Don’t Fall Foul of the Law

Operators / End Users Responsibility under F-Gas Regulation EC No 842/2006

The obligations in the new regulation for stationary refrigeration systems with more than 3kg of F-gas HFC refrigerant came into force on July 4th 2007 and are as follows:

General obligations to prevent leakage: Using all measures which are technically feasible and do not entail disproportionate cost operators must: (a) prevent leakage of HFC refrigerants and (b) as soon as possible repair any detected leakage.

Regular leak testing: Systems must be checked for leakage by certified personnel on a regular basis. “Checked for leakage” means that the equipment or system is examined for leakage using direct or indirect measuring methods, focusing on the parts of the equipment or system most likely to leak. The frequency of testing depends on the refrigerant charge:

Systems with 3kg to 30kg must be checked annually.
Systems with 30kg to 300kg must be checked once every six months.
Systems with more than 300kg must be tested once every three months.
Systems must be re-checked within one month after a leak has been repaired to ensure the repair has been effective (this can be carried out at the time of the repair).

Plant with more than 300kg must be fitted with an F-gas leak detection system, which is defined as: “a calibrated mechanical, electrical or electronic device for detecting leakage of refrigerants which, on detection alerts the operator”. The detection system must be checked at least once a year to ensure proper functionality.

For any plant fitted with a leakage detection system, the frequency of leak checking can be halved, although an annual check remains the minimum frequency.

Maintaining records: Records must be kept about each system with more than 3kg of F-gas HFC refrigerant.
The records must include:
The quantity and type of HFC refrigerants installed in each system.
The quantity of refrigerant added.
The quantity of refrigerant recovered during servicing, maintenance and final disposal.
Other relevant information including the identification of the company or technician who performed the servicing or maintenance, as well as the dates and results of leakage checks and leakage detection checks.
These records shall be made available on request to the competent authority and to the commission.

Gas recovery: If F-gas refrigerant needs to be removed from a system (e.g. to gain access to part of a system for maintenance or during system de-commissioning at the end of life) it must be properly recovered by certified personnel. After recovery the refrigerant can be reused or sent for reclamation or destruction.

Use of adequately qualified staff: Personnel carrying out leak testing, gas recovery, installation and maintenance must have a suitable refrigerant handling qualification.

Labelling: Any new system placed on the market must clearly state the type and quantity of refrigerant used.