How often does my air conditioning need an F-Gas leak check?

It depends on the refrigerant charge in tonnes of CO₂ equivalent: 5–50 t every 12 months (24 with leak detection), 50–500 t every 6 months (12 with detection), and 500 t or more every 3 months (6 with detection, and detection is mandatory). Systems under 5 t CO₂e are exempt from mandatory checks.

Who can carry out F-Gas work?

Only engineers holding an F-Gas qualification (City & Guilds 2079 or equivalent) working for a company certified by REFCOM, Quidos or another approved body may install, service, leak-check or decommission systems containing fluorinated gases.

What records do I need to keep?

For each system: the refrigerant type and charge, quantities added or recovered, the results and dates of leak checks and the company and engineer who did them. Records must be kept for five years.

F-Gas Compliance for Commercial Refrigeration and Air Conditioning: Leak Checks, Records and the HFC Phase-Down

Fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) are the refrigerants in most commercial air conditioning, cold rooms, display cabinets and heat pumps. GB F-Gas Regulation places duties on operators to prevent leaks, check systems regularly and keep records — and the ongoing HFC phase-down is steadily changing which gases are affordable to top up.

Who is the operator?

The person or organisation with actual control over the technical functioning of the equipment. For a hotel or restaurant chain that is normally the operator, not the maintenance contractor, unless the contract explicitly transfers the duty.

Leak check frequency

Frequency is set by the charge expressed in tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (t CO₂e), which is the mass of refrigerant multiplied by its global warming potential (GWP).

| Charge (t CO₂e) | Without leak detection | With automatic leak detection | | --- | --- | --- | | 5 – < 50 | Every 12 months | Every 24 months | | 50 – < 500 | Every 6 months | Every 12 months | | ≥ 500 | Every 3 months | Every 6 months (detection mandatory) |

Example: a 10 kg charge of R410A (GWP 2088) is 20.9 t CO₂e — annual checks. A 30 kg charge of R404A (GWP 3922) is 117.7 t CO₂e — six-monthly.

Records you must keep

For every system above 5 t CO₂e:

Refrigerant type, GWP and charge
Quantities added (and why) and recovered
Dates and results of leak checks and any follow-up check after a repair (within one month)
The certified company and engineer

Keep records for five years and make them available to the regulator on request.

The HFC phase-down and what it means for your plant

The quota-based phase-down reduces the CO₂e of HFCs placed on the market year by year. High-GWP refrigerants such as R404A are already restricted for servicing in larger systems, and prices of remaining stock rise. Practical consequences:

Budget for replacement, not endless top-ups, on systems using R404A or R507.
Specify lower-GWP refrigerants (R32, R454B, CO₂, propane where appropriate) for new installations.
Fix leaks properly — a leaking system is both a compliance failure and an increasingly expensive one.

Combining F-Gas with PPM

F-Gas checks belong in the same compliance calendar as gas, water and electrical tasks so one engineer visit covers several statutory items. In AiMS each system carries its charge in CO₂e, the check frequency is calculated automatically and the certificate is stored against the asset. See our planned maintenance and compliance service and the wider PPM guide.

Frequently asked questions

How often does my air conditioning need an F-Gas leak check?: It depends on the refrigerant charge in tonnes of CO₂ equivalent: 5–50 t every 12 months (24 with leak detection), 50–500 t every 6 months (12 with detection), and 500 t or more every 3 months (6 with detection, and detection is mandatory). Systems under 5 t CO₂e are exempt from mandatory checks.
Who can carry out F-Gas work?: Only engineers holding an F-Gas qualification (City & Guilds 2079 or equivalent) working for a company certified by REFCOM, Quidos or another approved body may install, service, leak-check or decommission systems containing fluorinated gases.
What records do I need to keep?: For each system: the refrigerant type and charge, quantities added or recovered, the results and dates of leak checks and the company and engineer who did them. Records must be kept for five years.