Prowler Leak Detector Training

Training Module
JB Industries
Who is JB?
  Factory is located in Aurora, Illinois about 40 miles west of
Chicago
  A premium manufacturer of HVAC/R products
  MADE IN THE USA since 1967
  Produces high quality, reliable products with best in class
service and performance
  Over 90% of all JB product made in USA
  Stop by for a factory tour!
Product Introduction
LD 5000 PROWLER
REFRIGERANT LEAK DETECTOR
Product Overview
  Highly accurate electrochemical sensor with a service life of over 10
years of normal use.
  Detects all HFC, HCFC, and HFO refrigerants
  Automatically resets to ambient levels of background contamination
  Large LCD screen tilts for easy viewing at any angle
  Leak indication through vibrating handle, audio alarm, and bar graph
on LCD
  Automatic calibration circuit
  Certified to CE, EN14624, and SAE J2791
  Two Year Warranty includes the sensor
  MADE IN THE USA
Types of Sensor Technologies
  Corona Discharge (TIF, Robinair, CPS, Mastercool)
• 
Generates a corona by applying a high voltage to an ultra sharp pointed
electrode. Refrigerant gas entering the sensor blocks (reduces) the corona
emission. That change in corona current triggers an alarm response.
• 
Oldest and most inaccurate sensor technology with high failure rate.
  Heated Anode or Diode Emission (Bacharach, Inficon)
• 
Utilizes positive ion emissions into the ambient air from a red-hot wire.
Refrigerant gas entering the sensor causes an increase in emission that
generates an alarm response. The heated sensor draws a lot of current,
therefore AC power or rechargeable batteries are preferred.
• 
The sensor can be damaged (poisoned) if it receives high concentrations of
refrigerant gas and the component is sacrificed over time thus the sensor life is
very short.
• 
As the heated sensor is being depleted of the metallic and chemical ingredients
needed to produce the response, the user is instructed to offset the diminution
of performance by manually advancing the power to the sensor.
Types of Sensor Technologies
  Solid Oxide Electrochemical (Inficon, Bacharach)
•  Also uses a red-hot wire, but utilizes the principle that halogen gases
interact strongly with Potassium or Sodium. Refrigerants containing
halogen produce a signal because the red-hot solid decomposes the
refrigerant thereby releasing halogen ions. These ions then interact
strongly with potassium or sodium causing an increase in current
between the electrode and heating coil. Heated sensor draws
considerable power thus rechargeable batteries or AC power is
preferred.
•  Like heated diode, the sensor can be damaged (poisoned) if it receives
high concentrations of refrigerant gas and the component is sacrificed
over time thus the sensor life is very short.
•  As the heated sensor is being depleted of the metallic and chemical
ingredients needed to produce the response, the user is instructed to
offset the diminution of performance by manually advancing the
power to the sensor.
JB’s Sensor Technology
  The newest sensor technology and longest sensor life in the market
  Heated Solid Electrochemical
  NOT HEATED DIODE OR HEATED ANODE
  The sensor detects reducing gases exemplified by hydrogen
compounds and halogenated hydrocarbons
  Excellent sensitivity to all HFC, HCFC, and HFO refrigerants
including blends and the new R-1234yf
  R-1234yf is the preferred replacement to R-134a and is an A2L
flammable refrigerant as defined by ASHRAE34
  Does not draw huge power thus operates on four AA batteries
Comparisons
JB Heated Solid Electrochemical
Sensitivity and Stability: Excellent
Sensor Life: Greater than 10 years
Failure Rate: Rare
Solid Oxide
Electrochemical
Sensitivity: Excellent
Sensor Life: About 1 year
Failure Rate: Rare
Corona Discharge
Sensitivity: Fair
Heated Anode/Diode
Sensitivity: Good
Sensor Life: 20 hours
maximum, replaced
frequently
Sensor Life: Less than 1
year
Failure Rate: Diminished
with use over time
Failure Rate: Very High
Important Features: Sensor
  Extremely sensitive and accurate for all HFC, HCFC and HFO including
blends
  Newest sensor and circuit leak detection technology
  Sensor life greater than 10 years which is the longest in the industry
  Robust and is not damaged by overexposure to refrigerant gas or contaminated
by water (See SAE certification)
  Low sensor temperature supports low battery consumption, excellent stability,
long sensor life, and the electrochemical function does not diminish over time
with use
  Safe to use in combustible atmosphere
  Sensor is included in the two year warranty (from purchase date)
  Automatically resets to ambient levels of background contamination
