F-Gas Compliance for Surrey Business Owners

What F-Gas regulations actually cover

F-Gas regulations govern fluorinated gases, including the refrigerants used in most air conditioning systems, because of their potential impact on the environment if released into the atmosphere. The rules cover how these refrigerants are installed, serviced, checked for leaks and eventually recovered when a system is decommissioned.

For business owners, the practical effect is that certain activities around your air conditioning system, particularly anything involving the refrigerant circuit, must be carried out by an engineer holding the appropriate F-Gas qualification, generally referred to as an F-Gas certificate.

Why this matters for business owners

You don't need to become an expert in the regulations, but it's worth knowing enough to check that whoever installs or services your system is properly qualified, and to understand what records you should be keeping. Non-compliance isn't just a technical issue, since it can affect insurance and, for larger systems, brings a legal obligation around leak checking that some business owners aren't aware of until it's raised with them.

Leak check requirements by refrigerant charge

Systems are required to undergo periodic leak checks, and how often this needs to happen depends on the quantity of refrigerant, measured in tonnes of CO2 equivalent, contained within the system. Larger commercial systems with a bigger refrigerant charge need more frequent checks than a small single-room unit.

This is one of the areas we get asked about most, since it's not always obvious from the outside how much refrigerant a system holds or which category it falls into. We can confirm this as part of a service visit and advise on what leak check frequency applies to your equipment.

Broadly, what affects your leak check obligations

• The type and quantity of refrigerant in the system, measured in CO2 equivalent tonnes
• Whether the system has a leak detection system fitted, which can extend the interval between checks
• Whether the system is hermetically sealed and below certain thresholds, which can exempt it from routine checks
• Record keeping requirements, which apply regardless of check frequency

Using a properly qualified installer or engineer

Anyone working on the refrigerant circuit of your system, whether installing, servicing, repairing or decommissioning it, should hold an appropriate F-Gas qualification. As a REFCOM registered company, we hold the relevant certification for the work we carry out, and this is worth checking with any contractor you engage, not just for a new installation but for ongoing servicing too.

Record keeping expectations

Businesses with qualifying systems are generally expected to keep records of installation, servicing, any leak checks carried out, and refrigerant added or recovered over the life of the equipment. These records should be available if requested and are also genuinely useful for your own understanding of how a system has performed over time.

We provide documentation for the work we carry out, which can form part of this record, but if you've inherited a system installed by someone else, it's worth checking what records exist and filling any gaps where practical.

End-of-life and system replacement

When a system reaches the end of its life or is being replaced, refrigerant must be properly recovered rather than vented, and this is another activity that falls under F-Gas rules. If you're planning to replace an old commercial system, this is something to factor into the project alongside the new installation itself.

What we check as part of routine servicing

When we service a commercial system, we check for signs of refrigerant leakage, confirm the system is operating within expected parameters, and keep a record of what was found and any refrigerant added. This forms a useful ongoing record for compliance purposes and also helps flag any developing issue before it becomes a larger repair.