Modern refrigerant systems are designed to be efficient and leak free. Refrigerant systems are pressurized and, in reality, it is widely accepted that no pressurized system is entirely leak free; it is simply a case of how much and where the system is leaking. Often these leaks may be minimal and barely detectable, but improper installations, inadvertent damage, mechanical wear, and a lack of maintenance can result in larger leaks that require mitigation. A larger refrigerant leak has a number of undesirable consequences for hotel owners and occupants, including:
Since introduction in the early 1980s, variable refrigerant volume (VRV) and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) types of HVAC systems have become increasingly prevalent in their use in the hotel sector. They present advantages including per-room control of temperature, cost-effective and efficient installation, and both cooling and heating capability. The design of these systems is such that, in the event of a leak, the refrigerant charge that could leak into an occupied space is higher than in older types of HVAC systems, which increases the risk of the undesirable safety, environmental, and efficiency/cost consequences mentioned above.