What Causes Refrigerant Leaks In Chiller？

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1 What Causes Refrigerant Leaks In Chiller？

1.1 Common causes of refrigerant leakage

1.1.1 1. Welding point cracking

1.1.2 2. Loose joints

1.1.3 3. Aging of gaskets

1.1.4 4. Collision damage

1.2 Signs of Refrigerant Leakage

1.3 What to do If Refrigerant Leakage is Found

1.4 Conclusion

1.5 Related chillers

1.6 CONTACT US

One of the biggest concerns with industrial chillers is refrigerant leakage. It not only reduces the system’s cooling performance but also increases energy consumption, causes compressor overheating, and can lead to system errors or equipment damage. Some refrigerants are toxic greenhouse gases. Leaks may pose health risks and trigger environmental regulations or fines.

This article will take you to learn the causes and signs of refrigerant leakage and help you prevent it in advance.

>>Related: eco-friendly refrigerant

Common causes of refrigerant leakage

1. Welding point cracking

If the welding quality of the refrigerant pipeline is not up to standard or fatigued after long-term use, leakage will occur near the U-bend, welding port, and pressure transmitter. When purchasing a chiller, you need to understand the manufacturer’s welding process quality. Reputable suppliers use stable brazing techniques and perform rigorous pressure tests to ensure system integrity.

2. Loose joints

The compressor can cause slight vibrations during operation, and the pipe thread will loosen or wear after a long time. This situation often occurs in variable frequency chillers and cooling systems that are not firmly fixed. Therefore, you need to install shock pads or spring supports for the equipment. And check whether there is a problem with pipe prestressing during installation.

3. Aging of gaskets

The gaskets of solenoid valves, expansion valves, filter driers and other components will age or harden after long-term hot and cold shocks. The resulting leaks are slow and difficult to detect in the early stages. You need better-performing sealing materials and a regular replacement plan.

4. Collision damage

If the internal pipes are hit during the transportation of the chiller, it will cause very obvious damage points and serious leaks. Therefore, wooden boxes are required for long-distance transportation. For chillers that need to be assembled on site, guardrails need to be added around the pipes to prevent collisions.

Signs of Refrigerant Leakage

One of the most obvious early signs of refrigerant leakage is a drop in refrigerant level or pressure. When you find the following problems with the chiller, it means that it has a risk of refrigerant leakage:

• Abnormal system pressure, both high and low pressures are low
• Water outlet temperature does not drop or fluctuates greatly
• System alarms, such as low-pressure protection and overheating protection
• Abnormal current fluctuations, frequent compressor starts and stops
• Persistent bubbling or no visible liquid in the sight glass
• When soapy water is used to detect the pipe interface, bubbles emerge

However, it should be noted that low refrigerant level is not necessarily caused by leakage. It may be that the installer did not set the liquid level correctly during installation.

>>Related: chiller troubleshooting

What to do If Refrigerant Leakage is Found

After discovering refrigerant leakage, you need to turn off the power supply of the chiller immediately to prevent the compressor from idling. You should quickly evacuate the leakage point, open the doors and windows for ventilation, and avoid inhaling high-concentration refrigerant to avoid dizziness or poisoning.

Note: If your chiller uses ammonia (R717), follow specific safety protocols and contact qualified technicians immediately.

Refrigerant Type	Toxicity Level	Brief Description
R134a	Mildly toxic	High doses may affect the nervous system; safe under normal use
R22	Mildly toxic	Regulated and being phased out due to environmental concerns
R410A	Mildly toxic	May cause suffocation at high concentrations
R407C	Mildly toxic	Similar to R22 with better environmental performance
R404A	Mildly toxic	May irritate respiratory tract in high concentrations
R1234yf	Mildly toxic	Low toxicity, but flammable; handle with care
R717 (Ammonia)	Toxic	Highly toxic and corrosive; requires professional handling
R744 (CO₂)	Non-toxic	High-pressure refrigerant; equipment must withstand pressure

If you are not a maintenance professional, it is dangerous to repair and refill the refrigerant yourself. You’d better write down the abnormal time, alarm code, and operating parameters, and provide them to the chiller supplier and professional maintenance personnel. This will help them determine the leak point and find a solution.

The biggest difficulty in repair is finding the leak point. Professional maintenance personnel usually use halogen leak detectors, electronic leak detectors, foam, etc. to confirm the leak point, and take measures such as re-welding, replacing pipe fittings, and tightening threads to repair it.

After the repair is completed, it is necessary to use a vacuum pump to evacuate the moisture and air in the pipeline and refill the refrigerant. After filling, perform pressure, current, and temperature control accuracy tests. It can only be put into use again after ensuring that there is no fault.

Conclusion

I hope this article can help you understand the causes, hazards and solutions of refrigerant leakage in chillers more deeply. If your equipment has a risk of leakage, you should take measures as soon as possible to avoid paying a greater price.

The brazing personnel of LNEYA chillers have many years of experience in the industry, and all equipment has been helium tested. We provide free installation and commissioning services to ensure that your equipment can run smoothly. If you encounter refrigerant leaks, contact LNEYA for fast diagnostics and professional repair support.