First of all....Long time no see. I wonder if I still know people on here or if they know me. Man I've been busy. Kinda glad for a rainy day. OK, so here we go.....I have an H-10G and was looking to get an H-10PM. Has anybody found anything that compares to these - as far as I'm concerned- best leak detectors money can buy? JB Prowler is the biggest piece of junk I ever got talked into buying. I've never heard anything negative about an H-10, but I've heard plenty of negative about alot of others. What does everbody think? Money is not an issue. I'd rather pay more and save time. Time adds up to alot of money!
Has anybody found anything that can beat an H-10?
BamaCool
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First of all....Long time no see. I wonder if I still know people on here or if they know me. Man I've been busy. Kinda glad for a rainy day. OK, so here we go.....I have an H-10G and was looking to get an H-10PM. Has anybody found anything that compares to these - as far as I'm concerned- best leak detectors money can buy? JB Prowler is the biggest piece of junk I ever got talked into buying. I've never heard anything negative about an H-10, but I've heard plenty of negative about alot of others. What does everbody think? Money is not an issue. I'd rather pay more and save time. Time adds up to alot of money!
I still use an H-10G myself. It is the only detector that I trust.
I also have a 'Inficon Compass', but I get false positives with it on a regular basis.
Another guy at work has a 'CPS LS790B', and he gets false positives every now and then as well.
If the battery life is pretty long on the H-10PM, then I would think it would be a great tool.
I also have a 'Inficon Compass', but I get false positives with it on a regular basis.
Another guy at work has a 'CPS LS790B', and he gets false positives every now and then as well.
If the battery life is pretty long on the H-10PM, then I would think it would be a great tool.
We have had the best feedback from our customers with the Inficon Dtect Select and the H-10PM when money isn't a limiting factor.
i am using a dtect select , sometimes good but not always able to find a leak , i am would like to add a h10, as i only hear good stuff about them , except for power , there is a battery model, complaints about battery life ?, and a 115 v model , must me limiting on cord length roof tops etc , does the 115v model not have battery as well, are there real issues with power supply for these detectors ,
I've only used the 115 ac model. Sometimes a pita to drag out cord. That's why I'm considering the H10PM. Can anybody chime in on battery life? Can you get adapters to charge in truck? Adapters to run on ac when battery is dead?
To be honest I was really interested into buying the JB prowler as I guess it is the newest on the market. Problem is that I searched a lot for reviews and feedback in this forum but not much talks about it. I thought maybe it is still new so lets give it a try and really found a great deal for it on ebay. barely used in excellent condition JB prowler for $50!! I couldn't resist and won the bid for that price and waited tell it was delivered to me. Tested it out and was impressed with the performance. It senses difference in concentration like the other IR leak detectors do, but it senses everything!!
I testes it on lighter and touched the tip and it went off, tested on butane in cooker for only small amount and went off. Tested on beer, rubbing alcohol and many different gases and it goes off easily. It is accurate I do not doubt it as my final test was on a 2 years old empty fully opened r134a tank which all leak detectors I own (tifzx, h10pm, accuprobe, d-tek select, srl2) just stayed silent when shaking the tank and sensing the port. Only prowler went crazy and showed a small amount of refrigerant reading
.I went through 3 prowlers. None of them would pick up ANYTHING. I found a leak that I could HEAR. Found it with bubbles and then put the prowler right on the leak. Took over 2 minutes before it went to 1 bar for less than a second. Then silence. I moved it into fresh air and tried again. Never made another sound. Meanwhile, my H10 is 5 feet away screaming like hell. You must have got one on the other end of the spectrum - It goes off for anything!
I do believe from what I read in this forum that concentration leak detection method can be a pain when finding large leaks as it seems it gets zero automatically without noticing or it just goes really crazy for such high concentration and doesn't even alarm. Someone was mentioning D-tek select and how it missed two large leaks that H10 could sense meters away and same apply to srl2 and prowler. I guess it all depends on the environment and leak size and from my experience I like heated sensors like H10pm and tifzx more because they actually sniff only refrigerant and not any kind of gases such as the prowler. I seem happy with prowler after few home testing but I am sure it would disappoint me when I search in polluted areas or windy days.
I tried to customize my H10PM to use a 12v lithium battery pack instead of the old battery inside that doesn't hold a charge, and also bought a large 12v AGM battery which I curry in my bag and directly connect it to the H10PM. It can stay working for hours continuously and I would not worry about power anymore
. Really great detector and I own 3 units for my shopI forgot to answer about the H10PM battery. The device need a bit high voltage to operate well so when the voltage across battery goes down a bit the low batt LED will come on and then the device won't function well. I would say 30+min continues use and then need to recharge a bit. If you want to use a DC adapter pick a 12v with 2A current rating and that is more than sufficient. You can buy it off ebay or any electronic shop. If you have a PC hard disk which works on DC adapter then it work well as I am using a hard disk DC adapter currently, same 12v 2A current. The DC adapter from bacharach part list is around 13.6v i guess with 1.7A current, I don't have that and just use 12v 2A and works flawlessly.
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H-10 PM works for me... battery is one of those sealed lead-acid batteries. I generally buy one every season at this local supply house that sells only batteries (specialty place). Costs around $25/ea... other places may be different.
