using uv dye without mess on splits

[gwm121]

Good morning
I have a specroline u/v kit, the type with a quantity of dye in a cylinder with a screw handle and marked with graduations. I tried it when bought it couple years ago, but specroline only supplied the flexible hose with car termination, and when we added quick release connection to adapt to r410a it became VEY messy and reluctant to inject tinto a pressurised system.
I want to try again, has anyone any realtime experience or advice as to how to use., AND how to find out oil quantity in Fuj aoy45 (to assess correct amount uv dye)
Im thinking maybe one has to recover gas to condenser firtst and add uv dye through serice port with system pressure a few psi. Im wondering how to adapt to r41a service valve without dye becoming really messy!

The leak im looking at has taken 6 months to show effect on system.

[Tayters]

I'd try pumping it into a pressurised system then pumping the system down to 0 psig before removing the leak dye pipe.
Should be able to plumb the thing in without making a mess but if it as awkward then it might pay to pump it down first thing.

Cheers,
Andy.

[stufus]

Use discharge pressure to suction side through your manifold to inject the dye then wrap a rag around the quick coupler and release it.
Cheers
Stu

[install monkey]

then throw ur gauge line and coupler-get an apprentice to do it as u look daft going for a pint with yellow hands!!

i bet the leak is on the bottom of the condenser as the first run passes through the steel end plate(right behind the comp- u can get a bottom 1/2 cond coil but its a pain to change by yourself!!

Use discharge pressure to suction side through your manifold to inject the dye then wrap a rag around the quick coupler and release it.
Cheers
Stu

[stufus]

then throw ur gauge line and coupler-get an apprentice to do it as u look daft going for a pint with yellow hands!!

i bet the leak is on the bottom of the condenser as the first run passes through the steel end plate(right behind the comp- u can get a bottom 1/2 cond coil but its a pain to change by yourself!!

The yellow hand isn't the problem.It's when your knob glows under the UV lights in the bog.
If you allow discharge to pass to suction a couple of times it usually practically purges the line clear.
But if not you would be surprised how much attention a glow in the dark knob generates among the fairer sex.
Cheers
Stu

[install monkey]

how much would i have t drink for glo in the dark wee? how long will it take to go through my system???
how do u get glostick on ur knob? do you have crotchless overalls??haha

[monkey spanners]

Check the oil the dye is in is ok for ac, might be pag oil is its a car thingy.

Best thing i find is to get the dye capsule with the 1/4 flare fittings both ends and wash it in with some liquid.

Years ago when i first started out i got the senior engineer to braze the brass bits of an old gauge line together to make a short adaptor for putting this dye in, well, his brazing turned out to be not very good and i got covered and i mean covered in it, being concentrated it was red dye and i spent a week or two looking like a failed bank robber....

Jon :)

[stufus]

I have had that crap on my hands for days.It's impossible to shift.And i generally stand around all day scratching me nut's while giving the impression of being deep in contemplation.
Crotchless overalls FFS .How do you think of this stuff.
Cheers
Stu

[chillerman2006]

Check the oil the dye is in is ok for ac, might be pag oil is its a car thingy.

Best thing i find is to get the dye capsule with the 1/4 flare fittings both ends and wash it in with some liquid.

Years ago when i first started out i got the senior engineer to braze the brass bits of an old gauge line together to make a short adaptor for putting this dye in, well, his brazing turned out to be not very good and i got covered and i mean covered in it, being concentrated it was red dye and i spent a week or two looking like a failed bank robber....

Jon :)

Argh Jon....thats hilarious mate .....like a failed bank robber ......bet you got some looks

Having got in a bit of a green mess meself years back, have not used it since, leak detector to point me in the right direction & good old faithful, soapy water and a paint brush or a squirty bottle for hard to reach places

R's chillerman

[chillerman2006]

The yellow hand isn't the problem.It's when your knob glows under the UV lights in the bog.
If you allow discharge to pass to suction a couple of times it usually practically purges the line clear.
But if not you would be surprised how much attention a glow in the dark knob generates among the fairer sex.
Cheers
Stu

Jesus Mate, I can just see it now....how do you explain that one to the mrs, would be handy for a nice dark dancefloor in a nightclub, the girls love glowsticks :D

R's chillerman

[install monkey]

the glo away can u can get is just wd40 rebadged-and twice the price.ive tried solvent based cleaners and all sorts and as you say it doesnt come off-i once used some on a 7kw split on a petrol station i was feeling rough from the night before,as i squirted a full glostick in the system,the only problem was the schraeder core and new gauge rubbers didnt depress the core sufficiently and as a resul i had glostick covered from head to toe and the cond was plastered in it too.also the glostick was a dark red-it was like a scene out of a horror movie-apologies anyone who now maintains a petrol station in stoke just off the a500-haha

I have had that crap on my hands for days.It's impossible to shift.And i generally stand around all day scratching me nut's while giving the impression of being deep in contemplation.
Crotchless overalls FFS .How do you think of this stuff.
Cheers
Stu

[monkey spanners]

Argh Jon....thats hilarious mate .....like a failed bank robber ......bet you got some looks

R's chillerman

I was starting to get a bit paranoid, even felt like i was getting old looks while driving about! but now on reflection given the usual standard of my driving thats quite likely anyway!


I tried using the dye in a indian take away cold room but everything glowed! its the dye they put in the curries!
Also some bacteria glow too, can be quit shocking to look in a domestic fridge and see half the walls glowing...

I only use it when i can't find the leak with the sniffer or bubbles, found leaks in places i don't think to look normally like welds on driers, weld on a receiver and comp terminals, and dx milk tanks where the evap is cased in expanding foam.

Jon :)

[stufus]

Jesus Mate, I can just see it now....how do you explain that one to the mrs, would be handy for a nice dark dancefloor in the dark, the girls love glowsticks :D

R's chillerman

I told her wasn't contagious and the doc gave me some cream for it.
Cheers
Stu

[chillerman2006]

I was starting to get a bit paranoid, even felt like i was getting old looks while driving about! but now on reflection given the usual standard of my driving thats quite likely anyway!


I tried using the dye in a indian take away cold room but everything glowed! its the dye they put in the curries!
Also some bacteria glow too, can be quit shocking to look in a domestic fridge and see half the walls glowing...

I only use it when i can't find the leak with the sniffer or bubbles, found leaks in places i don't think to look normally like welds on driers, weld on a receiver and comp terminals, and dx milk tanks where the evap is cased in expanding foam.

Jon :)

argh mate can imagine

if I dont find a leak with nitrogen, then I get the helium out the only problem with that is the molecular size is sooo small you will find leaks that refrigerant and nitrogen can not get through, even worse still set a maspectrometer to find equivelant of 2psi every 5 years from a car tyre, you can spend all day fixing the tiniest leaks ever....so may be leak dye does have a purpose besides Stu, showing off his length when clubbing & teasing the mrs with it being non contagious, :eek:

R's chillerman

[sweimaker]

why plug a r410a split full of dye?? why risk losing effiecinecy, for the fact of cutting a corner to find a leak? pressure test and nitrogen..... if the pressure doesnt drop, helium.. leaks sprays, electronic.

if still not found, split system up, remove evaporator, in a bucket, go old schoool. a customer will appreciate that more, than risking destroying a system

the dye wont be too visible virtually invisble on the low pressure side (if untraceable with nitrogen, how is the dye gunna show as a low pressure vapour?) good luck