Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2023

HVACR NewsMagazine September 2023

Tech News

Leak Location #6: At the Service Valves

When the service valves are installed, if the torch is too close to them, they may overheat. If this happens, it is possible that the O-ring inside the service valve may partially melt or burn. The cap on the service valve only has a rim (see photo below) , and not a flare. The overall result is that refrigerant may leak out of the top of the service valve and cap.

Non-corrosive bubble leak detector has been added to both sides of this micro-channel coil and bubbles are forming at the leak spot.

Leak Location #7: On Micro Channel Coils

Micro channel coils use very thin aluminum fins in the heat transfer. Because of this, micro channel coils should not be installed near coastal areas. The thin aluminum fins break down fairly quickly when exposed to salt air (see photo below) . As such, a refrigerant leak can develop very quickly. In the pic below, on the ultrasonic leak detector, you can see the red indicator at level 9 of 10, signaling a leak (see following photo) .

Leak Location #8: The Filter Drier

Anything made of steel is prone to rusting, especially in a coastal area. When a filter drier is brazed on both sides, the paint gets burned and eventually flakes off. This area of exposed metal ends up rusting (see following photo) . The metal is not very thick, so this becomes a potential leak spot. Installing the filter drier inside the building is one way to reduce the likelihood of a leak since the filter drier will not be exposed to the outdoor elements. Continued on next page.

Arkansas is blessed with relationships with nationally known authors who allow us to carry their articles in the Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine. The magazine is dependent on these authors. Our goal is to provide timely and accurate information to help our contractors and technicians be more professional and successful. Most of the authors have their own website and we encourage you to visit them. Much of the information is free either in print or on YouTube or podcast. We live in a time when educational materials are available at the click of a button. This technology is new to many of us in our industry but to the young folks it is common. Hurray for the young folks. We who are not so young will do out best to stay current as well.