Leak rate · 40 CFR 84.106(b)
Leak rate calculator
Free · no signupYou added refrigerant to an appliance that holds 15 pounds or more. The rule says calculate the leak rate every time. Full charge, what you added, the dates: the rate, the limit for that appliance, and whether the 30-day clock is running.
limit 20% · commercial refrigeration · 84.106(c)(2)(i)
40 CFR 84.106(b), (c), (d) · verified 2026-09-04 · arithmetic on the numbers you entered, kept as a record. It certifies nothing.
What the arithmetic is
The annualizing method: pounds added, divided by full charge, divided by the days since the previous addition, times 365. Nine and a half pounds into a 42-pound system 131 days after the last top-up is 22.6% over 131 days, which annualizes to 63.0%. The limit for commercial refrigeration is 20%.
Over the limit means the repair clock starts on the day of the addition. Thirty days, an initial verification test before the appliance returns to service, a follow-up test within ten days of that. Under the limit means the record says so, in ink. Nothing on this page is green because nothing on this page is approved; it is written down.
The rule allows a second method, the rolling average: every addition over the previous 365 days, summed, divided by full charge. A facility picks one method for all its appliances and keeps to it. The ledger in Wuzler Refrigerant Log carries both; this page runs the first.
40 CFR 84.106(b) · verified 2026-09-04 · the section text
Common questions
- When does the rule require a leak rate calculation?
- Every time refrigerant is added to a covered appliance, unless the addition immediately follows a retrofit or a new installation, or qualifies as a seasonal variance (40 CFR 84.106(b)). Covered means a full charge of 15 pounds or more of an HFC or a substitute with a GWP above 53, and not solely an ozone-depleting refrigerant or residential and light commercial air conditioning.
- What is the annualizing method?
- Pounds added to return the appliance to full charge, divided by the full charge; then divided by the shorter of the days since the last addition or 365, divided by 365; times 100. For the first calculation after January 1, 2026 the rule says to use 365 days (84.102, leak rate; 84.106(b)(1)).
- What is the limit for my appliance?
- 20 percent for commercial refrigeration, 30 percent for industrial process refrigeration, and 10 percent for comfort cooling, refrigerated transport and anything else covered (84.106(c)(2)). Commercial refrigeration includes the appliances in supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants and other food service, and cold storage.
- What happens when the rate is over the limit?
- Leaks must be identified and repaired by a certified technician within 30 days of the addition that exceeded the rate, or 120 days if an industrial process shutdown is required. The repair is documented by an initial verification test, made after the repair and before refrigerant is added back, and a follow-up test within 10 days of a successful initial test (84.106(d), (e)). The alternative is a retrofit or retirement plan within 30 days (84.106(h)).
- Does this page certify anything?
- No. It does the arithmetic the rule describes on the numbers you enter and shows the section each figure rests on. Whether an appliance is compliant is a question for the owner or operator and, where it comes to that, the EPA. Nothing you enter is sent or stored.