Quick couplers, self-sealing hoses, or ______ ______ should be used (as low loss fittings) to minimize refrigerant release when hoses are connected and disconnected.

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Minimizing refrigerant release during hose connections and disconnections relies on fittings that can be kept sealed at the moment of changeover. Hand valves provide a controllable shutoff at the connection point, so you can close the valve before disconnecting and reopen after reattaching. This creates a low-loss path and greatly reduces the amount of refrigerant that can escape when hoses are swapped. Quick couplers and self-sealing hoses already help reduce loss, but the hand valve adds a reliable, manual means to isolate the flow precisely when handling hoses, which is why it’s the best choice among the options. Barbed fittings don’t seal reliably in this context, springs aren’t used to control flow to prevent leaks, and caps don’t provide a continuous, operable low-loss connection for regular service.