Storage tank scale for a refrigerant recovery system

A refrigerant recovery system that includes a refrigerant storage container, means for withdrawing refrigerant from a refrigeration system and feeding such refrigerant to said container for storage, a scale supporting said container for supplying an electrical signal to indicate impending overfill of said container, and means for directing said electrical signal to said refrigerant-withdrawing means to terminate operation of said refrigerant-withdrawing means when said scale indicates impending overfill of said container;

• characterized in that said scale comprises:
• a support base, a rigid beam horizontally cantilevered from said base, means carried by said beam at an end thereof remote from said base and adapted to support said container such that weight of said container and of refrigerant contained therein deflects said beam end vertically downwardly, an electrical switch carried by said base beneath said base-remote end of said beam and having a switch actuator extending upwardly toward said base-remote end of said beam, means carried by said beam spaced from said actuator in the absence of deflection of said beam for engaging said switch actuator upon a set amount of deflection of said base-remote end of said beam toward said switch actuator, and means on said beam spaced from said support base in the absence of deflection of said beam forming a stop for abutting engagement between said beam and said base to limit deflection of said beam toward said switch actuator and thereby protect said switch and actuator from damage due to excessive weight on said base-remote end of said beam.