Leak in a restaurant at dinner time - a customer who wants to sign away the risk

1. Stop and keep people out of the affected zone. R-32 is an A2L mildly flammable refrigerant; in a low 2.6 m ceiling space with an open LPG flame next door, a leak that is still escaping can accumulate near the floor and find an ignition source. Ask staff to move diners away from the archway and stop seating new guests in that area.
2. Do not operate electrical switches, plugs or the AC remote inside the space; a spark at a switch is an ignition source. Isolate the air conditioner at the distribution board, which should be outside the dining area, and tag it.
3. Ventilate: open external doors and windows and, if available, use the kitchen exhaust fan rather than a ceiling fan that could spark. Get the LPG burners shut off while the area is cleared.
4. No smoking, no mobile phone use near the leak, no hot work.
5. Put on gloves and goggles before touching the joint; liquid refrigerant causes cold burns, and oil mist irritates eyes.
6. Re-check with an electronic leak detector and soap solution only after ventilation, then recover whatever charge remains into a recovery cylinder - which means waiting for it to be brought from the workshop.

None of this can be skipped because the customer is in a hurry; a refrigerant fire in a crowded restaurant is exactly the incident that safety rules exist to prevent.

No, on three counts.

Technically: the leak is at the flare and it is still open. Adding gas means the charge leaks out again within days, the unit runs with falling suction and low mass flow, and the compressor is cooled and lubricated less effectively - a route to overheating and seizure. Air and moisture also enter an almost-empty system through the open leak, so the oil and the expansion device are being contaminated every hour it is left. The proper sequence is recover, repair the flare, pressure test with dry nitrogen, triple evacuate and weigh in the charge.

Environmentally: R-32 has a GWP of about 675, so a 3.0 TR system holding roughly 2 kg represents well over a tonne of CO2 equivalent if released. Deliberate venting during a top-up without repair is avoidable emission and is exactly what the Montreal Protocol's Kigali Amendment and India's refrigerant rules are designed to stop.

Legally and professionally: venting refrigerant is not permitted, and servicing should be recorded with the refrigerant type and quantity. A top-up on a known leaking system is not a service; it is a repeated discharge. If the owner later has a problem, the technician's own job sheet saying 'leak found, gas added' is the evidence against him.

Be direct, calm and practical, and give the owner a way forward rather than a lecture.

Explain the risk in plain words: the gas is mildly flammable, the kitchen has open flames, the ceiling is low and the unit is nearly empty, so leaving it running or adding gas tonight is not safe. Say clearly that a signed indemnity slip cannot transfer a safety duty - it protects nobody and will not be accepted. Decline the cash offer politely and issue a proper invoice, because the job needs a record for both sides.

Offer options that fit his business: the gas must be recovered first, so the earliest realistic repair is after closing, around 10:30 pm, or first thing tomorrow; meanwhile his alternative is a couple of stand fans or a portable unit away from the kitchen. Quote the flare repair, nitrogen test, evacuation and weighed charge as a fixed price in writing before starting, so there is no argument later.

Hand over a job sheet showing the leak location, the repair, the pressure test result, the evacuation level, the final charge by weight, the refrigerant type (R-32/GWP 675) and the date, plus a short written note that the system must be leak-checked again next season. That record is what makes the customer come back to you rather than to the cheapest number in the market.