How To Prevent Refrigerant Fluid Leaks?

[gravata]It’s essential to know how to avoid this problem, which causes economic losses and mainly environmental harm.[/gravata]

In his work, the contractor often finds refrigerant leaks. This is a problem that needs to be avoided, not only for the economic losses it causes – as it’s necessary to repair and replace gas that has leaked – but mainly for environmental damage. We must always remember that CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs, when they escape into the atmosphere, cause serious impacts on the ozone layer and contribute to global warming.

Therefore, more refrigerant should never just be put in the equipment or refrigeration system without first checking for leaks and fixing the problem.

Regular preventive maintenance helps to avoid the problem or to identify it right from the start. The main signs that there are gas leaks:

  • Refrigerator performance loss, with constantly running compressor;
  • Moisture presence on compressor;
  • Presence of oil around a connection.

Verification must be done especially where leaks occur most frequently:

  • Joints and connections along the tubing;
  • Welding points (due to badly made welds or the use of unsuitable material for the metal tubing weld);
  • Bend points in the tubing (tubing becomes thinner where the bend is located, which can cause small cracks when transporting the equipment or when it suffers mechanical shocks).

To detect the gas leak, the most used methods are immersion or soap bubble tests as well as the use of electronic detectors.

Finally, remember that when it becomes necessary to remove all existing refrigerant fluid in a system, it must be safely collected and stored in a suitable container.

Remember, refrigerant fluid that has leaked can no longer be recovered, like the environmental harm it causes.

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