New fluorinated gas legislation from the European Union means that from July UK refrigerant gas manufacturers must adhere to strict regulation.
Under the previous system, contractors would be able to top up leaking refrigerant systems but from July 4th, this will change. The f-gas guidelines will require contractors to work within a tightly regulated system of containment to ensure refrigerant leaks are repaired quickly and effectively, all leak repair work is logged and systems are subject to a timetable of regular checks depending on the size of refrigerant charge.
The wording of the European statute requires owners to first prevent leakage of fluorinated gases, second to repair any detected as soon as possible and finally check the leak repair within a month to ensure it has been effective.
Article three of the law also sets out the following timetable for systems to be checked for leaks: at least every 12 months for systems charged with more than 3kg of fluorinated gas (hermetically sealed systems 6kg); every six months for systems carrying 30kg or more; every three months for systems containing 300kg or more. Monitoring equipment is required for systems of 300kg plus and should be tested annually.
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