Dye does not mix with the refrigerant, it resides in the compressor oil.
If you can see the dye you should be able to see the oil.
Just my 2 cents.
Lra that is some good advice, thank you. I had the same tech come out today. The service sheet says that he injected the system with die and the found the shraeder pins to be leaking again (2nd. or 3rd. time?). It says the pressure were 180psi/40psi (I think this is low. Shouldn't the low side pressure be around 55 on a 37 degree day?). It said he would be back tonight to check for leaks. Of course, that didn't happen. I guess he got busy or forgot. The offices are closed now according to their phone line. I'd like to know if anyone has any thoughts on the pins that seem to leak every time the tech comes, the dye staying in the system, the pressures, etc. Thanks in advance.
Dye does not mix with the refrigerant, it resides in the compressor oil.
If you can see the dye you should be able to see the oil.
Just my 2 cents.
We've been doing so much,for so long,with so little, that now we can do almost anything, with nothing at all.
I didn't really look at it too much. I thought he was going to come back and use a UV device to find the leak(s), but I'm not sure.
You got a black light? It is the same thing as a UV light. You can check it your self.
Karst means cave. So, I search for caves.
That would be quite embarassing to inject dye and then find out that it is something as simple a the schraeder ports. Why would the tech not check that first? Also, when disconnecting the injecting system, how did he keep from getting them on the schraeder valves? It may be residual from the injection process. Insist on a complete uv inspection of the system. I'm with most of the guys here, only refrigerant and oil in a system. With that being said, I do own dye and uv light. But it is a last resort. I use the electronic and bubbles 1st. Only on persistent leaks that I have spent considerable time on gets the dye on. That has been 1 system in the 4 years I had the dye. Actually it's the reason I bought the dye system. But other than that, the electronic finds the leak.
Hvac Maniac
"A negative attitude cancels out positive skills."
Flare Nut had your best suggestion. Dry Nitro with R-22 Mixed. Isolate the outdoor unit and come back in a couple hours. Definitely shows the direction to head and if its really low and you can't find (or hear it) at the evap then the line set is the way to go looking. I use Dye tests but normally only for refrigeration equipment and it stays in the system always, when I do maintenance I run the light with me to get a heads up. Electronic is the preferred residential method.
I don't like the crap! in my gauges!!!!
rick
You never perform a service call that you don't put LEAK LOCK on the flare cap or any thing else you open up. Stops most thread related leaks.
I was lucky enough to catch it in defrost just recently and found what appeared to be some green-colored liquid at the bottom of the inside of the unit (near compressor and refrigerant tubes). Everything seems to be pretty wet. It runs quieter (this makes sense as the freon lubricates the compressor and parts). The tech is coming back tonight to finish things up (I hope). Thanks everyone.
I will talk to him about the shraeder valves and the possibility of residual dye (I wasn't there when he found them to be leaking (BOTH of them, one of which he replaced). I think it's ridiculous because every time he's come out they have been leaking I think.
Claiming the shraeder valves are leaking is a cop out, most if not all of them will leak a small amount, thats why there are caps on them, a good set of caps solves that problem, you almost certainly have a leak elsewhere.
You need a new service tech, as I posted before, one with the proper tools to do the job
It was really evident where the leak was. Dye was all over the place around the muffler on the high side, so that's why it was leaking so fast. I'll be using emergency heat again for a while until the part gets ordered and replaced. I like the fact that the company is working toward a solution, though. The service agreement has been great to have so far. So I know proper procedure, would he just pump down the system, replace the muffler and rebraze, and replace the filter drier? He said he would replace the filter drier when I asked him about it, so that's good I think.
Oh yeah, and what does it mean if there's a frosty/icy build-up on the bottom half of my accumulator (at least when I saw it earlier)? Is this a sign the outdoor unit was leaking out the freon?
Karst means cave. So, I search for caves.
I use dye as a last resort when I can't find the leak any other way and I can't shut down the unit and do an isolation test.
More than once with dye the leak has seemed to stop for some time (if you had to charge it several times) then you get a call and it needs charged again.
I tell the customer that we have to check it at nite and the may be a overtime charge.
The dye can be a PITA but you can find leaks with it. It's just not my first choice.
Thanks.
Question for pros:
If you were to replace a muffler and rebraze to fix a leak, what would your procedure be afterward to ensure everything is running correctly? Recharge, replace filter drier, pressure test, etc.