WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT LEAKS

May 20, 2018

How to increase efficiency on your entire system by eliminating leaks.

Whether you’re working in a machine shop or as a technician in a large-scale manufacturing plant, compressed air is one of the most valuable tools at your disposal. When used efficiently, compressed air is a reliable energy that keeps your equipment operating consistently, even under heavy workloads.

At Airtec, we have decades of experience to our names, and we like to use that experience to help companies achieve high levels of efficiency on their compressed air systems. Just one of the ways we can do that is by targeting problems that commonly appear within a compressed air system.

Like any heavy-use equipment, wear-and-tear is going to occur. In a compressed air system, wear-and-tear commonly manifests as leaks. Leakage is one of the biggest problems in any compressed air system, costing companies a significant amount of wasted energy. In fact, losing 20-30% of produced compressed air to leaks is not uncommon. So what can you do about it?

Detecting Costly Leaks

Unfortunately, the 20-30% of lost compressed air never occurs in a single place. Leakage tends to accumulate from hundreds of sources all throughout the system. Leaks are most typically found in manifolds, hoses, couplings, threads, nipples, and other connections where compressed air can create space over time.

So, now you have general idea of where to start looking! But as you know, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of connections in different areas of your compressed air system. How are you supposed to find these leaks in a noisy environment?

Sometimes, the largest leaks can create the most waste and can generally be heard from several feet away. If you can hear the hissing from a leak, that means that the leak is fairly severe and should be dealt with as soon as possible!!

What can you do?

While large leaks are a significant source of inefficiency, most compressed air is going to be lost in smaller leaks that can’t be heard or seen. For these leaks, you have a few different options:

1. You can spray the area in question with water and soap and watch carefully for bubbles
2. You can purchase an ultrasonic leak detection device that can detect leaks in a noisy environment.
3. Call us! We specialize in detecting, identifying and classifying leaks from largest to smallest. We can then prepare a report to let you know how much energy you can save by repairing them

At Airtec, we take compressed air efficiency seriously, and we want nothing more than to help you reduce energy cost on your system. Please feel free to drop us a line with any questions you may have!