Heat pump

[Lemuzz]

hi Guys I have a Daiken consol heat pump. At the back of the outdoor unit there is a black stain on the ground. If this is refrigerant leaking how do I tell when it should be repaired and recharged? Does the heating suddenly stop and turn cold or does the heat slowly drop off over a period of time? It is difficult to know if the heater efficiency is similar to when the pump was first put in.

[sedgy]

the stain is proably the oil that leaked out with the gas, get a qualified engineer out to it, he will tell you.

[The Viking]

You are in New Zealand, so I assume you are having your cold season now and the system is used to provide heat, yes?

Most likely, the damp patch you can se is condensate that formed on the outdoor coil (that will be an evaporator or cooler now).

If you put some tissue paper down and let it soak up the damp (might be for a couple of hours whilst the system is running), can you set fire to it afterwards? (OK, REMOVE IT TO A SAFE PLACE BEFORE YOU TRY).
If what you can see is oil, it will burn easily, if it's water...

[Peter_1]

Y
If what you can see is oil, it will burn easily, if it's water...

then it will burn slowly

[brunstar]

how old is the unit? where in relation to the unit is the mark?

[Lemuzz]

how old is the unit? where in relation to the unit is the mark?

At the centre rear. I soaked up the liquid. It was water with a dry dusty oil. The unit is about 7 years old. How do I know if the efficiency is as it was as new? Does the efficiency drop off slowly as the gas leaks or is it there one moment and gone the next?

[Lemuzz]

This is what I see at the rear of the outside unit

[Lemuzz]

You are in New Zealand, so I assume you are having your cold season now and the system is used to provide heat, yes?

Most likely, the damp patch you can se is condensate that formed on the outdoor coil (that will be an evaporator or cooler now).

If you put some tissue paper down and let it soak up the damp (might be for a couple of hours whilst the system is running), can you set fire to it afterwards? (OK, REMOVE IT TO A SAFE PLACE BEFORE YOU TRY).
If what you can see is oil, it will burn easily, if it's water...

Yes it's winter and don't want to loose heat at an inconvenient time if it can be prevented with a timely call to a service man. The unit is not sitting level on it's platform and I will level it up when it needs to be overhauled as the piping will have to be loosened to do this. hence the question does it slowlyyyyyyyyy loose efficiency or is it "there today and gone tomorrow".The tissue trick showed it to be water and dry oil.

[desA]

I'd say that, judging from the picture, you have a refrigerant/oil leak.

Performance will often gradually drop off until a critical minimum value is reached, after which you will really feel the difference.

Best to have a repairman come over, recover gas, leak-test, repair as required, re-charge gas - perhaps some additional oil, as required. The manufacturer may advise on a recommended service regimen.

[Lemuzz]

Thanks guys "a stitch in time saves nine"