Paul Appler is director of research at Cliplight Mfg., Toronto, a frequent ACR repair speaker for NATE and RSES, and the inventor of the refrigeration leak sealant Super Seal. He can be reached at 866-548-3644 or research@cliplight.com. For more information, visit www.cliplight.com.
By this time, on your career path as refrigeration and air conditioning technicians, you should already be aware of all the methods used to find leaks. The choice of tool is totally up to you.
The relationship between high-performance air conditioning and refrigeration (ACR) sealants and moisture is similar to a dysfunctional marriage. ACR leak sealants can’t live with moisture and they can’t live without moisture.
With more than 1 million sealant applications now sealing and preventing leaks in air conditioning/refrigeration systems worldwide, the odds are high most service techs will be confronted, if not already, with recovering refrigerants that have sealants in them. A common question is whether recovered refrigerant/sealant combinations will clog manifold gauges, recovery machines, etc.
