It is important to prevent leaks as it can impact on energy saving and getting the most from your compressed air system, but you might be asking this simple yet very important question: how do I even know if Ive got a leak?
Well compressed air can sneak out of your system from many places: valves which dont close completely, poorly fitted connections, point of use devices just to name a few sources. And while it may not sound like much, escaping air can add up costing you money!
There are a few tell-tale signs to look out for which may identify that youve got an air leak:
Listen for leaking air
Large air leaks are less common than smaller leaks but do waste lots of compressed air so worth checking every few months. Larger leaks are audible, so during quieter production periods take the time to walk through your system to ensure you cant hear a hissing sound that shouldnt be there.
Pressure losses
Have you noticed the pressure in your system going down? Your compressor could be working harder to supply the same pressure and airflow it used to provide which means you may have a leak, or in fact lots of smaller leaks combining to cause this issue.
Losing air during downtime
No one likes to waste money and energy, so why would you want to lose compressed air when youre not using it? Observe whether youre using air even when production machines are not operating, as this air will be feeding little leaks throughout your system.
How old is your pipework?
Piping systems more than five years old have been shown to exhibit leaks of up to 25% and a single quarter-inch air leak at 100 psi could cost more than £1700 a year! You could consider installing aluminium pipework to correct this as its easy to install with leak free connections.
So, you think youve got a problem, what next?
A leak detection survey can pinpoint exact leaks in compressed air systems, even during noisy production periods, and produces a report outlying all leaks in order for them to be repaired.
Spot it. Tag it. Fix it.
The ultrasonic leak detectors remove the need for guesswork and you can improve the efficiency of your system!