Important Features: Alarming
  Visual bar graph notifies of a leak size indicator relative to
the three sensitivity levels
  Audio alarm notifies of a leak with beeping alert when not in
MUTE mode
  Sensory alarm notifies of a leak with vibration in the handle
  Only leak detector with vibrating handle
  The vibrating handle is ideal for noisy environments when
the user cannot hear the audible alarm and ideal for quiet
environments (hospitals, public places) when the user must
reduce noise as much as possible (mute audio)
Important Features: LCD Screen
  LCD screen is large in size for easy viewing
  The screen can be positioned upward to view at better angles
  Displays a leak size indicator in 10 point bar graph form
  Displays battery level indicator
  Displays sensitivity setting (Default is Medium)
  Optional backlight with push of icon
  The leak size indicator operates independently from the audio/
vibrating handle alarm and sensitivity level, allowing for precise
pinpointing of the leak source and determining relative size of the
leak
Important Features: Certification
  There are two US and International Leak detector
performance and ranking Standards in the world
  JB meets ALL Standards which are put in place to define a
better class of leak detectors
  The most important Standard to follow when selecting a
hand held, probe-type, portable leak detector is the SAE
International Standard J2791
  JB meets SAE International Standard J2791
Important Features: Certification
Certified to meet and be in compliance with all industry Standards including CE, EN 14624, and
SAE J2791.
Most leak detectors on the market do not meet these Standards and only three are in compliance
with SAE J2791.
“Garage Durability Test” Standard requires the unit function normally after being dropped three
times from a height of four feet on to a hard concrete surface.
“Garage Durability Test” also requires the unit to function normally after the tip has been submerged
to a depth of ¼” inch of water and drawn through the water at a rate of 3” per second for two
seconds.
“Sensitivity Performance Test” whereby 0.15, 0.25, and 0.5 oz/yr leak rates are measured with a
probe moving at 3 in./sec passing a calibrated leak from a distance of 3/8”. Also must not trigger a
leak at 0.07 oz/yr so that the user is not trying to fix an unfixable small leak
Certification to the SAE J2791 Standard is important because the unit is held to design and
performance requirements to prevent those aggravating field failures
Other Features
  Over molded synthetic rubber handle provides better grip
  Operates on 4 AA batteries (10 continuous hours) for inexpensive
maintenance
  Rechargeable batteries require a long time for recharging, it is
difficult to find replacement rechargeable batteries, they are
expensive and they are a potential heat source
  Response time is immediate and warm up is less than 20 seconds
  Comes with leak test vial to test audio alarm, visual leak alarm,
and confirm the unit is working to specifications before leak
detection begins
Other Features
  LCD screen can be positioned up to 30 degrees to be viewed
at any angle
  Sensitivity level can be adjusted to Low, Med, High
  Backlight can be turned on or off
  Audible alarm can be muted
  Sensor failure Indicator
  Vibrating Handle to alert to leaks is always on
Warranty
  2 years from date of purchase
  Includes the sensor
  Warranty product is to be returned and a replacement
product sent
  This is a very robust product so please read troubleshooting
before sending a unit in for replacement as most issues will
be due to user error
Troubleshooting Problems
  If a customer comes in to report that the unit will not come out of
warm up mode:
•  Remove sensor
•  Read sensor replacement section of the Owners manual included with
the product or go on line www.jbind.com/instruction_sheets.asp
•  Remove and replace existing sensor by aligning the notch in the sensor
socket with the tab on the sensor.
•  Make sure that a clean sensor filter is installed into the Sensor Tip.
The filter is important to protect the sensor from contamination.
•  Replace the sensor filter whenever it becomes visibly dirty or in contact
with liquid.
Troubleshooting Problems
  If a customer comes in to report that the low battery
indicator will not turn off:
•  Are the batteries installed with the correct polarity as
indicated in the Owners manual included with the product or
go on line www.jbind.com/instruction_sheets.asp
•  Have the batteries been used for more than 10 hours
•  Open battery compartment and examine battery installation
and condition
•  Replace with new batteries