Many thanks to all those who helpfully responded to my earlier post. Since then, I have found a company in Surrey which offers an American process which is said to seal slow leaks in aircon systems with a sealant which is introduced into the system and seals the leak by hardening as it is exposed to the air. Sounds like Radweld or the schoolboy dodge of putting Golden Syrup in a bicycle tyre. The sealant remains in the system and may pose a contamination problem to any future pumping-out, so the company adds a warning sticker to this effect.
Does anyone on the list have any experience, good or bad, of this process or any similar one?
Many thanks,
Stephen