An air conditioning unit that has lost a part of its refrigerant charge will struggle to perform. A small refrigerant leak will rob your system of its capacity. The time required to reach the desired setpoint will be longer and discharge air temperatures will be off, all these leading to higher utility bills. Locating a refrigerant leak can be a challenge. You will not always hear it, and it will not always have a stream of oil to guide you to the source. That is when a leak detector can be of significant help. There are many different types of refrigerant leak detectors. Electronic, infrared, and ultrasonic are some of the most common types. They all have their advantages and drawbacks. Some drawbacks include frequent sensor replacements, limitations on the type of refrigerant it can detect, and all that can give a false positive reading.

There is, however, a leak detector that has none of the downsides listed above and is the most budget-friendly option. It is soapy water. There are many commercially available formulations, but the principle remains the same: the solution coats the area and escaping gases produce visible bubbles. It works on all refrigerants (and other gases), it is cheap, and false positives are eliminated.