Leak check dye

Anyone use flourescent dyes for leak check and if so, how goes it with POE and 134, etc?

I have used it successfully with POE and R134a - my kit has different dyes for CFCs and HFCs.

I have also read, but not tried, that a more successful method is to use 4 oz of R22 and 200 psi of nitrogen. Most leak detectors are more sensitive to R22 than to R134a.

There seems to be two threads running at once on this one!

On the subject of dyes, I can remember some dreadful stuff years ago (in the 70?s) called ?DYETEL? (or some such). It came ready mixed in the gas and turned everything it came into contact with a lurid purple colour. It was detested by all and was withdrawn, though you could tell where it had been ever after by the purple oil. Most folk, including me, banned its use as far as we could.

Coming up to date the fluorescent stuff you get now seems to work better and has had a better reception, though there are obvious drawbacks, not the least being people?s innate conservatism about new things.

I can recall going to a conference some 5 or 6 years ago in London (the IoR, I think) where a paper was given on leakage detection, using this newer fluorescent dye, by a retired officer from the Royal Navy who had been in charge of engineering in Frigates and Submarines and he swore by the stuff, turned his plant rooms a different colour?.. said it decimated his refrigerant usage almost overnight.

On the subject of mixing Nitrogen with a trace of refrigerant, it was an accepted practice years ago and we all did it, but is now illegal in this country (UK) and most others that I know of with laws on the subject. You are, in fact, creating a controlled waste product by mixing gases that has to be reclaimed and destroyed and, if you know there is a leak present, adding refrigerant in order to find it constitutes intentional discharge of a regulated gas.
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Australia is going through the process of changing from state based legislation to new federal code so things could soon change, but as the law now stands in my state, it is permissible to release controlled substances if they are used as a trace gas.

Hello Rango,
Over here the dyes are available at all Suppliers and i have used them on many applications and found them to work very well.
There are two types available, one for mineral oil and one for POE/Universal.
I have found them very usefull on mobile applications (Truck/trailer & Vehicle a/c) which are prone to leaks.
According to the manufacturer over here, they are safe to put in a system & leave in so in theroy once as system has lost is gas put the dye in when you recharge and its done. It is very usefull on systems that have/prone to have very small leaks (Seapers) as you can run the system and next time it looses it's gas you shine the light onto it and the leak shows up.

The only bits of advice i would give if you havn't used it before are:- 1) Wear Gloves, if you get it on your'e hands it stains.
2) If you have a spare set of gauge lines use one for the dye'd systems as obviously it will hold in the lines.

Regards

Raymond