Mastercool 55800 Intelligent Electronic Leak Detector Instruction Manual

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

                 MODEL#­55800

DESIGN CERTIFIED BY INTERTEK TO MEET SAE J2791, J2913 & EN14624
Detects all refrigerants, combustible gases and hydrogen/nitrogen mix (CFC,HFC, HCFC and blends) Unit has been tested and approved to work with R1234yf as well as R32 and R410a

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

You have purchased an intelligent electronic leak detector, model 55800. At the heart of this advanced leak detector is a new low power metal oxide gas sensor with superior performance properties when compared to other competitive units that are still utilizing older generation sensors. The new sensor is characterized by high sensitivity and fast response upon detecting the presence of extremely small levels of refrigerants and flammable gasses. For this reason, this sensor was selected and integrated into the 55800 Leak Detector.

In addition, we integrated a powerful microprocessor into the design that automatically selects the best operating condition for the sensor to ensure optimum performance throughout the life of the sensor. From the time the unit is initially turned on, an accelerated start-up heating program was incorporated, to prepare the sensor element for readiness in about a minute or less. During this time, a sensor diagnostic check is performed and other critical parameters are checked. Once the proper conditions are sensed, the processor enables the READY legend on the LCD and initiates the audible “beep” on the unit, provided the mute feature is disabled.

From this point on, the processor continues to interact with the user by monitoring the commands received from the keypad and executing them, as well as performing self-diagnostic checks on critical elements multiple times each second, thereby assuring and maintaining the continued operation of the product. Any deviation of the critical parameters from the normally established design limits, such abnormal conditions are annunciated to the attention of the user by audible and visual means, using the advanced colorful user-friendly LCD display.
Additional other beneficial features are detailed and discussed further in this Operating Manual.

WARNING
This symbol is intended to alert the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance or servicing instructions in the literature accompanying this product.

IMPORTANT GUIDELINES

1. The 55800 leak detector shall be operated in accordance to the equipment manufacturer’s operating instructions.
2. Leak test with the unit turned OFF.
3. Visually trace the entire refrigerant system and inspect for signs of air conditioning lubricant leakage, damage and corrosion on all lines, hoses and components. Each questionable area shall be carefully checked with the detector probe as well as fittings, hose-to-line couplings, and refrigerant controls. Service ports with caps in place, brazed or welded areas and areas around attachment points and hold-downs on lines and components. If looking for an apparently larger leak, check first at the Medium 7 g/yr or Low 14 g/yr sensitivity setting.
4. Always follow the refrigerant system around in a continuous path so that no area of potential leaks is missed. If a leak is found, always continue to test the remainder of the system.
5. Recheck service valves with caps removed. Blow shop air over service valve to clear immediate area and then check with the detector set at 7 g/yr (0.25 oz/yr) Medium sensitivity.
6. Move the detector at a rate of no more than 75 mm/sec (3 in/sec) and as close as possible to 9.3 mm (3/8 in) from the surface, completely encircling each test position (switch, sensor, refrigerant tubing connection etc).
7. Slower movement and closer approach of the probe improves the probability of finding a leak. However, detectors made to meet this standard are required to air sample and detect a leak from a distance of 9.5 mm (3/8 in) distance. Therefore, retest is advised at the most sensitive setting, when a leak appears to be found, particularly if the probe was in a static position on a joint or making physical contact with a joint as it was moving. Repeat with a moving probe test at that location, taking care to maintain a small gap (9.5 mm or 3/8 in) to confirm that the leak is of a repairable size. Using a 7 g/yr (0.25 oz/yr) Medium sensitivity setting on the detector, after finding an apparent leak with the 4 g/yr (0.15 oz/yr) High sensitivity setting, may also be very helpful.

SPECIFICATIONS

nitrogen mix (CFC,HFC, HCFC and blends)
Unit has been tested and approved to work with R1234yf as well as R32 and R410a
Sensitivity Levels:| HIGH: 0.05 oz/yr (1.5 g/yr)
MEDIUM: 0.25 oz/yr (7 g/yr)
LOW: 0.50 oz/yr (14 g/yr)
Response Time: | Less than 1 second
Battery:| 2 D Alkaline 12000 mAh batteries
Battery Life:| 60 hours
Operating Temperature Range:| -17 to 49˚C (0˚F to 120˚F)
Weight:| 1 lb 8 oz (0.68 kg)
Display: | 40mm (w) x 30mm (h), progressive color LCD display with 10 vertical bars

FEATURES

“Super Sensitive Function” allows the unit further sensitizing beyond the standard settings for locating small leaks with gases such as R1234yf and R407C

• Display Properties: · Display relative magnitude of the detected leaks

• Visual indication of the selected sensitivity range (high, medium or low).

