Inficon Stratus H10 Pro Shootout

[knave]

The specs are .030 oz/year (Stratus) vs .006 oz/year (H10Pro) so the Stratus is pretty good but won’t catch a fly farting in a gale.

Put another way, the H10 leak spec is 5X smaller. Main advantage of the Stratus to me would be the PPM readout.

[itsiceman]

The specs are .030 oz/year (Stratus) vs .006 oz/year (H10Pro) so the Stratus is pretty good but won’t catch a fly farting in a gale.

Put another way, the H10 leak spec is 5X smaller. Main advantage of the Stratus to me would be the PPM readout.

Not so fast knave.

With a moving wand like a normal search the spec for the H10Pro jumps to .1 oz/yr

The Stratus lists a Euro test I'm not familiar with but their spec stays the same as the max sensitivity of .03 oz/yr with that test I'm assuming is a moving wand at some distance test.

[knave]

Not so fast knave.

With a moving wand like a normal search the spec for the H10Pro jumps to .1 oz/yr

The Stratus lists a Euro test I'm not familiar with but their spec stays the same as the max sensitivity of .03 oz/yr with that test I'm assuming is a moving wand at some distance test.

Guess I should have done my homework. Thx.

[itsiceman]

But you know math.
.1 is a long way from .03

[itsiceman]

Leak detectors have been a sore spot for a while. With so many for sale and all of them priced high it seems like a unwritten rule for manufacturers not to compare them so we all buy multiple detectors and piss and moan about them after a few uses happy to try the next one.

[knave]

.

[vin lashon]

Just checked my TIFZX against the YJ bottle (HCFC) again. It does detect, but I have to unscrew the cap slightly, whereas the SLR8 picks it up (cap tight) at a 1" per second pass. Same is true in reverse when using the Bacharach (CFC) bottle.

[itsiceman]

Thinking the YJ bottle is more of a HFC. If it was HCFC like 22 the ZX would most definitely scream.

[Gleng]

Hard to pick up a leak with that R11 bottle at 70 degrees or less.!!!!

[knave]

Hard to pick up a leak with that R11 bottle at 70 degrees or less.!!!!

I do, in big coolers and freezers.

[itsiceman]

Never really noticed a problem either. Being able to detect a .006 oz/yr leak on the Pro version can't hurt either. The suck of the pump might be all it takes or something on top of the bottle is setting it off

[Chuck]

I guess I am the aforementioned spoiled rotten coworker.

Just got the new Stratus and I also have the H10 Pro. Walked around in my house and once in a while the detector would show ppm up to 14 which is weird. Unless my a/c evap is starting to leak. And the number rises when I step outside in the humid air.

Not starting out well, just doesn't seem consistent. Also if I bump the tip it beeps and shows 10-15 ppm. Doesn't inspire confidence.

Tomorrow or Monday I am going to do some leak repairs on a rack and one of them I know about is fairly small so I'll do some real world testing.

And no, it does not detect anything from the Bacharach reference bottle sitting in my van at 100 degrees lol

[knave]

I guess I am the aforementioned good friend.

Just got the new Stratus and I also have the H10 Pro. Walked around in my house and once in a while the detector would show ppm up to 14 which is weird. Unless my a/c evap is starting to leak. And the number rises when I step outside in the humid air.

Not starting out well, just doesn't seem consistent. Also if I bump the tip it beeps and shows 10-15 ppm. Doesn't inspire confidence.

Tomorrow or Monday I am going to do some leak repairs on a rack and one of them I know about is fairly small so I'll do some real world testing.

And no, it does not detect anything from the Bacharach reference bottle sitting in my van at 100 degrees lol

Well, it is a Lennox A-coil, hmmm

[Chuck]

Well, it is a Lennox A-coil, hmmm

Actually I don't know for sure what kind it is. The original a/c was Amana and I changed it out with a used Lennox. Never did change the 1995 evap. But it had a 2012 goodman furnace

[knave]

Haha. I did the same at my place. I replaced the 2008 Goodman furnace but the 1988 Carrier A-coil remains.

[itsiceman]

I guess I am the aforementioned spoiled rotten coworker.

Just got the new Stratus and I also have the H10 Pro. Walked around in my house and once in a while the detector would show ppm up to 14 which is weird. Unless my a/c evap is starting to leak. And the number rises when I step outside in the humid air.

Not starting out well, just doesn't seem consistent. Also if I bump the tip it beeps and shows 10-15 ppm. Doesn't inspire confidence.

Tomorrow or Monday I am going to do some leak repairs on a rack and one of them I know about is fairly small so I'll do some real world testing.

And no, it does not detect anything from the Bacharach reference bottle sitting in my van at 100 degrees lol

If you do get some results with either detector could you please get a pic or video of the leaks your finding with bubbles so we got an idea what the size is like?

Will be funny if your AC is leaking. Sounds like it's in the condenser lol

[knave]

From what chuck told me last night, it will go off if you turn it on it’s side.

[itsiceman]

Just checked my H10 Pro it doesn't alarm on its side and it detects the R11 and it's 81% humid AF

[Saturatedpsi]

Just got the new Stratus and I also have the H10 Pro. Walked around in my house and once in a while the detector would show ppm up to 14 which is weird. Unless my a/c evap is starting to leak. And the number rises when I step outside in the humid air.

Not starting out well, just doesn't seem consistent. Also if I bump the tip it beeps and shows 10-15 ppm. Doesn't inspire confidence.

I bought one of these a couple of years ago...

Leak Reference

It's an orifice based leak reference similar to what detector manufacturers use to test/spec their products. I also recently bought a 410A calibration gas with a 10 PPM concentration in an attempt to determine just how well Stratus will or won't detect...

Using the calibration gas, the highest PPM value indicated by Stratus was 2-3 PPM.

Using the leak reference as the sample source and holding the probe stationary at the reference discharge, the Stratus consistently detects 410A. The two previous IR detectors I had never consistently detected 410A. That "consistency" is so far the primary aspect of the Stratus that impresses me.

Based on the calibration gas tests, I've decided the PPM mode reading is a valid indicator of changes in concentration but not necessarily an accurate measurement ​of the actual PPM concentration. But even with that conclusion, I'm impressed the Stratus will detect 10 PPM...in "Pinpoint" mode and "Super" sensitivity setting, the detection level maxes out. The ZX would not detect at any level.

To my knowledge, Inficon hasn't spec'd a minimum PPM detection value. I'm guessing they integrated that function into the Stratus design to do what it consistently does, which is indicate changes in refrigerant concentration.

[Gleng]

I don't know what you are talking about!!!I have a New Status.It has been good.I turned it on outside today, after warmup, it was quiet as a mouse.It has always been this way.when it gets near a small leak, it goes off ,as expected.I'm not an H10 fan!!!Never had good luck with them, and I have two of them!!! My H10 is older, about 5 years old.It was never as good as the stratus.if a new H10 is that much better than one 5 years old, maybe it is better than the Stratus.For now I will be using the Stratus.I was thinking about getting a new H10.Just to compare the two-but I'm happy with the Stratus.Don't want to really drop the $500.00 now for the H10.So it will be stratus for now.I'm happy with it.