ROCKLEDGE, Fla. - Mainstream Engineering, a manufacturer of aftermarket service/maintenance products and supplier of education/certification products, is now offering a free R-410A online training and certification course - “R-410A Certification Program.”

The training course is available as a downloadable manual or packaged as a manual and interactive software with practice tests, study modules, and a certification test, all free of charge. The course was written by Mainstream Engineering President Robert P. Scaringe, P.E., Ph.D., a holder of more than 60 HVAC/thermal control/energy conversion patents and a former Florida Institute of Technology engineering professor, former research and development engineer at General Electric’s Heat Pump group, and a frequent speaker at industry educational conferences.

The comprehensive manual covers many topics such as evacuation requirements, safe handling procedures, and frequently asked questions, according to Ross Soyka, director of marketing and the coordinator of Mainstream Engineering’s 12-year-old contractor training services program that also includes EPA-608, EPA-609, Indoor Air Quality, and Preventive Maintenance certifications.

“We offered this program because there’s a lot of misinformation in the industry,” said Soyka. “EPA-608 certification, which includes an R-410A section, is still required, but a prevalent rumor in the industry that R-410A specific certification is required is not true. We offer this program free as a goodwill public service measure to help educate the industry on R-410A safety and practices.”

The course requires three to eight-hours to complete and can be finished by technicians as their schedule allows. Once completed, service techs can market themselves as certified in R-410A environmentally-friendly service practices with wallet IDs, wall certifications, arm patches, and truck decals, said the company.

For more information, visit www.epatest.com.

Publication date: 01/18/2010