INFICON Whisper, Ultrasonic Leak Detector, 711-202-G1

Fantastic item. Just shut off fluorescent lights first, they put off a ton of noise. Found a leak in less than 60 seconds. People who have issues with this don’t know how to use it properly or patiently. It’s really not complicated. I had a leak I couldn’t find with UV dye or soap. This saved my behind and made a happy customer with the first use.

It does work as advertised but only if the leak rate is large enough to generate where it can detect it. The issue is there is no specifications for that such a grams/year which we in HVAC/R refer to. It does serve a purpose if used within its capability. Good for detecting motor bearing noise, ultrasonic devices, and could detect nitrogen pressurized equipment. Water on the tubing and cores does aid in locating the leak. Using headset is a must. . To give an example of a tiny leak rate where it did not detect it, see attached video.

I bought the basic Whisper kit for help in locating truck air leaks and for use in identifying A/C leaks under nitrogen pressure. The supplied open air headphones are not really up to the task. I bought a $10 pair of Koss UR10 headphones and what a difference being able to hear an eye blink and electrical arcing from a light switch. Using the headphones is the way to go instead of the built in alert. I just got the kit a short while ago and have not put it through its paces but will be forthcoming and think it will have a place to aid diagnosis. The one truck A/C I pressurized with nitrogen did not have a leak. Looking forward to see if it can pick up condensor/evaporator leaks. I got to use this today for compressed air leaks on a truck and it found them all in no time flat including the Hi-Lo range valve body on top of the RoadRanger. Using the extension probe it could pick up a leak 8" away from a tank automatic drain valve. I put my finger over the port of the valve and could not tell it was leaking but it was. This ultrasonic leak detector is awesome and a game changer. Will update when used for A/C leaks.

Primary issue beyond the device not working is Inficon's customer service. Their service agent wanted to point blame at first the seller and then me. She inferred I didn't know what I was doing and made the comment "maybe it's not for you". At no point was any constructive assistance, trouble shooting or direction given.....said, "just return it".... Should have believed the reviews..... it was just defective and I can accept that but the attitude says it all....

This unit helps you quick find larger leaks that you may not hear. But if your losing a few PSI in 30 minutes, those fine leaks likely won't be found with this unit. I don't regret getting it, as it has helped me very quickly locate larger leaks. (10 psi in 10 minutes)

UPDATE: 12/24/19. Almost a year, and still working well. I use this fairly often with a fleet of buses to find pesky air leaks. If there is a big leak, no problem - that is audible. But those small ones... that's what this is for. Narrowing down where the that tiny leak is. Works great. Finding air leaks in air brake systems is a pain. This makes it a lot easier. And it is great for doing a quick walk-around check. Just have someone release the parking brake and apply the foot brake while walking around and pointing this tool all around the vehicle. If there are no leaks, it won't register a thing. Pretty slick. If there is a leak, you can quickly narrow down to at least the area, if not the exact spot. I didn't care for the included wired headphones. They work, but the cord is a pain, especially if you need to use a creeper under the vehicle. I kept running over the cord or getting restricted in movement by the cord. So I improvised a better solution. Ordered a bluetooth transmitter and a bluetooth headphone. No dangling cord! Yay! There are a lot of options to choose from. I chose these three items: Transmitter: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EHSX28M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06__o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Headphones: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F54Y6GU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Short cable: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B072TYZ89H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06__o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Used a little patch of velcro tape to attach the transmitter on top of the unit, just above the display. The cord is just the right length to wrap around the unit from the plug to the transmitter. And the headphones fold enough to still fit in the case. (a little tight, but it all fits!) The transmitter and phones are rechargeable, so an occasional recharge will be needed. But they last for hours. They paired pretty easily, and it's not hard to turn on each one before use, and shut down afterwards. Just have to get used to a little button pressing. INFICON, if you're reading this, maybe consider making a model with bluetooth built-in? That would be great.

I was hesitant on buying because of the price vs how much I would use it. I used it once so far and it was a game changer and saved me hours. I'm a fire sprinkler inspector and I'v spent hundreds of hours crawled around in hot, dirty, and insulation filled attics and wondered around freezing cold warehouses listening for air leaks in dry sprinkler systems. I had a job to go into an attic crawl space of a 75 yr old college dorm and crawl on my hands and knees in pink insulation to look for a pinhole leak. We've spent 4 months looking for, mostly due to the 3 large air handler units that were also up there. I finally bit the bullet and decided to purchase this thing. Well, 20 mins and I found 2 leaks that were half way back through the attic. With the laser point on the machine, you can stand in one spot and follow the pipe or line for quite a ways. You will need to learn what to listening for, a leak won't scream here I am. You will listening for noice pitch changes. Once you hear it getting louder and as you go past a leak the sound gets quieter, the point it back and you'll heard it get louder again. It will sound like audio static from the speaker or headphones, and the indicator light bar will rise as you run over a leak. We definitely saved time & money by using this. It paid for its the first time we used it.

I got this for a few different reasons but one use is for an inflatable dinghy that is losing air over a weeks time. I wanted to find where the leak is but really can't find it anywhere. Now I have used a similar unit (might have even been this one) while plugging a mold up during resin transfer molding (RTM) and it really helped out. I can't return this at this point but I'm just hoping I can come across something to where this can really help.

Por mucho, mejor que los detectores que tiene que “oler” el refrigerante. Es súper rápido hacer verificaciones con este equipo y es muy sensible. Excelente herramienta de diagnóstico para los trabajamos en HVAC.

No sensaba correctamente y al ponerme los audífonos solo se escuchaba un ruido de interferencia que lastimaba mucho los oídos .