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| Fieldpiece Engineers Test Refrigerant Leak Detectors vs. Competition in the Supermarket |
Fieldpiece Engineers in the Beer Aisle Looking for LeaksFieldpiece Refrigerant Leak Detector Technology Put to the Test vs. Competition in the Supermarket June16, 2009 By: Adolfo Wurts  This morning we met at a supermarket with a technician from one of the largest refrigeration contractors in the country to discuss leak detectors. This technician has been in the business for many years and certainly has had plenty of experience with leak detectors. Currently he is using a competitor’s heated diode leak detector. We brought out two new Fieldpiece refrigerant leak detectors, the SRL2 infrared detector and the SRL8 heated diode detector. He brought out the competitor’s leak detector, one we are very familiar with. Lately we’ve heard that it is the one to beat. The technician seemed to be happy enough with this leak detector. Even though he had gone through several of this particular model, he claimed he was happy with it and had no problems with the one he had in his hand. Another contractor had earlier told us his company adopted this competitor’s leak detector but because of reliability problems they were looking for a new alternative. He mentioned that the pump stops working. That contractor ended up adopting the SRL8 heated diode leak detector for his company. We had two of these same leak detectors stop working in our lab for other reasons. In order to get a fair comparison, the night before the supermarket test we went to our closest HVACR distributor and bought a new leak detector of this competitor. We charged it overnight and when it was fully charged we turned it on only to find that the pump did not work, right out of the box, so we couldn’t bring it.  Luckily this technician brought his leak detector and we were able to do a side by side comparison. The technician was in charge of maintaining the refrigeration systems in this particular store. He knew of several areas where there were leaks. First we turned on the leak detectors and let them warm up for 30 seconds. We started by walking behind the deli counter to a display case that was suspected of having a leak. As soon as the door to the case was slid open there was a symphony of beeping and lights from all three leak detectors. There was clearly a leak. The SRL2 quickly adjusted to the background refrigerant level. I immediately started to sweep the case for an area of higher concentration. The other two leak detectors, both heated diode types, the SRL8 and the competitor’s leak detector were screaming. We adjusted both manually to ignore the background levels of refrigerant. He wanted to see if our heated diode acted exactly like his heated diode. He turned the auto-zeroing off on the SRL8, which can be done with the push of a button. I quickly found the source of the leak using the infrared SRL2. Once adjusted for background levels of refrigerant, the other leak detectors trigged also. The contractor said he preferred the more familiar reaction of the heated diodes. I explained the difference between heated diodes and infrared. You have to sweep with the infrared leak detector, because it senses CHANGE in refrigerant levels. I showed him how easy it is to pinpoint the leak with the infrared without having to change sensitivities. He still preferred the heated diode. I explained the benefits of our heated diode SRL8 versus our competitor's heated diode. The battery lasts longer, a better pump, more rugged, includes car charger, case and accessories not to mention great sensitivity. The leak in question was a big one. All the leak detectors sensed it easily. After this test, we walked around the store and looked for other leaks. We were walking down the beer aisle sweeping the top air vent for leaks. The competitors heated diode lead the way, our other engineer followed him with our SRL8 heated diode and I anchored with the SRL2 infrared leak detector. I triggered in an area that nobody else did. I swept the area again to make sure. Everyone swept the area again. Our heated diode SRL8 showed a small reaction, but the SRL2 infrared leak detector showed the clearest sign that a leak was there. The technician put the competitor’s product right up to the leak and it had no reaction. This is the same reaction we’ve seen in the lab. The refrigerant in the beer aisle was R-507 and the SRL2 infrared leak detector has the most consistent leak detection sensitivity across refrigerants. The heated diodes do have slightly superior sensitivity for R-22 but do not have the across the board sensitivity of the infrared technology. The technician explained to me that refrigerant is the single biggest expense in these maintenance contracts and that they work on a pretty large variety of refrigerants. For both of these reasons, he agreed that the infrared technology was worth another look, even if it was different from the way he was used to detecting leaks. I’m glad that we came to a consensus because I was freezing cold at this point. Even though we field tested both detectors extensively, it was good to see the leak detectors in action. I used our leak detectors on my own air conditioner at home, which was R22, but it was very reassuring to witness first hand that they worked just as expected in the hands of a real tech in the real world. Adolfo Wurts is the Engineering Manager at Fieldpiece Instruments and is a certified HVAC/R technician. Fieldpiece Instruments, Inc.
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