[NA] Any HVAC pros here?

azblackbird

azblackbird

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azblackbird
I’m going to take my chances that there might be an HVAC pro here...

I have a 7 yr. old 2.5 ton Trane R410A split system heat pump. May of last year I added approx. a pound of freon. Today I could hear the liquid line on the evap side gurgling (before it hits the TXV) so I added a little over pound to hit my 15° subcool and 20° delta T.

Obviously I have a small leak somewhere, which with my luck is in the back of the evap A-coil (where it’s hard to sniff or dye detect) in the air handler.

Before buying a leak detector, or injecting dye and trying to chase after a ghost, I thought I would give this stuff a try.

Just wondering if anybody here had any (good or bad) experience with this product, or is it just snake oil? :dunno:
 
evapilotaz said:
I have no advance but hire a professional. If you live in AZ better do that soon. Triple didget temps are coming soon.
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I do all my own HVAC maintenance and have both systems (3 ton/2.5 ton) already dialed in for the summer. Come next spring/summer I'll probably have to add another pound of freon to the smaller system. Hoping somebody here has used the sealer product with good results and I can save myself some freon. ;)
 
azblackbird said:
Before buying a leak detector, or injecting dye and trying to chase after a ghost, I thought I would give this stuff a try.

Just wondering if anybody here had any (good or bad) experience with this product, or is it just snake oil? :dunno:
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I used this stuff on one of my four R-22 systems after having done a dye check and subsequent A coil replacement ($$$$) on another one. Muy bueno, no snake oil.
 
azblackbird said:
I do all my own HVAC maintenance and have both systems (3 ton/2.5 ton) already dialed in for the summer. Come next spring/summer I'll probably have to add another pound of freon to the smaller system. Hoping somebody here has used the sealer product with good results and I can save myself some freon. ;)
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Not a professional, but were I you I would buy a leak detector, you can get them at amazon for relatively cheap. Hopefully you'll find something easy to fix like a leaking valve or a bad braze. Probably more likely you'll find a hole in your a coil or condenser. If I had to bet I would go with corrosion in the a coil, I think Trane may have been one of the companies that had issues, but I'm not sure.

I had this problem with a Lenox r22 system, it was corrosion in the a coil. Decided to replace the system rather than screw with it anymore. I bought a Goodman 16 seer 4 ton. Cost about $5k installed, took them about 10 hours.
 
My 2 cents worth...... any leak stop or easy seal or whatever its called will eventually stop the leak, and the flow through the line.

Remember I only stay in Hotel 6 and the only time I was on Tv was as a suspect caught on tape....
 
catmandu said:
I used this stuff on one of my four R-22 systems after having done a dye check and subsequent A coil replacement ($$$$) on another one. Muy bueno, no snake oil.
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My system is a 410A. The pressures are quite a bit more than an R22 system, and thus would require a pump back into the condenser to equalize the pressure if I was going to use a canned product. That's what I was trying to avoid, and would rather do a "direct inject" straight from the bottle and then meter it into the suction line.
 
PaulS said:
If I had to bet I would go with corrosion in the a coil, I think Trane may have been one of the companies that had issues, but I'm not sure.
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That would be a good bet. An even better bet is it's in the rear of the A-coil where you can't get a sniffer or flashlight to see any dye leak. :D

There's no signs of oil anywhere in the inside or outside units that I can get a visual on, so it's a very small leak. I made sure my schraders were good, as that's another potential leak source.
 
azblackbird said:
That would be a good bet. An even better bet is it's in the rear of the A-coil where you can't get a sniffer or flashlight to see any dye leak. :D

There's no signs of oil anywhere in the inside or outside units that I can get a visual on, so it's a very small leak. I made sure my schraders were good, as that's another potential leak source.
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Open her up, and stick a tester in there. You can get one on Amazon for about $30.
 
PaulS said:
Open her up, and stick a tester in there. You can get one on Amazon for about $30.
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I'm pretty sure it's in the A-coil. Trouble is... the air handler is in its own closet and there's not much room to maneuver . Doing a thorough leak test on the A-coil (especially the rear) would basically require dismantling the entire unit (squirrel wheel, electronics board, motor, etc.) to get to it. If I'm going to go that far, I might as well just go ahead and pull it and replace it, as that is probably what I'll eventually end up having to do if the leak gets any worse.

I'd rather try the easy stuff first. ;)
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Never heard of the stuff so I looked and found this review with comments on both sides. Interesting.
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@Let'sgoflying! Thanks for the link... the probable leak would be hard to access/hard to find, and would be temporary in nature until the system developed another leak, or the original became worse. In that case it would be pulled and repaired/replaced.

I'm in this camp of thinking at the moment....

Mike Benack, director of product management, Nu-Calgon, said he views his company’s a/c EasySeal and EasySeal Direct Inject products as valuable tools contractors should add to their tool bags.

“Like any tool, our leak-stop products are designed for use in certain situations,” Benack said. “They’re not meant to replace the traditional method of finding and repairing leaks but more so for fixing leaks that a technician can’t find — the microleaks that contractors would typically fix by topping the system off with a small amount of refrigerant every month or year. They’re really designed to be used in situations where traditional means aren’t practical or as a preventive measure.”

Benack said not all leak-stop agents are created equal, and contractors must pay attention to the active ingredient — and the amount of the active ingredient — contained in the product they’re purchasing.

Regarding the products’ effectiveness and safety, Benack cited Nu-Calgon’s long history in the market.

“EasySeal was launched in July 2009, and although there are still contractors who are skeptical of sealants, we’re confident once they try EasySeal, they’ll find it solves the problem quickly and easily with no issues,” he said. “In addition, EasySeal Direct Inject takes just seconds to install, which adds to the case for using it to fix small, hard-to-find leaks.”

 
It is no wonder contractors are leery of sealants, how will they sell a new system if a cheap can of stuff fixes he problem.....
 
I found (read created) a pin hole on an evap coil once. I evacuated the system and lightly sanded the area and applied the "kneed together" JB weld epoxy and stuck it on there. Looked like someone stuck a piece of bubble gum on it. Held up for 8 years until the compressor cratered.
I would probably break the brazing of the A coil and remove it from the system for thorough cleaning. It's a lot easier that way, and if you are anything like me, it might have a bit of dust stuck on it.
But I digress, no I have not been successful with any stop leaks in AC systems.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Getonit said:
It is no wonder contractors are leery of sealants, how will they sell a new system if a cheap can of stuff fixes he problem.....
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Why do folks immediately assume trades folks are crooks? (Or any other group for that matter?) Are there crooks who are trades folks? Yes. Are there incompetent trades folks? Yes. Are the majority? Not in my experience. I worked in construction (and all sorts of home repair) as an electrician years ago. I usually find that most of the trades people I deal with are competent and trying to do the best for their customers.

To address the original comment above, they are leery of them because they've had to replace systems that got clogged up by the sealant.

John
 
jsstevens said:
To address the original comment above, they are leery of them because they've had to replace systems that got clogged up by the sealant.
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That's why I'm looking at the Nu-Calgon product. I understand the chemical bonding process and how it interacts with the 410A and the atmospheric air/moisture and how it works to seal a small leak inside the line. Seems like a good product that won't goo up the system if liberally applied. ;)
 
might work for r22 as you said 410 runs at much higher preasure so no
 
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