestamp. Office reviews via Charge Events.
  • Top-offs and recoveries feed the unit's running leak-rate calc. If the calc trips the EPA threshold, a leak-repair episode opens automatically.
  • A successful save with no gating issues shows a green status chip on the row. A blocked save shows a red or yellow chip with a tooltip explaining why.

When a gate fires​

TuffOps has three compliance gates that can fire on save:

  • Cert gating — your cert is missing, expired, or doesn't cover this refrigerant.
  • Top-off gating — the unit has an open leak-repair episode with no recorded repair start and no committed retire / retrofit plan. Adding refrigerant would mask the leak.
  • Recovery-equipment gating — the recovery cylinder you picked isn't registered, or its hydrostatic retest is overdue.

What happens depends on the gate's mode (set by office in Settings → Compliance):

  • Off — the gate doesn't run. Save proceeds.
  • Warn — the event posts as compliant but the row is flagged in the audit log. You'll see a yellow banner explaining what's flagged.
  • Block — the event posts in a non-compliant state and a compliance override request is opened automatically. A supervisor with the right approver permission decides from the office queue. You'll see a red banner explaining the gate and that the row is queued for review.

You can't override a gate yourself. The technician role has no override permission. If you genuinely need the work to count as compliant, hand off to a supervisor — see the override-requests guide.

Common situations​

SituationWhat to do
Your cert just renewed but the dropdown shows it expiredOffice may not have updated the Expiration date on the cert record yet. Pick the cert, save, and ask the office to refresh the date. The event still posts.
You don't see your cert in the dropdownEither you have no cert on file, or you haven't saved the row after picking yourself as the technician. Save once with the technician set, then re-open the row.
The cylinder you used isn't in the recovery dropdownThe cylinder isn't registered. Either pick a registered cylinder, or pause the work order and ask the office to register the new one. See Register Recovery Equipment.
The unit has an open leak-repair episode and you need to top it offSave the row. In Block mode, the event posts non-compliant and queues a supervisor review. In Warn mode, the event posts but is flagged. Either way, document why in the row's Notes.
You added the wrong quantityEdit the row, change the quantity, save again. The original event is updated, not duplicated, until the work order moves to waiting_approval.

Troubleshooting​

Saving the row shows red bordering and an EPA gate banner.

A Block-mode gate fired. Read the banner — it names the gate (cert, top-off, recovery equipment) and what's missing. The event still posts, but in a non-compliant state queued for supervisor review. There's no technician-side override.

You see a banner You do not have an active EPA certification on file.

Either you have no cert on file, or your cert is expired. Tell the office. They'll add or renew the cert via Record a Technician Certification. Until then, charges save with cert gating fired (see above).

The refrigerant icon is missing from the row.

The catalog item isn't flagged as a regulated refrigerant. Either you picked a non-refrigerant item by mistake, or the catalog needs an update. Ask the office.

You picked a destination but the recovery dropdown is empty.

No registered recovery equipment matches the destination kind, or all your registered cylinders are over their hydrostatic retest deadline. Ask the office to register a new one or run the retest. See Register Recovery Equipment.