The leak-check table
| System charge (CO₂e) | Minimum check interval | With automatic leak detection |
|---|---|---|
| Below 5 tCO₂e | No mandatory check | — |
| 5 to <50 tCO₂e | Every 12 months | Every 24 months |
| 50 to <500 tCO₂e | Every 6 months | Every 12 months |
| 500 tCO₂e or more | Every 3 months | Every 6 months — and an automatic leak-detection system is mandatory |
- Minimum check interval
- No mandatory check
- With automatic leak detection
- —
- Minimum check interval
- Every 12 months
- With automatic leak detection
- Every 24 months
- Minimum check interval
- Every 6 months
- With automatic leak detection
- Every 12 months
- Minimum check interval
- Every 3 months
- With automatic leak detection
- Every 6 months — and an automatic leak-detection system is mandatory
Systems of 500 tCO₂e or more must also carry a permanent automatic leak-detection system. Where a leak is found and repaired, the system must be re-checked within one month to confirm the repair held.
Hermetically sealed, labelled equipment below 10 tCO₂e is exempt from these intervals. From 10 tCO₂e it follows the same rows as any other system — the exemption raises the entry threshold, it does not remove the obligation.
Exemptions
- Below 5 tCO₂e. No mandatory leak check — many smaller units on lower-GWP refrigerants fall under the line.
- Hermetically sealed, labelled equipment — below 10 tCO₂e only. The regulation exempts equipment whose refrigerant joints are welded or brazed tight at manufacture (tested leakage rate under 3 g/year) and marked as hermetically sealed. The exemption lifts the entry threshold from 5 to 10 tCO₂e, and no further: at 10 tCO₂e or more the standard table applies again — 12 months at 10–<50 tCO₂e, 6 months at 50–<500 tCO₂e, and 3 months plus a mandatory permanent leak-detection system at 500 tCO₂e or more.
Calculating the tCO₂e
tCO₂e = charge (kg) × GWP ÷ 1,000
AR4 vs AR5: what is the difference?
Records
For every system that requires checks, keep the type and quantity of refrigerant, anything added or recovered, the results of each leak check, and the identity of the engineer and company that carried it out. Records must be retained for at least five years and produced to the regulator on request.
How Cryovo produces this
Cryovo carries an AR5 GWP table with the basis stated on every report, computes each system's tCO₂e from its real charge, applies the interval to each system individually, and flags units that need a permanent leak-detection system — so the schedule and the evidence come out of the same record.
General information, not legal advice — always check the current regulation and manufacturer instructions for your equipment and jurisdiction. New to the vocabulary? See the Help page and the glossary.