Appliance shipping container air sampling system

A system for detecting the presence of a leak in a sealed refrigeration system of a refrigerator, said refrigerator being surrounded by a shipping container having a plurality of exterior walls and further having an upper portion and a lower portion, said system comprising:

• a probe having a conduit means;
• a means for positioning said lower portion of said shipping container containing said refrigerator adjacent of said probe;
• means for forcibly inserting said probe through one of said exterior walls;
• an air contaminant detecting means for detecting an air contaminant present upon a leak in said sealed refrigeration system;
• means for interconnecting said probe and said air contaminant detecting means such that a test sample of air from within said shipping container may be admitted to said air contaminant detecting means through said conduit means of said probe;
• means for indicating the presence of said contaminant in response to a detection of said contaminant;
• means for causing said shipping container to be sorted in response to an presence of said contaminant.

A method for detecting leaks in the sealed system of a refrigerator said refrigerator being disposed within a shipping container having a plurality of exterior walls for creating an enclosure for surrounding said appliance, said method includes the use of a mass spectrometer for identifying the presence of an air contaminant indicative of a leak in the sealed system, said method comprising:

• forming an opening disposed on one of said exterior walls of said shipping container;
• positioning a patch over said opening such that said opening is sealingly covered;
• surrounding said refrigerator with said shipping container;
• inserting a probe into said shipping container through said film patch;
• and
• drawing a sample of air through said probe into said mass spectrometer such that said leak in said sealed system of said refrigerator within said shipping container may be sensed.