Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine May 2022

HVACR NewsMagazine May 2022

Tech News

Know your leak detector's limitations

Even after you pinpoint a leak with an electronic detector, it’s a good idea to confirm it with some soap bubbles. Bubbles can also give you a better idea of the leak’s size.

Some leak detectors sound off near soap bubbles, certain cleaners, or when the tip is blocked by something. Make sure you also know what type of leak detector you have, as each type has different possible causes for false positives. Be sure to remember if you need to keep the detector moving at all times or if you can hover it over a leak. Keep your detector away from moisture at all times, as water can damage your leak detector. You will also want to change your sensor in heated diode leak detectors after 100 hours of use or so. To see if your leak detector still works, it helps to keep a test vial of refrigerant on hand; you can have your detector “sniff” the reference each time before you use it to make sure that it’s in the condition to pick up a leak. It helps to look for potential signs of a leak beforehand, including formicary corrosion and oil spots. When looking for hits, be sure to move slowly; don’t jump from one part of the system to another or speed through the lines too quickly, or you could miss something. You might also want to move from top to bottom, as refrigerant is heavier than air and is likely to sink, which may cause you to get a hit somewhere below the actual leak if you go from bottom to top. Once you do get a hit, it’s a good idea to pick it up multiple times to confirm that there is a leak. Leak detector care and maintenance Use your senses and other methods to locate leaks, too

The last resort for refrigerant leak detection: line isolation test

There may be some cases where you can’t find a leak at the coils OR the joints, valves, or fittings on a split system. In that case, you likely have a leak inside the line set and may need to do a line isolation test to confirm it. However, you BETTER be sure that you haven’t missed a leak in the coils or at a connection. Line set leaks seem to have been getting more common in ductless units lately, possibly due to the chemical properties of the white polyethylene insulators or poor-quality copper. In some cases, you may be able to tear