Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver

Attention Forum Users: On the 28th of December 2023 at 9:00am Central Time, we will be taking the forums down for maintenance while we prepare the new forums for your use. Please click here for more information.

Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Shop air lines. Slow leak

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register
Author 
ALAND

12-21-2006 13:57:18




Report to Moderator

I just put up new air lines in my shop. I have a leak someplace and can't find it. It is a slow leak that takes about 2 hours to completly take pressure off the lines. I have tried to shut down everything and listen but have not been able to find it. Any suggestions? I'll include more details on the system. 3/4" galvanized pipe makes a complete loop around the shop. About 175 feet. I have 8, 1/2" drops with a quick connect on the end. Air compressor is 5-horse with 80-gal tank. I used teflon tape on the joints when I was putting up. When looking for the leak I disconnected everything from the quick couplers and shut of the valve at the tank. Sorry about the long post but wanted to include details. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Log in to Reply]   [No Email]
AlanD

12-27-2006 05:25:27




Report to Moderator
 UPDATE in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
I tried the soapy water solution and found 4 leaks. I was lucky, 2 were at the unions. One was at the end cap and one was at a drain valve. All were pretty easy to fix. The system now holds 120psi over the last 2 days. Thanks for all your advise.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Tnau664

12-27-2006 06:11:59




Report to Moderator
 Re: UPDATE in reply to AlanD, 12-27-2006 05:25:27  
You've got me curious Alan. Why would you want the pressure to stay on your lines? I always turn off my compressor, even put the wife an idiot light on hers as a reminder. Most days I'll even open the drains to avoid continous pressure when I'm not around.

Happy New Year
Terry



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
jeffcat

12-23-2006 23:19:28




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
Well here comes my two $$$$. Come on now there is a VERY easy way to do this. When they put a comercial sprinkler system in a building "wet and dry types", there are two ways of checkin it out. Air with a gauge on it will tell you if you have a leak. "Bleed down check". Water will tell you where it is.{squirt or drips}. Hook up your garden hose to the compresor end and turn on the hose. You will find your leak/leaks real quick. When you are done just blow out the system at the end of the line and you are all done. You should see when they do the tests on a 8" sprinkler system! They go as high as 175 pounds of pressure!! Let us know Jeffcat

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Sunny 4 acres

12-22-2006 19:50:41




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
Soappy water all the joints. If any leak then take apart and make sure you use some sealent like pipe joint compund or teflon



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
ALAND

12-22-2006 03:12:15




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
Thanks to all of you for the responses. I will try soapy solution this weekend and post back the results. I have 8 unions spaced out along the way so I don"t think fixing it will be a problem, I just have not been able to find the leak. As far as the quick connectors I bought what I think are a little higher quality made by AMFLO. When I test the system I shut the valve off at the tank so the only air I loose is in the pipe, about 20-gal. Just want to get it fixed so I don"t have to shut the valve off every night.

Thanks,

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
135 Fan

12-22-2006 19:45:03




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-22-2006 03:12:15  
It's a good idea to at least turn the power switch off at night. I new a guy that had a hose blow after he went home and the compressor ran all night. He said it was almost red hot in the morning. Good thing it was an industrial Devilbus or it probably would have blew up. Dave



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Charles (in GA)

12-22-2006 02:33:17




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
All I can do is reinforce what has already been said. Teflon tape is the worst for galvanized pipe. Teflon pipe dope is much better, gotta get every fitting real tight.

Yes couplers do leak. Soap/water mix or ready made solution like Sherlock Leak Detector works great. Thats a huge leak, 80 gallons in 2 hrs.

Charles



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
On the same topic...

12-29-2006 00:14:59




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to Charles (in GA), 12-22-2006 02:33:17  
Has no one used kid's bubble blowing solution?



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Ozlander

12-21-2006 20:12:25




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
Got to be the teflon tape. You are guaranteed a leak when you use that crap. Also, the quick connects can leak. Take each one off and cap the nipple. Retest.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Ozlander

12-21-2006 20:04:34




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
Got to be the teflon tape. You are guaranteed a leak when you use that crap. Also, the quick connects can leak. Take each one off and cap the nipple. Retest.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
MikeinKy

12-21-2006 18:46:19




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
I just finished my airlines and had the same problem. I did as one of the other guys said, soapy water in a squirt bottle to find the leaks, and I cut the lines near the leaks with a cut off wheel on an angle grinder and put in a union. Really wasn't as much trouble as I had feared.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Coldiron

12-21-2006 18:28:50




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
Aland, I have always used "Snoop" , a sudsy soap solution that will not harm your paint or other things. If you have an air leak it will bubble up real good and if it is a tiny leak it will show it so long as there is no wind to blow away the bubble it creates. You could try a soap solution with dish soap or such and that might work too. Just pump the system up real good and go along every joint with the stuff.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
tnau664

12-21-2006 18:04:51




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
Look on the bright side. The leak down will save o-rings on your tools by removing the pressure.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Jim K

12-21-2006 16:23:42




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
Also check all factory fittings on the compressor and don"t forget the water drain petcock.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Davis In SC

12-21-2006 15:55:19




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
In machine shops, we usually put a few Unions along the way, just in case a leak happens. Sure makes it easier to fix. As mentioned below, they culprit(s) very well may be the quick-connects.. I would check them first..



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
someone used my name

12-21-2006 15:03:09




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
Hey Alan, Had the same problem... with my system, I finally decided it was the quick couplers that were the culprit. When I installed my system, I included a ball valve just above each coupler, so now I just try to remember to shut off the valves when I'm finished with the air. HTH, Regards, D.L.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
E. Bilson

12-21-2006 15:00:21




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
A good air leak detector fluid is one or two drops of any brand dishwashing soap to a quart of water. Best applied with a squirt bottle to each fitting. If there"s a leak, there will be copious bubbles at the source.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Rudy Begonia

12-21-2006 14:58:40




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
I could only envision unscrewing everything back until you come upon the loose fitting, then tightening that and screwing it all back together one piece at a time.

I guess one could break out the sawzall and put a coupler thing in place where the cut is made.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Glenn F.

12-21-2006 14:07:06




Report to Moderator
 Re: Shop air lines. Slow leak in reply to ALAND, 12-21-2006 13:57:18  
Air line leaks can ususlly be found by spraying all joints with soap/water mix in a "Windex" sprayer. The leak will quickly form bubbles, making it, "visable".

Good luck, Glenn F.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
[Options]  [Printer Friendly]  [Posting Help]  [Return to Forum]   [Log in to Reply]

Hop to:


TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy