Infra-Red leak Detectors

[ClydeBuilt]

Hi y'all! New to RE and looking for some help from anyone who can strongly recommend from their experience the best infra-red handheld leak detector.

Recently purchased 3 Javac D-Tek Select units. I have read the handbook till I'm blue in the face cos I doubted myself and 1 of my engineers that we had not been using them properly.

You have to charge them initially for 10 hrs which is the mistake we made with the 1st unit. These are rechargeable as opposed to battery powered. But we have found the handbook states up to 6.5 hrs of use after a complete charge? Not it the ones we have, if there has been as much as a 2 days since last used the unit needs charged. That obviously suggests to me that the power packs in our new units are cuffed but the real issue I have is that the hand book says you can use the unit whilst charging? OURS DO NOT! this renders the unit hopeless.

Also the in car charger has a stupidly long 3.5 metre cable and the 240v charging adaptor and cable has a ridiculously short cable of just over 1 metre. Super disappointed with this product after it was strongly touted as one of the best on the Market due to the infra-red technology and longevity of the sensor.

Previously been using the Javac Tek-Mate which I've had for many years. The D-Tek is much better at finding leaks but as battery life tails off over time and the inability to use the detector whilst charging, (which I think may be down to a bad batch of our power packs in our 3?) means you've stripped the cabinet down (30 mins?) to expose as much of the system as possible ready to start leak finding and sh#t the battery needs charged. That's fine I'll stick it on charge and get going. Oops wait a minute the nearest socket is a few metres away. I' ll jump in a taxi back to the shopping centre service bay (you've all been there) and grab the extension cable from my van and finally get leak checking. Plugged in ready to go and - it doesn't work whilst charging, MORE sh#t!

Couldn't possibly recommend this D-Tek as it left me suicidal last Saturday. That sh#t acctually happened. Back to the leak spray and a trip back to the suppliers with our 3 D-Teks. Infra-red is great if anyone can recommend another brand?

Don't think that manufacturers need to push the cordless thing so hard? Yes it's handy but versus the inconvenience of constant charging, well I'm unsure. Got a budget of £350-400, per unit. Happy to invest some clever money with things like this. It makes what has to be one of the most least enjoyable things about our jobs a lot easier.

That was a rant, I'll keep myself in check next time!

Cheers guys.

[buddy]

Hi Clydebuilt,

Although not infra red, I have heard a few recommendations that the Bacharach H-10 leak detector is hard to beat.

best regards

[mikeref]

C.B. I have a Fieldpiece, model SRL2K7. Works fine and will continue to function with charger plugged in. Cost me around $690 AUD.

[lowcool]

on my second srl2,first went off for no reason,informed im not usin it correctly!!sent it off under warranty,informed that they adjusted sensitivity,still gave me the irks and bitched enough to have it replaced.got my second had improved a bit,but still go off for no reason leak checking underside of an evap got a feed of water from between the fins didnt realise until after when its going off its face.sent it off for repair but cant be repaired $805 (you did well mike) out the window.pulled it down to sus it out,they must have cleaned it as it didnt look like the one in an email,dont know about sensitivity adjustment couldnt locate a pot or port anywhere.
imho dont go there it is not a service tool
more blah blah was the pump that sucked up the moisture spewed it all over the pcb,great design not!as a service tool it would be fine in a lab not not in cramped confined environs that contain moisture