How to find a Freon leak

The leakage of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit can lead to quite serious trouble:

The loss of moisture in the circuit and the formation of acid

Air leakage into the refrigeration circuit

Leakage of oil together with Freon from the point of leakage

To the compressor overheating and jamming due to lack of oil

To the combustion of the compressor windings due to acid in the circuit

Naturally, all these consequences of refrigerant leakage directly affect the final service life of the equipment, the efficiency of the functions assigned to it, the associated costs of operation.

The search for a leak is not the simplest measure, since such trouble can arise in a variety of places: in the pipeline, in important components of equipment, access to which is hampered by structural features. It should be understood that replacing the refrigerant is not the cheapest procedure, so it is very important to detect the leak in time and prevent it.

Today, there are several effective techniques for locating leaks in the refrigeration circuit

There are several options for detecting a leak in this place of equipment:

Visual - on oil stains on the valves or pipe.

Application of a soap solution.

Use immersion in ordinary water.

Application of halogen, electronic, ultrasonic leak detectors.

Adding an ultraviolet dye inside the system.

High pressure leakage detection

Detection of a leak with a soap solution

Usually this option is effective in a situation where the alleged leakage location is theoretically known - it remains to discover it in practice.

For example, during the repair work, during the replacement of a component of the system - when the expert knowingly suspects the presence of a leak or sees traces of oil contamination. The advantages of this option consist in the simplicity of the method and its cheapness.

The soap solution itself can be easily prepared on its own - using a conventional dishwashing sponge and detergent or a normal soap.

But even in shops they sell a lot of money for this:

Soap solutions in aerosol packaging.

With the addition of various auxiliary additives.

Complete with pads.