Why is Refrigerant Leak Detection Necessary?

Experienced service technicians still find detecting refrigerant leaks in HVAC and RAC systems tedious and difficult because a leak can be hidden from view by a component, a pipe, or even an operating switch.

With the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation documented in the U.S. Clean Air Act (Sections 608 and 609), detecting refrigerant leaks takes on great urgency. The regulations are intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are very harmful to the environment. As such, new government rules no longer give service technicians the option to add refrigerant when the system is low due to a leak. Rather, the leak must be found and repaired within a specified period of time. If you want to know more about package leak testing then you may search online.

There are many types of test equipment that can be used in refrigerant leak detection, some automated and some them acting as detectors for on-site testing. To find the leak, service technicians must determine the best method to use. Methods include soap solution, halide torch, dye trapping, isolating a system component, or pressurizing the system with dry nitrogen gas.

One of the fastest methods that can be used in detecting refrigerant leaks is an electronic leak detector. These types of detectors can find hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) leaks. Quick identification of a leak is important because the release of these gases is heavily regulated by the EPA, and companies are subject to penalties if their releases are not fixed within a set period of time.

The fast action of refrigerant leak detection is of great importance to the environment. The refrigerant contains gases that have been identified as damaging to the ozone layer and show a high potential to cause global warming. To meet environmental standards, many companies are investing in a refrigerant management program to monitor and track equipment usage.