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Gas leak detector spray: brush, aerosol, or neither

Updated: 22 October 2026

A gas leak detector spray, and the brush-on fluid sold next to it, lays a film so a leak shows as bubbles on a joint that is already under gas or air pressure. Fluorescent dyes and pool tracers do a different job and are not in this set. This page is the trade-off: which form you can aim, and which listing actually states a standard. The [leak detection spray comparison](/hub/measuring-equipment/leak-detection-spray) holds the six-row table, the prices, and the review notes from the amazon.co.uk capture on 19 October 2026. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A gas leak detector spray, and the brush-on fluid sold next to it, lays a film so a leak shows as bubbles on a joint that is already under gas or air pressure.

Our top picks

Arctic Hayes Arctic Hayes PH026, 250 ml

Best overall

Arctic Hayes Arctic Hayes PH026, 250 ml
8.9/10about £4.33
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Everbuild Everbuild P18, 400 ml

Alternative

Everbuild Everbuild P18, 400 ml
7.6/10about £8.38
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Arctic Hayes Arctic Hayes PH026M, 120 ml

Best value

Arctic Hayes Arctic Hayes PH026M, 120 ml
8.5/10about £3.83
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What a gas leak detector spray actually is
  2. 2.Brush, aerosol, or a pump you will not find here
  3. 3.The BS EN 14291 line, and oxygen
  4. 4.How the six listings split

What a gas leak detector spray actually is

A leak detection fluid is a ready-made surfactant. You put it on a joint that is already holding pressure, and escaping gas blows a bubble in the film. It does not sniff a room, it does not find a leak inside a wall, and it does not prove an installation is tight. Gas Safe guidance still treats tightness testing as a gauge procedure. The fluid is a way to see a leak at a point you can reach, then wipe it off. Dyes colour water or oil. They do not foam on a gas thread. If the bullets talk about ultraviolet light, a pool, or refrigerant oil, you are in the wrong aisle. An electronic sniffer is not one of these six listings.

Brush, aerosol, or a pump you will not find here

A brush wins when you have one fitting and you want the liquid on the thread rather than on the lagging. In this capture the Arctic Hayes PH026M is 120 ml at £3.83, and the PH026 is 250 ml at £4.33. Both put the brush in the cap. UK reviews say the fluid shows leaks, and that the brush falls out of the lid, so a dry joint can mean a brush on the floor. On the 250 ml bottle, dirty fluid works less well. The 120 ml bottle can look dear once you see how small it is. An aerosol wins when you have several joints. Everbuild, Liqui Moly, and Rothenberger are 400 ml cans. The Arctic Hayes PH020 listing is two 400 ml sprays at £11.98, though the included-components line names one can. Everbuild’s UK reviews show bubbles when the can works, and a dribble when the propellant has gone. Pump sprays and Calor’s own 500 ml atomiser are not ASINs in this table.
Arctic Hayes Arctic Hayes PH026, 250 ml

Testsieger

Arctic Hayes Arctic Hayes PH026, 250 ml
8.9/10about £4.33
View offer

The BS EN 14291 line, and oxygen

BS EN 14291:2004 is the British Standard for foam-producing solutions used to find leaks on gas installations. The buyer-facing point is a ready-to-use foam solution for the gas families it covers. This page does not paste the text of the standard. In the 19 October 2026 Amazon bullets, only the three Arctic Hayes listings say they meet it. Everbuild, Liqui Moly, and Rothenberger do not. Do not promote those three because a star rating is high, or because a maker site mentions DVGW. DVGW on Rothenberger’s UK page is a different sentence. DVSA says MOT stations, other than class 1 and 2, must hold a proprietary spray that meets BS EN 14291:2004. That cupboard rule does not make the Everbuild can approved. You still wipe the fluid off afterwards. Oxygen is not a category rule. Arctic Hayes’ pages exclude it on the PH026, PH026M, and PH020. Everbuild’s data sheet lists it at 25–30 cm. Follow the sheet for the can in your hand.

How the six listings split

Take the brush when you want BS EN 14291:2004 on the card, and an aerosol when you will wet a row of fittings. Only the PH020 states that standard among the cans. Washing-up liquid is a different problem, on the leak detection spray vs soapy water page. These prices are the 19 October 2026 shelf.

Common questions

Brush bottle or aerosol for a first buy?
Take the brush if you have one or two joints and you want the fluid on the thread. The PH026 at £4.33 states BS EN 14291:2004 and holds 250 ml. Take an aerosol if you are wetting several fittings and you can cope with overspray. Everbuild’s UK reviews show both a useful foam and a can that dribbles, so a first aerosol is only a good buy if a dead tin is easy to return.
Which of these listings state BS EN 14291?
In this capture, the Arctic Hayes PH026M, PH026, and PH020 bullets say they meet BS EN 14291:2004. Everbuild P18, Liqui Moly 3350, and Rothenberger RoTest do not state that standard in the saved Amazon bullets. A DVGW line on Rothenberger’s own UK page is not a substitute for that sentence.
Is a leak spray safe on oxygen?
Not as a category. Arctic Hayes tells you not to use the PH026, PH026M, or PH020 on oxygen, including medical oxygen on the PH020 maker page, even though the saved Amazon bullets omit that line. Everbuild’s data sheet does list oxygen. Use the sheet for the can in your hand, and do not copy one brand’s gas list onto another.
Why is a UV dye in the same search?
The word leak is shared. Dye kits colour a liquid so a stain shows under a lamp, or they trace a pool. They were taken out of this comparison because they are not bubble fluids. If the bullets mention ultraviolet, fluorescein, or a refrigerant oil, keep looking for a foam spray or a brush bottle.
Does a high star count beat a stated standard?
No. Liqui Moly is 4.5 from 2,232 and does not state BS EN 14291:2004, and most of the first 50 texts are not UK reviews. The PH026 is 4.3 from 106, states the standard, and the saved texts are British. Stars are a shopper average, not a leak-rate test and not a Gas Safe certificate.

Related pages

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Best leak detection spray

Caravan gas leak spray

Leak detection spray

Leak detection spray vs soapy water on a gas joint

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures captured with these six listings. The price bands are this set, not a market average.

  1. HSE: domestic gas FAQ (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. National Gas: emergency contacts (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. SGN: smell gas (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Gas Safe Technical Bulletin 059 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Installer Online: tightness testing and direct purging (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. MOT inspection manual 6.1.3 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. MOT testing guide, section D (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. EIGA Doc 78 (retrieved 19 October 2026)