Instruction 0019-9210
11
The Informant Refrigerant Leak Detector
Operation
sensitivity mode helps locate a refrigerant leak source when the leak is
large, or where high winds may affect the instrument’s operation.
Place the Informant into its low-sensitivity mode by pressing and holding
down the
LOW SENS / MUTE
button until the
LOW SENS
LED turns
on
.
Return the instrument to its normal-sensitivity mode by again pressing
and holding down the
LOW SENS / MUTE
button until the
LOW SENS
LED turns
off
.
Procedure for Locating a Refrigerant Leak
After the detector is turned on and allowed to warm up, observe that none
of the refrigerant level LED’s should be glowing. Also note that both the
probe tip should be blinking and the audible indicator ticking once per sec-
ond. All of these indicators show that the detector is currently
not
detect-
ing a
change
in the concentration of refrigerant.
Important:
The detector’s function is to detect a
change
in
refrigerant level, and not to make a quantitative measurement
of the that level. The technique of locating a leak by detect-
ing a change in level allows an operator to quickly locate the
source of a leak without making manual sensitivity adjust-
ments, or being concerned about the background vapor or
refrigerant level in the surrounding area.
Leak testing can be performed with the probe either “docked” in its stor-
age position for close-up leak testing, or unfolded to its maximum length of
20 inches (508 mm) for locating leaks in hard-to-reach areas.
Begin leak testing by slowly moving the probe toward the area to be
tested. If surfaces are dirty or wet, wipe them off with a clean shop towel
to prevent
fi
lter clogging. Avoid allowing water to enter the probe tip.
When the detector
fi
rst “sees” an increase in the refrigerant level, all
refrigerant level LED’s immediately glow along with the probe tip blink-
ing and audible indicator ticking at a very rapid rate. If movement of
the probe is stopped for more than 10 seconds, the detector’s automatic
self-zero feature will cause all refrigerant level LED’s to turn off, along
with decreasing the blinking and ticking rate of the probe tip and audible
indicator, respectively.
Once the presence of refrigerant has been determined and the detec-
tor allowed to self zero, moving the probe toward the source of the leak
will once again cause the detector to respond in a positive manner. After