How often must F-gas leak checks be carried out?
- 4tasks
- 11sources
- checked on
- Englandscope
It depends on the refrigerant charge, measured in tonnes of CO2 equivalent: at least every 12 months for 5 to under 50 tonnes, every 6 months for 50 to under 500 tonnes and every 3 months for 500 tonnes or more. A fixed leak detection system doubles each interval.
What to do, and how often
| Task | How often | Who | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leak check by a certified technician Applies to: Equipment containing 5 to less than 50 tonnes CO2 equivalent of F-gas | Every year | Operator of the equipment, using an F-gas certified technician | Law Article 4(3)(a) of the assimilated F-gas Regulation: at least every 12 months, or every 24 months where a leak detection system is installed. SourcesS1S4S11S5S6 |
| Leak check by a certified technician Applies to: Equipment containing 50 to less than 500 tonnes CO2 equivalent of F-gas | Every 6 months | Operator of the equipment, using an F-gas certified technician | Law Article 4(3)(b) of the assimilated F-gas Regulation: at least every six months, or every 12 months where a leak detection system is installed. SourcesS2S4S6 |
| Leak check by a certified technician Applies to: Equipment containing 500 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more of F-gas | Every 3 monthsEvery 3 months, or every 6 months with the leak detection system that article 5 requires | Operator of the equipment, using an F-gas certified technician | Law Article 4(3)(c) of the assimilated F-gas Regulation: at least every three months, or every six months where a leak detection system is installed. Article 5 requires a leak detection system on equipment of this size. SourcesS3S4S10S7 |
| Check the automatic leak detection system Applies to: Equipment that must have a leak detection system (500 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more) | Every year | F-gas certified technician | Law Article 5(3) of the assimilated F-gas Regulation requires leakage detection systems to be checked at least once every 12 months. SourcesS9S8 |
Where a row says who or what it applies to, the task is for that case only.
The law
Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 on fluorinated greenhouse gases, which remains part of the law in Great Britain, requires operators of stationary refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pump and fire protection equipment containing 5 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more of F-gas to have it checked for leaks at set intervals. The Environment Agency enforces the rules in England.
The standard
None. The intervals are set in legislation.
Records to keep
- F-gas equipment records showing each leak check and its result
- Details of the certified technician or company that did the check
- Records of leaks found, repairs and the follow-up check within one month
Notes
The trigger is the CO2 equivalent of the charge, not its weight, so the same weight of different refrigerants falls into different bands: government guidance gives 5 tonnes CO2 equivalent as about 2.4kg of R410A or 1.3kg of R404A. Hermetically sealed equipment is exempt below 10 tonnes CO2 equivalent.
If a leak is found it must be repaired as soon as possible and rechecked within a month.
Who delivers this in the group
Gemini AMPM
Delivered by Gemini AMPM. One number reaches every company in the group, day or night: 0330 043 0080.
Questions people ask
F-gas leak checks on air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pumps: which tasks are legal requirements?
Every task on this page rests on legislation: leak check by a certified technician (every year; equipment containing 5 to less than 50 tonnes CO2 equivalent of F-gas); leak check by a certified technician (every 6 months; equipment containing 50 to less than 500 tonnes CO2 equivalent of F-gas); leak check by a certified technician (every 3 months; equipment containing 500 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more of F-gas); check the automatic leak detection system (every year; equipment that must have a leak detection system (500 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more)).
F-gas leak checks on air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pumps: who should carry out each task?
Operator of the equipment, using an F-gas certified technician: leak check by a certified technician. F-gas certified technician: check the automatic leak detection system.
F-gas leak checks on air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pumps: what records should you keep?
Keep these records: F-gas equipment records showing each leak check and its result; details of the certified technician or company that did the check; records of leaks found, repairs and the follow-up check within one month.
Sources
Every task and legal statement is supported by at least one source fetched over HTTPS and read on the date shown. Quotes are verbatim and 25 words or fewer. A second, independent verification pass re-fetched every source and re-read the legislation on 5 October 2026. Intervals taken from British Standards were checked against published summaries of those standards by trade bodies and government guidance, because the standards themselves are paid publications.
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legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · UK version as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“at least every 12 months; or where a leakage detection system is installed, at least every 24 months”
Supports: Legal interval for 5 to under 50 tonnes CO2 equivalent
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legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · UK version as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“at least every six months or, where a leakage detection system is installed, at least every 12 months”
Supports: Legal interval for 50 to under 500 tonnes CO2 equivalent
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legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · UK version as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“at least every three months or, where a leakage detection system is installed, at least every six months”
Supports: Legal interval for 500 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more
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legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · UK version as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“shall ensure that the equipment is checked for leaks”
Supports: The operator's duty to have equipment checked for leaks
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Checking F gas equipment for leaks ↗
Environment Agency and Defra (GOV.UK) · Published 21 August 2019 · read on
“At least once every 12 months”
Supports: Government table of leak check frequencies
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Checking F gas equipment for leaks ↗
Environment Agency and Defra (GOV.UK) · Published 21 August 2019 · read on
“If you install a system to automatically detect leaks, you can double the period of time allowed between leak checks.”
Supports: Leak detection doubles the permitted period
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Checking F gas equipment for leaks ↗
Environment Agency and Defra (GOV.UK) · Published 21 August 2019 · read on
“You must fit a leak detection system if your equipment contains F gas equivalent to 500 tonnes or more of carbon dioxide.”
Supports: Leak detection is compulsory at 500 tonnes or more
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Checking F gas equipment for leaks ↗
Environment Agency and Defra (GOV.UK) · Published 21 August 2019 · read on
“every year on all other equipment containing F gas”
Supports: Leak detection systems must themselves be checked
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legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · UK version as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“shall ensure that leakage detection systems are checked at least once every 12 months”
Supports: Legal duty to check leakage detection systems every 12 months
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legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · UK version as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“shall ensure that the equipment is provided with a leakage detection system which alerts the operator or a service company of any leakage”
Supports: Legal duty to fit a leakage detection system at 500 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more
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legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · UK version as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“the checks shall be carried out by natural persons certified in accordance with the rules provided for in Article 10”
Supports: Leak checks must be carried out by certified persons