• Displays the readiness status of the unit (wait, ready or interference).

• Displays the selected mode of the unit (peak, hold or mute).

• Annunciates and displays fault conditions of the unit.

• Displays accumulated sensor hours on request.

• Low battery Indicator
  Probe:

• Intelligent tip, with environment sensing element to eliminate the potential of false alarms.

• Flexible 15.5 inch (39.3 cm) probe length for difficult to reach locations.
  Keypad Controls:

• ON/OFF button (push-on/push-off)

• Volume/Mute button (high, low or mute)

• Sensitivity button for High, Medium and Low sensitivity level selection

• Hold button to hold the signal bars (push enable/disable)

• Peak button when multiple leaks are suspected (push enable/disable)

POWERING THE UNIT ON

Momentarily depress the center ON/OFF button on the keypad. Upon receiving the ON command, the following information appears on the LCD screen:

• All the vertical bars become lighted.

• The red WAIT legend begins to blink.

• Either an A or an F appears on the screen, depending on the refrigerant detected.
  PLEASE NOTE:
  • When working with most CFCs, HFCs, and HCFCs you will want to be in the A mode
  • When working with hard to detect gases such as R1234yf, R407C or simply to heighten sensitivity levels beyond normal settings use the F mode. Please note that F mode will be too sensitive in most applications so only use this mode in extreme cases.

• As the sensor heats up, the vertical bars begin to extinguish one at a time until all bars are extinguished.

• When this occurs, the red WAIT legend disappears and a green READY legend appears.

• The unit begins “beep” unless it is muted, in which case, the legend MUTE will appear on the LCD.

• The unit will start in the low sensitivity range every time at power up.

BATTERY PRESERVATION FEATURE

An automatic timer shuts off the unit after 3 minutes of inactivity. The timer is reset whenever the unit alarms or when any key is depressed.

SELECTING A DIFFERENT SENSITIVITY LEVEL

Press the SENSITIVITY button on the keypad to change the sensitivity setting of the unit.

SELECTING A DIFFERENT REFRIGERANT SENSITIVITY

To change the refrigerant from A to F mode or vice versa, press and hold the PEAK keypad button until the refrigerant shown on the LCD changes. Within a few seconds, the unit will shut itself off. When this occurs, depress the ON keypad button to turn the unit back on. The unit will begin its normal power- up sequence. The selected refrigerant sensitivity will remain in memory when the unit is turned off.

SELECTING THE HOLD FEATURE

To enable the HOLD feature, momentarily depress the HOLD keypad button. The LCD will display an H legend to indicate that the hold feature is enabled.

The HOLD feature was implemented for the purpose of allowing the user to search for leaks in hard to reach locations. This feature retains the relative magnitude of a detected leak on the LCD for an indefinite period of time or until another leak is detected, in which case, the previous leak display is erased and the new leak is displayed on the LCD. When the HOLD button is depressed again, the unit will exit the hold mode and resume normal operation.

SELECTING THE PEAK FEATURE

To enable the Peak feature, momentarily depress the PEAK keypad button. The LCD will display the word PEAK and all the vertical bars will be outlined in white

The PEAK feature was implemented for the purpose of identifying the largest leak in a system with multiple leaks. When the first leak is detected, the last vertical bar will remain lighted after the alarm takes place. The next time a leak is detected, if the detected leak was smaller than the first detected leak, the original last vertical bar will remain. If another leak is detected, but this leak exceeded the first leak, the last vertical bar of the larger leak will become lighted. If a detected leak lights up all the bars, this is an indication that the sensitivity of the unit should be decreased. To exit the PEAK mode, momentarily depress the PEAK keypad button.

