Abstract: The present invention relates to a refrigerant recycling and reclaiming system capable of removing refrigerant from a refrigeration machine for filtering and reclaiming of the refrigerant, whereupon the refrigerant can be either stored or reintroduced into the refrigeration machine and reused rather than being lost to the atmosphere or otherwise wasted. The recycling and reclaiming system of the present invention is characterized in that it includes an evaporator and/or refrigerant storage tank which are contained within a thermal barrier, typically a water bath, which permits the system to operate at lower temperatures and pressures than systems heretofore known in the art. Lower temperatures and pressures in turn require a much smaller horsepower compressor unit resulting in a decrease in the physical size and operating cost of the system.