The issue with the H-10 is... it does not sniff 410 very well for me. Works GREAT for any other refrigerant... however one has to concentrate (careful procedures) to use it effectively for 410. Still... it is my favourite (and only) leak detector.
Keep the battery charged. The sealed battery type does better the less it is discharged. My unit can run from the charger... so long timed use I will plug it in if I can.
The issue with the H-10 is... it does not sniff 410 very well for me. Works GREAT for any other refrigerant... however one has to concentrate (careful procedures) to use it effectively for 410. Still... it is my favourite (and only) leak detector.
Keep the battery charged. The sealed battery type does better the less it is discharged. My unit can run from the charger... so long timed use I will plug it in if I can.
Hey GA, I do remember you from some time back! Thanks for the info. I see you're still using the H10 for 410 - since you said it is the only one you have. I've never had any problem picking up 410 with mine. Maybe not as sensitive as with 22, but still effective. Have you tried anything else for 410? I have and still can't beat the H10. The only other option to me was a D-Tek, but I've heard alot of no responses from them too that the H10 would pick up.
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Yeah... I have been around since 2005... spend WAAAAY too much time in ARP...
Where you been? Busy... or vacation from the mess?
I dropped my faithful H-10 I had for almost a decade... the circuit board cracked. Bought a new one last year and bought a used 120V unit (smaller pack case) also.
Since I only do resi... chasing a leak is usually about a 10 min effort.
IMO the key to taking care of the H-10PM battery is to keep it charged. Do not let it run down... charge it regularly whether you used it or not. I used to be more careful with mine... then I got lazy and let it go all fall/winter w/out charging... usually messed the battery up pretty bad. Now I just get a new batt every spring. Might fiddle with patching in a LI power tool batt sometime... just to see if it will work. Would be cool to have a socket in the tray and plug in a large version of an M-12...
Congrats on taking the BCA championship from NotreDame... good game!
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H10PM is my 'weapon' of choice in leak detection.
I've still got a corded model, but I don't often have to use it.
The Dtek Select is pure crap, IMO. I've done side-by-side tests with most common refrigerants in use in refrigeration duty and the D-tek can't hold a candle to the H-10.
I've heard good things about the Tif ZX-1 (I think that's the one, don't hold me to it), but have no personal experience with it so am reluctant to give it an endorsement.
I've still got a corded model, but I don't often have to use it.
The Dtek Select is pure crap, IMO. I've done side-by-side tests with most common refrigerants in use in refrigeration duty and the D-tek can't hold a candle to the H-10.
I've heard good things about the Tif ZX-1 (I think that's the one, don't hold me to it), but have no personal experience with it so am reluctant to give it an endorsement.
Yea. Extremely busy. No vacation for me. Good game?? Na, I don't know about that -(Forrest Gump quote). Notre Dame sucked. I notice you have about 15,500 more posts than me. I need some of your time.Yeah... I have been around since 2005... spend WAAAAY too much time in ARP...
Where you been? Busy... or vacation from the mess?
I dropped my faithful H-10 I had for almost a decade... the circuit board cracked. Bought a new one last year and bought a used 120V unit (smaller pack case) also.
Since I only do resi... chasing a leak is usually about a 10 min effort.
IMO the key to taking care of the H-10PM battery is to keep it charged. Do not let it run down... charge it regularly whether you used it or not. I used to be more careful with mine... then I got lazy and let it go all fall/winter w/out charging... usually messed the battery up pretty bad. Now I just get a new batt every spring. Might fiddle with patching in a LI power tool batt sometime... just to see if it will work. Would be cool to have a socket in the tray and plug in a large version of an M-12...
Congrats on taking the BCA championship from NotreDame... good game!
. I know weather hasn't been right here in the SE for us to make real money, but I've still been busy. Good to talk to you again. Thanks for the info, too.I love and use my h10g but it sucks when using on 410a. for 22 hands down the best. Everybody complains about power for tools but I have used these for over 20 years and no extension cords for me.
http://www.getzebra.com/proddetail.asp?prod=ZD002
dogboy
http://www.getzebra.com/proddetail.asp?prod=ZD002
dogboy
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Ahhh.... a 'widow maker'...:eek2:
Been using one for recovery and vacuum for years. Just be sure you are not standing in water... and the OSHA folks are not watching...
I had a tech with me one time 3+ years exp. and I asked do you know how to hook this up (for my h10g which is 120v) and he said yes so I crawled under the house and when he turned on the detector it made a noise that i never heard before. I came out from under the house yanked the cord then unplugged the detector and had him hook the plug up again. I said what voltage is this detector and he said 120 i daid how do you have the cheater hooked up. he said 120. i said on a condensing unit whit to black is 240 black or white to ground is 120. he then said oh. he did buy me a new leak detector though.Ahhh.... a 'widow maker'...:eek2:
Been using one for recovery and vacuum for years. Just be sure you are not standing in water... and the OSHA folks are not watching...
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Yeah... Now with the new elec code... some houses do not have neutral and ground at the disconnect... only a ground (which will not work as a neutral for 120V). Thankfully on newer houses a GFO outlet is supposed to be by the outdoor equipment.
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