Air system leak down?

[Greg]

How much air loss is acceptable in a piping system and 6 couplers? I have a 150 gallon tank and a gallon or so of pipe. It seems to lose about 2 PSI an hour.

[Keith]

I don't know what is acceptable, But my system 30 gal. tank,50 feet of piping and 8 couplers and a overhead hose reel. It losees less than 2psi a day.

Keith

[Terry Mayhugh]

I have 2 compressors paralleled with about 60 ft 3/4" Cu tubing serving 7 drops through shut-off valves. Mine leaks about 2 psi per hour also. I've isolated it to the tubing system/shut-off valves as I have isolated the compressors and they don't leak. Drove me crazy for a while looking for the leak but I since given up. Probably one of my shut-off valves leaking into a coupler/filter/regulator which I don't expect are tight.

[Larry Bud]

Just take some soap/water solution into a spray bottle and spray all the fittings. You'll quickly find your leak when it bubbles up.

My compressor rarely starts up when not in use.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Acceptable to whom? Strive for no leaks. Not always easy as some quick connectors tend to seep a bit. Keep in mind, every time the compressor cycles, it is costing you money. If that is acceptable to you, it is OK by me.

If you have many connections downstream making it difficult to seal perfectly, consider a shut off valve right at the compressor. The system may go down, but the holding tank will maintain overnight or over a few days of non-use. Ed

[Greg]

Update ... with output regulator at 90 and 150 in the tank it lost 40PSI in 24 hours. It took a couple minutes to get back up to 150. I think I can live with that ... thanks

Now I am trying it with 50 on the system (enough to air up a tire quick)

[Tim Carver]

I suggest you look at the quality of your couplers. Before I changed to a better coupler, my system cycled a couple of times a day. Nowadays, it never, ever cycles unless I'm using it. Recently, I tried turning my compressor's power off just before leaving for a 3 week vacation, and when I came back the tank was still at full pressure. I only have 1 coupler, but I don't see why that should make any difference, there's no obvious reason that you should have any leaks at all if your couplers aren't leaking.

Tim Carver [e-mail]

[Dave Mundt]

In a perfect world - NONE. That seems pretty high, too. I would suggest spending a bit of time with a bottle of soapy water and trying to track down the leaks. It only makes good sense, after all, because leaks are going to rob volume, and, will increase wear on the compressor by forcing it to cycle a LOT more often. Regards Dave Mundt

[Greg]

I already did that. The leaks must be pretty small. The only one I found was in the compressor plumbing from the factory. This thing seems to lose 30-40 PSI a day with the power off. I doubt that will ever show up in performance. I do have 6 quick disconnects in the system and I suspect they might be where my leaks are. It may actually be getting better since I lost less today than yersterday. It might be the rubber seals seating. I am not really worried about it, I was just asking for other's experiences. Thanks

[Jerry Gilreath]

Dang, I must be one of the lucky ones. I have mine piped in from a compressor shed outside the garage, into the garage with a dryer/separator. Then about 50 feet of 3/4 inch galvanized pipe with 6 drops, or couplers, on

3 walls. The teed off one of the corners going into the shop with another 8 couplers and 30 feet of pipe in there. The compressor kicks on because of leakage maybe once every 10 hours or so. I better not talk too much, it'll probably bust a gasket and start leaking like a sieve now! :-)