Leak Check Procedure as approved by the Commission
The Commission has standardised the procedure for leak checking to meet the obligations of the F Gas Regulations for stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment over 3kg charge size. This Regulation does not apply to equipment with hermetically sealed systems, which are labelled as such and contain less than 6 kg of fluorinated greenhouse gases.
Leak checks must be carried out:
- At least annually for applications with 3kg or more of F-gases (unless the equipment is hermetically sealed and labelled as such, in which case the threashhold is up to 6kg). At least once every six months for applications with 30kg or more of F-gases
- At least once every three months for applications with 300kg or more of F-gases
- Leak checks must be carried out by F Gas Certified (qualified) personnel. See Certification guidance.
- If a leak is detected and repaired, a further check must be carried out within one month to ensure that the repair has been effective
- A record of maintenance and servicing activity must be kept for each system
- Leakage detection systems must be installed on applications with 300 kg or more of F-gases, and when these are in place, checking requirements are halved
Further Guidance
F Gas Support
UK Government have set up a free helpline to deal with individual queries about the F Gas Regulations and to provide a central resource for information, particularly for end users but also for anyone else affected by the F Gas or ODS Regulations. The following contact points are now in operation:
Telephone Helpline: 0161 874 3663 Email: Fgas-support@enviros.com Website: www.defra.gov.uk/fgas