[Chris808]

I finally purchased my own leak detector, the H10 Pro after having issues with the company provided leak detectors and reading the positive feedback that members here have had with the H10.

I’m making my way through the manual but wanted to see if the experienced users had any advice or practices they developed to get the best use out of the H10. It is a little more involved than I am used to and would love to get input on things I should do and things to avoid. I can tell you that I probably won’t be lending this guy out.

 

[BALloyd]

You need to let it warm up before using it. Needs to run for about 5 minutes in fresh air.

Also, do not let it suck up any water.

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[itsiceman]

I just leave it in auto. Haven't had a need to mess with the knobs for anything.

 

[itsiceman]

I see very little 410 though

 

[Boiler Guy]

I always used mine in auto. Has worked very well.

 

[Chris808]

Thanks for the input. I should have added that the refrigerants I usually see are R-22 and 410. I have a few others like 407c, 404a, and 134a but the majority will be the two. I messed with it a little last night and am amazed by the sensitivity.

 

[itsiceman]

Thanks for the input. I should have added that the refrigerants I usually see are R-22 and 410. I have a few others like 407c, 404a, and 134a but the majority will be the two. I messed with it a little last night and am amazed by the sensitivity.

What did you have before?

 

[Chris808]

What did you have before?

I was issued an Inficon Tek-Mate. I never felt confident with that leak detector. I would get false positive hits all the time. To be fair it was well used and had been in our shop for a long time.

 

[ga-hvac-tech]

You need to let it warm up before using it. Needs to run for about 5 minutes in fresh air.

Also, do not let it suck up any water.

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This is good advise... albeit depending on the battery charge, warm up may only need 90 sec to 2 min.
Generally... when the slow beeping in fresh air stabilizes... you are more or less ready to carry it towards the leak and start hunting.

Couple of things:
*As noted... NEVER allow it to suck up water... that is a good way to seriously mess it up!
And obviously, this means it is better to never use in in the rain...
*The sensitivity of the H10 PRO over the older H10 looking for 410A leaks, is the BIG improvement in the PRO! I have used an older H10 (not a pro) for many years... it smells 22 and others quite well... but not 410. The new PRO smells 410 almost as well as the old one smelled 22!!!
*The battery in the unit is a sealed lead/acid battery and needs to be taken care of.
Charge it regularly, keep it charged during off season (put it on a charger at least once a month when the unit is not being used). During busy season, I bring mine in every weekend and charge it! The instructions say to be careful to not over-charge it... IMO put it where you can see it... and when the light turns green... give it an extra 15-20 minutes and take it off charge (of course, remove the charger from the unit as well as un-plug the charger from the wall).
Generally, I get 2-3 years from a battery... changing it is not hard... all you need is a screw-driver and a little careful common sense.

Enjoy the H10 PRO... IMO it is the gold standard all others are measured by!

 

[Chris808]

Thanks Ga-hvac! That’s a very informative post. Exactly what I was looking for.

 

[JTCHVAC]

I found this to be a good article about leak detection.

http://www.refrigtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Leak_Detection_Manual.pdf


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[JTCHVAC]

I found this to be a good article about leak detection.

http://www.refrigtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Leak_Detection_Manual.pdf


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There was also a good podcast on HVAC school about leak detection you might find interesting. This is how I found out about this article.


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[Gleng]

I have a new DTEK select,It works good, but thinking about getting the H10 pro.Now inficon has just come out with a new leak detector, called the stratus.Suppose to be very good.Can you give a comparrison from the H10 to any other leak detector you have used.I wondering if the H10 is any better than the DTek select

 

[BALloyd]

I don't remember which DTek unit my coworker had a few years back but a side by side comparison vs an H10 was no contest.

You would go over refrigerated cases with the Dtek and get nothing unless it was a decent size leak. Follow right behind with an H10 and pick up all the small leaks that were present.

I have a new DTEK select,It works good, but thinking about getting the H10 pro.Now inficon has just come out with a new leak detector, called the stratus.Suppose to be very good.Can you give a comparrison from the H10 to any other leak detector you have used.I wondering if the H10 is any better than the DTek select

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[GoCougs]

Prefer to use the manual function myself


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[Gleng]

I wish you knew which DTek he had!!!Although I'm thinking the h10 is probably better.Im waiting to hear about this new Inficon stratus that is out.I do pretty good with the DTek select, but still thinking about the h10 pro in the near future, unless the new stratus is that good.

 

[BALloyd]

I se manual mode almost exclusively. The documentation from Bacharach states 25% greater sensitivity I think.

Prefer to use the manual function myself


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