Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine May 2025 Issue

HVACR NewsMagazine May 2025

Tech News

On top of that, allow some time for your temperature and pressure readings to stabilize, about 10 minutes or so, before adding more refrigerant. The less we have to recover later (ideally nothing), the better, even if it takes a little longer. Every pound of refrigerant we lose through leakage isn't just expensive — it may soon be irreplaceable if the packaging and supply chain issues aren't resolved. Customers depend on us to keep their systems running; we must use the refrigerant we have wisely. Our trainers worked to develop a training program based on leak detection, vacuum, and charging best practices. Below, you can find a list of HVAC School's free resources in case you want to pull any materials for your company's training programs. Leak Detection • Installation Best Practices: Brazing & Leak Checking (video) • Leak Search Tips From Bert (video) • Callback Prevention: Electronic Leak Detection (tech tip) • Refrigerant Leak Detection and Prevention: Epic Article (tech tip) Pressure Testing • Pressure Testing and Leak Checking (video) • How to Leak Test an AC With Nitrogen Pressure (video) Evacuation • How to Evacuate an AC system, Full Vacuum Procedure (video) • How and When to Use a Schrader Core Removal Tool (video) • How to Evacuate an Air Conditioning System (Fast and Deep Vacuum) (video) • Vacuum Best Practices (video) • Vacuum: Moisture vs. System Leak (tech tip by Don Gillis) • Two Tips for Tough Vacuum Jobs (tech tip by Matt Bruner)

Having a procedure in place for techs to document decay test results, as with the refrigerant usage, also promotes transparency and accountability whenever there are refrigerant-related callbacks. ALWAYS Use a Charging Scale and Allow Ample Time for the Readings to Stabilize With leak detection and evacuation out of the way, we can focus on the charging part of the equation. Whenever we charge or recover refrigerant, we should absolutely use a charging scale. Not just "when in doubt, weigh it out," but anytime we use these A2Ls. Whenever you're dealing with long line sets, you can use a calculator (again, like our Additional Charge Weight Calculator) to dial in the extra charge as accurately as possible.