Refrigerant Leak Detectors

Refrigerant Leak Detectors

A refrigerant leak is very difficult to detect. It could be a pinprick amongst five hundred feet of tubing, in an operating or safety control box or in an inaccessible area. The proper test equipment and the method of leak detection are very important factors when attempting to find a refrigerant leak. Refrigerant leak detectors can be used to monitor joints, valves, pipes and other parts used in air-conditioning and refrigeration systems in commercial, industrial and domestic buildings. These detectors can be stand-alone or alternately integrated into other sensor networks or leak detection systems. Often when they are stand alone detectors they are manufactured small enough to fit in a hand. This makes the gas leak search much more manageable. Identifying and addressing a refrigerant leak immediately is important because it does so much damage to the health of individuals in the area as well as equipment and the environment.

Refrigerants are liquid to gas substances that remove the heat from specific areas, making that area cool instead of hot. Regardless of if the chemical substance being leaked is old or new, scientists have yet to find one that doesn't do some harm, so knowing about and stopping the leak is always vital. Even though refrigeration manufacturers stopped using Freon in the seventies, there are still enough old systems around that Freon leak detectors are still available. There are many methods used in refrigerant leak detection, including bubble test, water immersion test, dye interception method, halide torch, electronic leak detectors, isolation of the sealed system and ultrasonic leak detection. The bubble test, which is one method employed by a leak tester, is used when the approximate area of the leaks location is known. During the water immersion test, on the other hand, the system is submerged into a tank of water. In the dye interception method, a dye is inserted into the system. Usually the quickest way to find a leak is by using the electronic leak detector method. However, the best method of refrigerant leak detection depends primarily on the application.