As summer approaches, it is time to start thinking about our car's air conditioning system and if it really is working properly. One of the most common problems with an A/C system is refrigerant leaks and locating them. Finding the source of the leak could be a tedious and frustrating. The leaking Freon could come literally anywhere in the system from tubing to a accumulator to a little pressure switch gone bad. The EPA has made it much more stringent rules in dealing with refrigerant leaks. The days of topping off the air conditioner with several cans of R12 are long over. Now even small leaks must found and corrected. Here comes technology to the rescue. There are lots of methods air-con repair shops employ to find and fix refrigerant leaks. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages and their use depends upon the problem. The three most commonly used certainly are a electronic refrigerant leak detector, ultraviolet dye leak detection kit, and ultrasonic leak detector units.
Electronic Refrigerant Leak Detectors
Electronic Refrigerant Leak Detectors are the quickest and easiest to use of the three methods. Most of the time you will have no idea where in fact the refrigerant is leaking and have to narrow down the possible areas. A electronic refrigerant leak detector will get you very near to the located area of the leak and from there you can get more precise. A number of the better models allows to crank up the sensitivity once you obtain the area found. For very small leaks you can wrap the suspected area in cling wrap or a rag to try and contain the refrigerant. Once you unwrap the area, put in the refrigerant leak detector and see if you get a reading. Remember, refrigerant is heavier than air and it'll sink to the bottom. It is best to sniff under tubing and compartments when looking for it.
Ultrasonic Leak Detectors
These are advanced leak detectors and are the newest tool to get refrigerant leaks. They operate on the principle of sound detection. Rather than sniffing for refrigerant gas they listen for the sound it creates as Freon escapes the system. To use an ultrasonic leak detector the machine should be pressured to ensure that the refrigerant to leak out and make noise. Also, the work area must be totally silent. Remember it really is looking for sound no background noise is imperative. This can be a main drawback to utilizing an ultrasonic leak detector. Hardly any auto shops are quiet enough to utilize it effectively.
Ultraviolet Dye Leak Detectors
This third method ultraviolet dye is injected in to the air conditioning system and in theory should escape with the refrigerant. Commonly, an auto shops have an ultraviolet leak detection kit which has all the tools necessary to complete this task. Generally these kits come with ultraviolet lamp or ultraviolet flashlight, a dye injector, safety glasses and ultraviolet dye. This method may be the most technically complex of the three and may be the messiest. You must inject the ultraviolet dye into the system and wait for it to leak out. The dye can be messy and get all over the place. It gets in you're A/C system, your refrigerant manifold gauges and you also. However once Informative post shine your ultraviolet flashlight and spot the leak, you usually can easily see exactly where it is.