Refrigeration leak detection has come a long way since the days of rubbing soap to look for bubbles to appear. With an increased focus on environmental effects due to refrigerant loss and the stresses of efficiency from an industrial perspective, reliable and quick gas leak detection methods are more important than ever. Especially with the rising costs of refrigerants and the r22 phase our regulations.
With a multitude of tools and tricks on the market, it can be a mine field as to what the best solution is for your equipment and manufacturing facility. A refrigeration or HVAC system does not "just need a top up of gas", it could be a symptom of another issue such as a leaking weld or damaged coupling. Not only is replacing lost gas an avoidable and unnecessary expense, but regulations require leaks to be repaired with urgency and companies ignoring leaks could be facing some large fines.
Recently in the HVAC-R industry we have seen some of the refrigerant leak detection applications move away from the traditional use of nitrogen to a non-flammable mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen.
This combination has proven to be a winner and has ultimately enhanced the environmental compliance from refrigerant leaks as well as reducing maintenance times and costs to the company if a system shutdown is required, all whilst increasing system energy efficiencies.
Did we also mention this is up to 100 times more accurate than the traditional bubble method?
Make sure your next programmed maintenance service covers a leak detection check of your refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.
