Bieler+Lang GasDetector IR 220 — refrigerant gas detector (NDIR)

Why a refrigerant leak is three problems at once

Safety. Most synthetic refrigerants are heavier than air — they collect at floor level in the plant room. Some are toxic, some, such as R-32 and R-1234yf, are flammable. Walking into a flooded room without warning is a real hazard.

Climate and law. Fluorinated refrigerants have a high global warming potential, and the F-gas regulation requires leak checks and documentation. Continuous monitoring is cheaper than periodic leak hunting and more reliable than inferring the loss from the top-up invoice.

Money. A slow leak first cuts the efficiency of the system, then destroys the compressor. A detector costs a fraction of replacing the compressor in a heat pump or a chiller.

NDIR — measurement that does not consume the sensor

Non-dispersive infrared works because the refrigerant molecule absorbs light at a particular wavelength. Nothing burns and nothing reacts chemically, so the sensor is not used up by contact with the gas and is not poisoned the way a pellistor is.

The manufacturer highlights the measuring head designed specifically for refrigerants — this is not a general-purpose IR sensor with a rescaled reading.

Where it goes

Refrigeration plant rooms, heat pumps, chillers, cold and freezer stores, server rooms with precision cooling, shops and warehouses with refrigerated cabinets, food industry and breweries, workshops servicing car air conditioning (R-1234yf).

Sensors are mounted low — refrigerants are heavier than air — and close to the places most likely to leak: at the compressor, at the joints, under the evaporator.

Alone or with a controller

The detector runs in stand-alone mode or feeds a 4–20 mA signal to a GMC 8022 or GMC 8034, which will start emergency ventilation and signalling. Parameters are programmed and the sensor adjusted with the CB 02 unit.

Technical data

Service with us

We are an authorised Bieler+Lang trade and service partner — we hold the manufacturer's written authorisation covering commissioning, maintenance and other service work, valid until 31 December 2028. Our technicians were trained in Achern and work with original parts and factory procedures.

In practice that means we commission, calibrate and service what we sell — nothing has to be shipped back to Germany. See our service scope or send equipment in.