favorite/preffered leak checking method

[jakeesspoo]

Being that I don't yet have enough posts to become a professional member I will post this here. I work at the family shop, fifth generation, and I'm only 32. My point is is that I learned most everything from my Dad on the jobsites a lot more than when I went to tradeschool for HVAC. They were old school and mostly leak checked with nitrogen. I use nitrogen to leak check also sometimes, a new Baccharach sniffer that works well sometimes, and I recently started using the UV dyes as I had a job that I still have yet to find the leak on. In a earlier thread a member claimed to have never had a leak that he did not find in less than 30 minutes! WOW! Unbelievable! I would hire him in a heartbeat just for that purpose alone! Anyways what are your favorite or most preferred leak detection methods? What have you found to be most reliable in the field? Dyes? Pressure and bubbles? Sniffers? Having a 30 minute leak finding man? I would like your feedback. I suppose most of the answers will probably be a combination of all these methods. I read in a thread someone saying they found a leak "ultrasonically". What does that mean? The only thing I have going on around here thats "ultra sonic" is my toothbrush

[tlb]

An ultrasonic works off the sound of a leak (same principle as a dog whistle) the detector can hear it even though you cant.You will have to bump the pressure up to get these to work well most of the time.They will pick up leaks on any kind of vapor leaking air,etc.

[Tiger93rsl]

450 psi N2 with a trace of 22, leak detector and soap bubbles, your guaranteed to find the leak running that much pressure.

[jmac00]

450 psi N2 with a trace of 22, leak detector and soap bubbles, your guaranteed to find the leak running that much pressure.

yep, High pressure Nitrogen and a smidgen of R-22 and bubbles, ya can't miss with that combo

[fearlessfurnace]

well if the leak is in the lineset over a finished ceiling....
found that one with UV dye (it crawled under the armaflex to the condencer and the evaporator.

My leak check in general
1 look for oil
2 bubbles
3 new shrader cores and caps (often this makes the leak go away but I guess I didnt really "find" it)
3a offer a squirt of dye "..if it leaks again it will help find the problem"

I find the dye realy good for leaky evaporators.

[HighTekk^]

I've tried all methods and bought the most expensive leak detectors and have clearly learned that each method will probably find the leak, NITROGEN WILL ALWAYS FIND A LEAK. I have a bacharac h10 detector that works very well if you can't take the system down in situations like mission critical stuff or supermarket systems. It works by detecting halogen, which all refrigerants consist of and its never failed me yet.

[ZeroTolerance]

Nitrogen, Inficon D-Tek Select, R-22, and Big Blue. All you'll ever need

[fearlessfurnace]

recover, fill with nitrogen, leakcheck, evacuate, charge. that comes to a pretty hefty bill. you must only do that when simple methods have failed. I do not see how it will find a leak in a wallspace or over a finish ceiling.

[Tiger93rsl]

I've tried all methods and bought the most expensive leak detectors and have clearly learned that each method will probably find the leak, NITROGEN WILL ALWAYS FIND A LEAK. I have a bacharac h10 detector that works very well if you can't take the system down in situations like mission critical stuff or supermarket systems. It works by detecting halogen, which all refrigerants consist of and its never failed me yet.

The H-10 is by far the most superrior sniffer out there. I have used many different types of sniffers including the d-tek, and none come close to the quality of the H-10.

[jpsmith1cm]

The H-10 is by far the most superrior sniffer out there. I have used many different types of sniffers including the d-tek, and none come close to the quality of the H-10.

Yep.

I've leak searched miles of piping with an H-10 and found many, many leaks with it.

On small equipment, pressurizing with nitrogen is nice, but with good techniques, nitrogen is not really necessary.

[basshound71]

Nitrogen, Inficon D-Tek Select, R-22, and Big Blue. All you'll ever need

Ditto!

[jpsmith1cm]

Nitrogen, Inficon D-Tek Select, R-22, and Big Blue. All you'll ever need

I have had issues in the past with the Dtek Select.

If you get a newer model, they are a great detector.

The older ones are too big to be paperweights and too light to be boat anchors. I haven't figures out what to do with it, but it isn't worth a crap for finding leaks