Recurring check of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump systems for leaks under the F-gas Regulation. The interval depends on the charge in CO₂ equivalent.
The leak test, called a leak check in the Regulation, examines refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump systems and other equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases for leaks. The legal basis is Article 5 of the F-gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573. Operators and manufacturers of equipment with at least 5 t CO₂ equivalent are obliged. For refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump systems, certified natural persons carry out the checks (Article 5(3)). The maximum interval is 12 months below 50 t CO₂ equivalent, six months from 50 t up to under 500 t, and three months from 500 t (Article 5(6)).
If a leak detection system is installed, the intervals extend to 24, 12 and six months. The system does not replace the check, it only stretches the interval. If a leak is detected, the equipment must be repaired without undue delay. After a repair, a certified person must check it, at the earliest after 24 hours of operation and at the latest within one month, to confirm that the repair was effective (Article 4(5)). For each piece of equipment, operators keep records, including quantities of gas added and the results of the checks, and they keep them for at least five years (Article 7).
For pricing and quotes, the line between this and servicing is important. The Regulation expressly excludes leak checks from the term “maintenance or servicing” (Article 3, point (18)). They are a separate item and should appear as such in quotes and invoices. If the maintenance contract mentions the check, verify that the number of checks matches the interval that applies to your charge. Too few checks is a violation, too many costs money for nothing.
What matters
- Determine the charge in t CO₂ equivalent for each system and the interval that follows from it.
- Check that the person doing the work holds a valid certificate.
- After a repair, ask for proof of the check within one month.
- Keep records per system: charge, top-ups, checks, repairs.
Suppose a refrigeration system is above 50 t but below 500 t CO₂ equivalent and has no leak detection system. It has to be checked every six months. The operator considers retrofitting a system that would extend the interval to twelve months. He weighs the system's cost against the checks saved and notes that the checks do not go away with the system.
In the original wording
“[…] at least every 12 months; or where a leakage detection system is installed in such equipment, at least every 24 months”
“Where a leakage of fluorinated greenhouse gases is detected, the operators and manufacturers of equipment […] shall ensure that the equipment or facility where fluorinated greenhouse gases are used is repaired without undue delay.”
Related regulations
In vi
- Deadlines & calendar: Every inspection, every maintenance, every cancellation has a date