The Leak Detectorists: unsung heroes or dedicated sleuths?
In our collective fight for our planet, what the world doesn’t need is leaking refrigerant, but leaks happen, it’s the nature of the beast. So, it’s just as well that our industry is blessed with engineers who know how to track those leaks down and, in many cases, prevent them from happening in the first place. We explore the challenges as well as the benefits ahead...
The rewards are huge
Their actions have far-reaching benefits for their customers. First they save organisations money through minimising down time, second, they save customers from the loss of reputation that goes hand-in-hand with poorly maintained equipment and last, but not least, they save customers from prosecution due to non-compliance. As engineers go, these detectorists deserve recognition for their daily contribution to keeping us all cool.
We know from our own research, conducted last year, that ACR engineers support compliance and are diligent in checking for leaks not only at a planned service, but during the course of a repair. But the scale of problem only continues to grow. A rising global population, hotter temperatures and a buoyant retail sector have led to unprecedented sales of commercial and domestic AC units and refrigeration units and, with this, comes the increased probability of refrigerant leks.
REFCOM tells us that, in the UK alone, 400 tonnes of refrigerant gas are lost annually, but that’s an estimate and it could be far higher. The only way to really understand the size of this problem, and to promote vigilance by the owners of the appliances, is by recording all leaks, from the amount of refrigerant lost to the time it took to repair the leak. This kind of data is vital if we are to police this area effectively.
Doing nothing can be expensive
Although refrigerant gases are getting safer environmentally with a low or no Global Warming Potential (GWP), there are still units out there using gases that will harm the environment if they leak. And, if the leaking refrigerant is ammonia, which has a GWP rating of zero, it’s imperative that it’s stopped immediately, as it can harm your health or kill if it reaches high concentrations.
The penalty for not finding and repairing a refrigerant leak in, say, a commercial refrigeration unit can have far-reaching consequences. For example, slips and trips remain the single most common cause of major injury in the UK retail sector. According to the HSE (June 2021), a single incident can cost a company £15,000 or more, and that’s without counting the damage to reputation. As its figures are based on the findings of a major supermarket chain, we know the main culprit in this scenario is a leak from a refrigeration unit. This disaster-domino-effect-in-the-making can be managed by having preventative measures in place. Why not install a safety switch connected to the store’s electrical alarm system, to provide an early warning of a potential operating issue? Why not set up an annual leak detection maintenance programme?
To help we have put together a handy checklist flyer for you to pass on to your customers so they are aware of their obligations.
Supporting engineers to do their job
It’s clear that engineers have got their work cut out, but we’re here to support them all the way. We know that one size doesn’t fit all, and that you need the right tools to tackle a particular system, a specific refrigerant gas, so we’ve developed a range of easy-to-use and highly effective bubble-up detectors, electronic leak detectors and UV dyes and sealants to help them do just that.
Any system with a refrigerant gas could leak, it’s the nature of the beast, but our ACR engineers aka The Leak Detectorists, will find them, stop them and help save the planet from harmful emissions.
To help you choose the right product for the job we have created this handy Leak Detector Selector...
Leak Detection: We've got you covered
Which ever your method we have a full range of product to help you find those leaks fast.
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