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Florida HVAC Insider


February 2015


#17 by Ron Walker


Everything Leaks Every air conditioning system leaks whether


it is one ounce per year or one ounce every thousand years. The leaks are caused by cracks, bubbles, impurities, and other fl aws in the brazing, joining, or manufacturing process. While they may not be detectable, they are leaks nonetheless and will eventually become detectable given enough time. The pressure, heat, and vibration from normal day-to-day operation are what cause them to become a problem.


If you are new to the HVAC field, here are some quick and basic leak detection


procedures to help you locate the source of the leak. Oil Spotting


When there is a leak, the refrigerant blows out of the hole. Often it will blow the refrigerant oil out with it, mark- ing the general area of the leak. Look for a wet spot covered with a very fi ne coating of dust or dirt. With your fi nger, check to make sure it is oil and not moisture caused by condensation. To pinpoint the location of the leak: • Ensure the power is disabled from the unit and the pressure in the system is equal- ized. • Spray the general area around the oil with a leak detection solution. Do not use a homemade soap solution. • Look for foam or bubbles. If the leak is small, it can take 10 to 15 minutes for them to appear.


Oil spotting is a great way to quickly check for leaks but is not always accurate. Oil is not present at every leak and if there is oil present, it could be from motors, pumps, previous leaks, or from removing refrigerant hoses. Electronic Leak Detection


Whether you are testing the evaporator coil or the condensing coil for leaks, these basic steps and procedures are the same:


1. Safety. Make sure all power is disabled to the system. 2. Calibrate and set your electronic leak detector to its highest setting. 3. Sniff for 10 minutes. 4. Recalibrate your detector between tests. 5. Two positive hits indicates a leak. 6. Two negative hits rules out detectable leaks.


Condenser Coil Leak Search


Use a tarp and cover the condensing unit completely. This prevents the wind from blowing the refrigerant away from the source of the leak and concentrates the refrigerant for easier detection. Place your leak detector under the tarp and check for 10 minutes. Remember to check twice before making your determi- nation.


Once you have determined there is a leak, remove the tarp and begin to pin- point the leak by using your leak detector and a leak detection solution. Evaporator Coil Leak Search Evaporator coils are more diffi cult to leak search because they are cased


and diffi cult to access. However, like the condenser coil, there is a quick way to determine if there is a leak in the evaporator coil.


Cut or locate an opening in the condensation drain that is below the coil. Place your leak detector into the drain pipe and monitor for 10 minutes. Since refrigerant is heavier than air, it will migrate down the pipe and the leak will be detected. Remember to check twice.


If a leak is detected, then you can expose the coil to pinpoint the location of the leak.


Conclusion


There are other methods you can use to check for leaks and your ability to locate leaks will improve with time and experience. Note - It is never acceptable to just ‘top off’ or ‘gas and go’ when you suspect or fi nd a leak in a refrigeration system. Ron Walker served as a technical training instructor in the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating from high school and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. He has been an HVAC technician, service manager, and business owner. Working as a service manager, he spent many years train- ing HVAC technicians to be more technically competent and really understand their trade. His passion for teaching and helping others resulted in the creation of HVAC Training Solutions, LLC. See what else he is doing at http://www.hvac- trainingsolutions.net or call him at 888-722-1566. 


Contractor - Alert Protect Your Rights as a Florida Contractor


by Cam Fentriss


could be painful). Wake up Florida and realize


CAM’s CORNER


The debate continues on whether Florida should be part of the International Building Code (IBC, developed/owned by the International Code Council or ICC) or continue with our existing (and fairly well established) Florida Building Code (FBC). I could be wrong, but I have a strong suspicion that, while various people debate the merits, ICC is busy nibbling at our edges. Before the debate is over, we will be gobbled up whole and sitting in the belly of ICC never to emerge again (which could be better than being processed to come out the other end – that


what’s really going on here! This is not about the latest and greatest in codes, and this is not about having the opportunity to get out of our own little world so we can gain from the knowledge and experience of others. This is about ICC’s desire to take over codes for the nation so it can create a somewhat adequate one-size-fits-all code and charge the highest possible price for it. This is about giving up all your rights and money to ICC.


Some who favor Florida’s adoption of the IBC argue that water, fi re, and air are the same in Florida as anywhere else. They possibly do not realize that the air and water behave just a little differently toward the built environment in a hurricane in a hot humid nearly all coastal area than on any sunny day in any other state. They say (grudgingly, maybe) “well, we are not the only state with hurricanes,” as if that somehow explains the incomplete and overly broad statement about


Florida lobbying efforts). Nonsense! Let’s look at a few facts.


physics being no different in Florida. Some say that it would not hurt Florida to have snow provisions in its code and – in the same paragraph – say, just like snow, hurricanes can be addressed in the code (thereby admitting that in over ten years, ICC has not yet managed to sufficiently adopt hurricane provisions but found time to adopt snow provisions). Some say that we cannot fault ICC for failure to include hurricane or Florida specifi c provisions if we do not submit them, but that person apparently does not realize that hundreds of Florida specifi c provisions have been submitted to ICC for inclusion in the IBC and were shot right down. So do we try again? If we do, would we be foolish or crazy by trying the same thing and expecting a different result? And while we spend all our time, energy, and money asking the ICC to do what was already rejected, the ICC will continue nibbling around our edges in other ways (with overblown and expensive certification programs and


First, Florida went through the trouble to dedicate the time and money necessary to create the Florida Building Commission and the Florida Building Code. If you think that means Florida is just sitting around listening only to itself, you are nothing more than an ICC patsy. Why do I say that? Mostly because of how Florida adopts its codes versus how ICC adopts its codes. The Florida Building Commission and its technical committees are made up of voting members who are people from all segments of the world of design and construction, including building offi cials, architects, engineers, contractors, manufacturers, academics, insurance representatives, and consumers. ICC, on the other hand, has as voting members only:


•Governmental members (means “a governmental


unit, department or agency engaged in the administration, formulation, implementation or enforcement of laws,


•Honorary members (means “individual who has rendered


ordinances, rules or regulations relating to the public health, safety and welfare”)


outstanding service to the Council, and whose name shall be proposed by the [ICC] Board of Directors and confi rmed by a majority vote of the Governmental Member Representatives at an Annual Business Meeting”)


Florida has a mandate to include voting input (the only input that really counts) from everyone (many of whom operate all over the country and provide the needed outside- Florida perspective). ICC has chosen to include voting input only from government employees and some arbitrary group of best buddies selected by the ICC groupie government employees.


Please notice I say that Florida has a “mandate” and ICC has “chosen”. What Florida is doing about building codes is as a government entity with an obligation to protect the citizens of Florida and comply continued on page 5A


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