Free Compliance Tools
Refrigerant Leak Repair Deadline Calculator
Free · Every 40 CFR § 84.106 date from one exceedance date · Nothing stored
A leak rate came back over the threshold. From that day, Subpart C starts several clocks at once: 30 days to repair and pass the initial verification test, the same 30 days to file an extension request if you need one, 10 days after the initial test for the follow-up test, and — once the follow-up passes — a quarterly or annual inspection schedule. Enter the exceedance date and this tool lays them all out, each with its citation. It runs the same engine that opens the repair action inside Ref LeakLog.
Project the Clocks
The Exceedance
The service date of the refrigerant addition whose calculated leak rate crossed the threshold — not the repair date.
Sets the inspection cadence: commercial & industrial units ≥ 500 lbs inspect quarterly, everything else annually.
Verification Tests (optional)
Starts the 10-day follow-up window.
Anchors the recurring inspection schedule and restarts the rolling-average window.
What this doesn't model
- Mothballing (§ 84.106(d)(3)) suspends the repair clock while the appliance is evacuated to at least atmospheric pressure — not projected here.
- A filed extension moves the effective deadline; the table shows the federal baseline and the outer cap only.
- Whether the leak rate actually exceeded — use a leak rate calculator for that.
Repair deadline · Comfort Cooling
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| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Enter the exceedance date to project the clocks. |
Every date is computed by the same open engine that runs inside Ref LeakLog (lib/compliance.ts) — calendar days, no business-day adjustment, exactly as 40 CFR § 84.106 counts them. Extensions, mothballing, and repairs re-opened by a later exceedance change the real deadlines; the product tracks those, this page does not.
How the Subpart C Clocks Fit Together
The anchor is the calculation, not the repair. § 84.106(d) counts 30 days (120 with an industrial process shutdown) “of when refrigerant is added” and the calculated leak rate exceeds the threshold. Everything else on the page hangs off that date. If you are unsure whether the rate actually exceeded, run the numbers in a leak rate calculator first.
Repair, initial test, and extension request share one deadline. The initial verification test must pass inside the repair window (§ 84.106(e)(1)), and an extension request must be submitted inside it too (§ 84.106(f)(4)). Miss the window and the extension is not available, however good the reason. The full filing procedure is in the extension post.
The follow-up test is what closes the repair. It is due within 10 days of the successful initial test — later if the appliance was evacuated and has to return to normal operating conditions first (§ 84.106(e)(2)). That date is the most valuable one in the file: it restarts the rolling-average window and anchors the inspection schedule. Read why.
The inspection schedule starts when the follow-up passes. Commercial refrigeration and industrial process appliances of 500 lbs or more inspect once every three months; everything else once per year (§ 84.106(g)(1)). It ends after four consecutive clean quarters, or one clean year on the annual tier.
A failed repair opens a second clock. § 84.106(h) requires a retrofit or retirement plan within 30 days of the failure (or of a decision to retire rather than repair), completed within one year of the plan's date. The calculator shows the latest possible dates.
Mothballing pauses the clock; the tool doesn't. Evacuating the appliance to at least atmospheric pressure under § 84.106(d)(3) suspends the repair period until refrigerant is added back. That is tracked in the product, not projected here. For the whole workflow end to end, start with the repair-workflow pillar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 30 days start when I finish the repair?
No. Under 40 CFR § 84.106(d) the owner or operator must repair the leaks within 30 days (120 days if an industrial process shutdown is required) of when the refrigerant was added and the calculated leak rate exceeded the applicable threshold. The clock anchors on that addition date — not on the diagnosis, the work order, or the day the repair is completed. The initial verification test also has to pass inside the same window (§ 84.106(e)(1)).
Is the follow-up test 10 days after the repair or after the initial test?
After the initial test. § 84.106(e)(2) requires the follow-up verification test within 10 days of the successful initial verification test — or, if the appliance or component was evacuated for the repair, within 10 days of it reaching normal operating characteristics and conditions. The calculator uses the initial-test anchor, which is the conservative (never later) projection.
What if I can't get parts in 30 days?
§ 84.106(f) lets you request more time when a necessary component is unavailable — up to 30 days after delivery of the part, but not more than 180 days (270 with an industrial process shutdown) from the date the appliance exceeded the leak rate. The catch is § 84.106(f)(4): the request must be submitted to EPA within the original 30-day window. There is no retroactive extension, which is why the calculator shows the filing date as its own milestone.
Does an industrial process shutdown change the deadline?
Yes, for industrial process refrigeration only. § 84.106(d) gives 120 days instead of 30 when the repair requires shutting down an industrial process, and § 84.106(f)(1)(iii) raises the parts-extension cap from 180 to 270 days. Comfort cooling, commercial refrigeration, and transport refrigeration appliances stay on the 30-day clock regardless.
When does the retrofit or retirement plan come due?
§ 84.106(h)(1) requires the plan within 30 days of the triggering event — a decision to retrofit or retire instead of repair, a failure to repair, or an appliance that keeps leaking above the threshold after the required repairs and tests. The calculator shows the latest case (a repair that fails on its deadline); if you decide to retire the unit earlier, the 30 days run from that decision. All work under the plan must be finished within one year of the plan's date (§ 84.106(h)(5)(i)).
How often do I have to inspect after the repair passes?
§ 84.106(g)(1) starts a recurring leak-inspection schedule after the successful follow-up verification test: once every three months for commercial refrigeration and industrial process appliances with a full charge of 500 pounds or more, and once per year for smaller commercial/industrial units and all comfort cooling appliances. It ends after four consecutive clean quarters (or one clean year for the annual tier).
Does this calculator file anything with EPA or record anything?
No. It is a free, client-side projection of the federal dates from a single exceedance date; nothing is stored or transmitted. Filing an extension, keeping the § 84.106(l) records, and tracking the deadlines across a fleet are what Ref LeakLog does inside the product.
The Clock Should Start Itself
In Ref LeakLog, the moment a tech logs the pounds that push a unit over its threshold, the repair action opens with this deadline attached — then tracks the verification tests, extensions, mothballing, and the inspection schedule for every appliance in the fleet.
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Ref LeakLog is an independent product and is not affiliated with, approved by, or endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The dates reflect 40 CFR § 84.106 as published at ecfr.gov in August 2026; the regulation controls, not the calculator.