Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2023

HVACR NewsMagazine September 2023

Tech News

Leak Location #9: The Accumulator Tank

( NOTE : The accumulator tank is normally found in outdoor heat pumps. Unless it has been field installed by a technician, an accumulator tank is not usually found on an air conditioning system. There may be another steel item in an outdoor heat pump that resembles a filter drier. It is called the muffler, and this is located on the discharge gas off the compressor. This is another possible leak location to be aware of.) Leak Location #10: The Tubing at the Bottom of the Outdoor Condenser Coil Unit As stated above, leaves and other debris accumulate at the bottom of the outdoor unit. This debris sits around and basically rots the tubing at the bottom of the unit. (It doesn’t matter whether the tube is aluminum or copper, the leak tends to develop because of the location of the tube.) It is a good idea to hose down or use a pump sprayer, to remove leaves and other debris from the base of the outdoor condenser coil. It helps for the outside of the tubing to be wet when using an ultrasonic leak detector. Additionally, it helps when the system is turned on before leak searching and then is turned off, because the oil that has been slung throughout the inside of the tubing, will be present at the leak location. The gas has to push through the oil in order to escape

The accumulator tank (see photo below) is made of thin metal, and is installed in the outdoor unit. Both the top and bottom of the accumulator tank are potential leak spots. Leaves and other debris accumulate at the bottom of the outdoor unit. This debris sits around, and is in contact with, the bottom of the accumulator tank. It is likely that the paint on the accumulator bottom will be compromised and flake off the accumulator. It is possible to clean and seal both the top and the bottom of an existing accumulator tank, with wheel well spray paint or Plasti-Dip.