TO CHANGE THE VOLUME

The VOLUME keypad button controls the normal and low volumes of “beep” tones and mutes the tones. Each time the VOLUME keypad is depressed, the LCD communicates to the user the state of the volume control. If the normal volume is selected, the LCD will momentarily display 10 vertical bars. If the low volume has been selected, the LCD will momentarily display 5 vertical bars. When MUTE is selected, the LCD will display the MUTE legend. When the unit is in MUTE, only the “beep” tones are muted, the alarms will continue to annunciate at the normal level whenever a leak is detected.

MAINTENANCE

To Install or Replace the Alkaline Batteries
Remove the battery cover as shown in Figure 1 and remove the existing batteries. It may be beneficial to turn the unit vertically and shake out both batteries. Install two D size alkaline batteries with the polarities shown in Figure 1. Re-install the battery cover and secure with the cover screw.

Figure 1

1. Cover
2. Screw for removing or securing the battery cover

Replacing the Sensor
To replace the sensor, firmly grasp the flexible probe near the end with one hand and use the other hand to unscrew the nozzle portion from the threaded probe tip in a counter-clockwise direction. Next, remove the metal washer, the rubber washer and the sensor in that order. Observe the orientation of the key on the sensor being removed. It would be advisable to replace the filter inside the nozzle at the same time. To remove the microfiltration membrane from inside the nozzle, the assistance of a long thin object such as an o-ring pick or equivalent will be required.

Figure 2

1. Probe
2. Key
3. Sensor
4. Rubber Washer
5. Metal Washer
6. Filter
7. Nozzle

When installing a new sensor, orient the tab key on the sensor with the keys slot on the probe, making certain that the 3 pins of the sensor are inserted into the appropriate pins inside the probe end. Verify that the sensor has been properly inserted into the probe. Next install the rubber washer as shown in Figure 2, followed by the metal washer. Insert new filter and screw on the nozzle while firmly holding the probe end with the other hand. DO NOT USE ANY TOOLS in tightening the tip assembly, firmly hand tighten only.

Leak Test Vial
A leak test vial is supplied with your leak detector to verify that the leak detector is operating correctly.

1. Turn the leak detector ON and wait until the unit completes its warm-up sequence. A green
READY will be displayed on the LCD and the audible “beep” will begin, unless muted. Set the sensitivity level to MEDIUM.
2. Remove the vinyl cap from the vial to expose the small leak hole as shown in Figure 3A below.
DO NOT UNTWIST THE BLACK CAP FROM THE BOTTLE.

Figure 3A               Figure 3B

3. Place the probe tip close to the small hole (3 – 4 mm) on the leak test vial for no more than 3 seconds, as shown in Figure 3B, until an audible alarm is generated. This will be an indication that the unit is operating properly.

NOTE: Any duration longer than 3 seconds will saturate the sensor. See precautions below.
Reseal the vial with the previously removed vinyl cap and return to the case.

PRECAUTION!

If the test vial is held in close proximity of the probe tip for an extended period of time, the probe sensor can saturate. The leak detector will interpret this as a contaminated atmosphere associated with a large refrigerant leak.

This precaution also applies when locating leaks. Refer to Quick Start Tips On How To Find Leaks, step #2 for further clarification.

When this occurs, the letters CL will appear on the screen and a flashing WAIT will be displayed for several seconds, while the leak detector is re- calibrating itself to the new environment. This process may take several seconds to complete. A green READY light will appear on the display, alerting the user that the unit is ready for use.

If the above precaution is not followed, CA (contaminated atmosphere) may appear on the display, after a self-calibration process. The unit can be used to detect leaks provided the READY legend appears on the display. The CA indication will eventually disappear when the unit returns to a non- contaminated environment and undergoes a self-calibration process.

Manual Calibration
The unit will continually self adjust its operation in order to detect leaks at an optimum level. When it does this a `CL’ will flash in the display, the wait indicator will turn on and the ready light will be off for a few seconds until this operation is completed.

The unit is also designed to detect leaks in the presence of a background contamination. In order for the unit to make the determination that there is a contaminated atmosphere, it must have stored data for the sensor in absolute clean air. This data is determined at production and stored in memory.

If a sensor is replaced or if the unit displays `CA’ when the operator is 100% confident that there is no contaminate in the air*, then a manual calibration can be performed by the following sequence. Hold down the MUTE key simultaneously with the Peak key until a “CL” is displayed along with a white outline of all the bar symbols. This procedure can take up to a minute or two. This will store a new set of clean air data into the unit. This new data will now be used each time the unit is powered up.

