(a) Compliance schedule. The owner or operator shall comply with this section no later than the compliance dates specified in the referencing subpart.

(b) Leak detection. Unless otherwise specified in §63.1002(b), or §63.1016 of this subpart, or the referencing subpart, the owner or operator shall monitor all connectors within 5 days by the method specified in §63.1004(b) if evidence of a potential leak is found by visual, audible, olfactory, or any other detection method. No monitoring is required if the evidence of a potential leak is eliminated within 5 days. If an instrument reading of 10,000 parts per million or greater is measured, a leak is detected.

(c) Leak repair. If a leak is detected pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, then the leak shall be repaired using the procedures in §63.1005, as applicable.

(d) Special provisions for connectors—(1) Unsafe-to-monitor connectors. Any connector that is designated, as described in §63.1003(c)(1), as an unsafe-to-monitor connector is exempt from the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section and the owner or operator shall monitor according to the written plan specified in §63.1003(c)(5).

(2) Inaccessible, ceramic, or ceramic-lined connectors.

(i) Any connector that is inaccessible or that is ceramic or ceramic-lined (e.g., porcelain, glass, or glass-lined), is exempt from the monitoring requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, the leak repair requirements of paragraph (c) of this section, and the recordkeeping and reporting requirements of §§63.1017 and 63.1018. An inaccessible connector is a connector that meets any of the provisions specified in paragraphs (d)(2)(i)(A) through (d)(2)(i)(F) of this section, as applicable.

(A) Buried;

(B) Insulated in a manner that prevents access to the connector by a monitor probe;

(C) Obstructed by equipment or piping that prevents access to the connector by a monitor probe; or

(D) Unable to be reached from a wheeled scissor-lift or hydraulic-type scaffold that would allow access to connectors up to 7.6 meters (25 feet) above the ground.

(E) Inaccessible because it would require elevating the monitoring personnel more than 2 meters (7 feet) above a permanent support surface or would require the erection of scaffold;

(F) Not able to be accessed at any time in a safe manner to perform monitoring. Unsafe access includes, but is not limited to, the use of a wheeled scissor-lift on unstable or uneven terrain, the use of a motorized man-lift basket in areas where an ignition potential exists, or access would require near proximity to hazards such as electrical lines, or would risk damage to equipment.

(ii) If any inaccessible ceramic or ceramic-lined connector is noted to have a leak by visual, audible, olfactory, or other means, the leak to the atmosphere shall be eliminated as soon as practical.