Air conditioning regas, with the leak found and fixed first

Why a regas on its own is the wrong fix

Air conditioning isn't like a car that burns fuel. The refrigerant goes round a closed circuit of pipes, coils and valves, over and over, for the life of the system. If the amount drops, it has escaped somewhere: a flare joint that has worked loose, a pinhole in a coil, a worn valve or a damaged pipe.

Topping up without finding that leak means paying for gas that will leak out again, sometimes within weeks. It also goes against the law. Under the F-Gas rules, operators must take precautions to prevent leaks and repair any leak found without undue delay. So we don't offer a top-up and go. Every regas starts with finding the leak.

Signs your system may be low on refrigerant

These can have other causes, such as dirty filters or a blocked outdoor coil, which is why we diagnose before quoting.

• It runs but blows cool, not cold, air, or struggles on hot days
• Ice or frost on the pipes, the indoor coil or the outdoor unit
• A hissing or bubbling sound from the pipes or the unit
• An error code that points to low refrigerant or high temperatures
• Oily marks on pipe joints, the outdoor unit or the trunking
• It takes much longer to reach the set temperature than it used to

How we find the leak and regas

1. 1

   Diagnose

   We check the filters, coils and fans, then measure pressures and temperatures to confirm whether the charge is really low.

2. 2

   Find the leak

   We check the joints, valves and coils with an electronic leak detector and bubble solution. Where needed, we recover the gas and pressure test the circuit with nitrogen.

3. 3

   Price

   You get a written price for the repair and regas before any work starts.

4. 4

   Repair

   We remake the faulty joint, or replace the leaking valve, pipe or coil, then pressure test to prove the repair holds.

5. 5

   Vacuum and refill

   We pull a deep vacuum to clear air and moisture, then weigh in the correct charge of the right refrigerant.

6. 6

   Test and record

   We run the system in cooling and heating, check the air temperatures and record the gas added, as the F-Gas rules require.

What a regas costs

Every regas starts with a diagnostic visit. It covers the first hour on site and comes off the bill if you go ahead. The repair and the refrigerant are priced in writing after diagnosis, because they depend on where the leak is and how much gas the system holds.

• Repair diagnostic visit

  First hour on site, deducted if you go ahead

  from£125inc. VAT

R32 and R410A: which gas is in your system?

The refrigerant type and the factory charge are printed on the label on the outdoor unit. A system must be refilled with the same refrigerant it was designed for.

GWP figures are from Annex I of the GB F-Gas Regulation. R410A is a 50/50 blend of R32 and R125, so its GWP is the average of the two.

Who can legally handle refrigerant

In Great Britain it's against the law to install, service, leak check, recover gas from or decommission air conditioning without the right F-Gas qualification. Releasing refrigerant into the air on purpose is banned. Breaking these rules can lead to a civil penalty.

Our engineers are F-Gas and REFCOM certified. We recover any gas we take out into proper recovery cylinders, never vent it, and keep a record of what was recovered and what was added.

When a regas isn't worth it

Most leaks are at a joint and are cheap to fix. A leak deep inside a corroded coil, or a system that has leaked several times, can cost more to repair than it's worth. If that's the case, we'll say so and give you the price of a repair and a replacement side by side, so you can choose.

If your system is still under the manufacturer's warranty, tell us when you book. A leak in a new system may be covered.

Regas questions