*Beside HFC’s, contaminated air can also be caused by the presence of other contaminates such as alcohol, perfumes, hand sanitizers etc. The manual calibration should be done in a very clean environment such as outdoors.

QUICK START TIPS ON HOW TO FIND LEAKS

A sudden whipping action of the probe or blowing into the sensor may cause the leak detector to false alarm. Electronic sensors are incorporated into the product to detect such activity and to reduce and minimize such false alarm. In the event such interference is detected, the LCD will display a flashing INT (interference) legend momentarily then normal operation can resume after the READY legend appears.

1. When starting the search for leaks, without a general knowledge of the magnitude of the leak, set the instrument sensitivity to LOW. The LOW sensitivity will enable the unit to locate medium as well as large size leaks.
2. Slowly move the probe approximately 3/8 inch (9 mm) above the areas of suspected leaking. Move the probe past the leak to allow the probe to clear if a leak is detected. Do not hold the probe at the site of a leak. Return the probe to the same area where a leak was detected for verification.
3. In the event no leaks were found with a LOW sensitivity setting, increase the sensitivity to MEDIUM and repeat step (2) above.
4. For locating extremely small leaks 0.1 oz/yr (2.8 grams) or less, the HIGH sensitivity scale should be used. Due to the extremely small leak size, the tip of the probe should be moved as close to the surface as possible (without physically touching any object). Physical touching of an object will be detected by the probe sensors resulting in a brief INT (interruption) in the detector.
5. When probing for a leak in a contaminated environment, the sensor will detect the contaminated area and will automatically adjust for the new conditions. The LCD will display CA (contaminated atmosphere) on the screen, after going through the re-calibration process which will take approximately one minute to complete. During the re-calibration process, all vertical bars become lighted and sequence down until all bars are extinguished. At that point, the READY light comes on and the leak detection process can continue.

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

With the exception of batteries and the sensor, the internal parts of the 55800 are not field serviceable. If you experience an issue with the product, refer to the troubleshooting table below.

batteries. Follow instructions on page 3.
| 2) Batteries are installed improperly| Check battery installation polarity on page 3.
The unit powers up briefly then shuts OFF| Batteries are very weak | Install new batteries. Follow instructions on page 3.
The unit alarms continuously without stopping| The area is contaminated or there are contaminants nearby| First reduce the sensitivity of the unit. If the unit still alarms in the lowest sensitivity, turn unit off. Clean the area of contaminants and try again.
E2 Code Appears on LCD| Clogged tip or fan not working| Unscrew probe tip, remove filter from inside with an o-ring pick and blow shop air through the small holes in the tip. Re-assemble probe assy and check unit. If problem continues, return unit to place where purchased.
E8 Code Appears on LCD| Bad Sensor | Replace sensor follow instructions on page 4.
E9 Code Appears on LCD| Missing Sensor| Replace sensor follow instructions on page 4.
*Power down the unit and retry power up several times. 

REPLACEMENT PARTS

Replacement parts and accessories for the 55800 Leak Detector are available through the same dealer from whom you purchased the instrument or from Mastercool Inc.

WARRANTY AND LIABILITY

Mastercool Inc. warrants your 55800 Refrigerant Leak Detector to be free from defects of material and workmanship for a period of 1 year from the date of purchase. Mastercool Inc. does not warrant items that deteriorate under normal use, including batteries, sensor and filter. In addition, Mastecool Inc. does not warrant product that shows evidence of misuse. Any evidence of accident, unauthorized repair or alteration shall also void the stated warranty.

Mastercool’s liability is limited to the product returned to Mastercool, transportation prepaid, not later than 30 days after the warranty expires and which Mastercool determines to have malfunctioned because of material or workmanship defects. Mastercool’s liability is limited as an option to repairing or replacing the defective product or part.

WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, lead and lead compounds, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov

USA
973-252-9119
Belgium
+32 (0) 3 777 28 48
Brasil
+ 55 (11) 4407 4017

www.mastercool.com 55800-INT-INST

References

• www.ca.gov | California State Portal
• P65Warnings.ca.gov

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)

Download This Manual (PDF format)

Download this manual  >>