Air leaks happen when you’re dealing with pneumatic systems—it’s just a fact of life. Sometimes they occur because of a simple fitment issue. Other times, stress fractures or damages can create an escaping causeway for air. In still more situations, improper pressurization or lackluster pneumatic parts in Minnesota can be the culprit.
Whatever the cause of an air leak, it’s important that it’s found and resolved quickly. The fact of the matter is that until an air leak is discovered and properly amended, the entire pneumatic system is at risk for damage or even complete failure.
Detecting an air leak
Detecting an air leak within your pneumatic system isn’t all too hard. Signs and symptoms will crop up—some more blatant than others—to alert us to the fact that the pressure within the system is off. In many cases, pressure sensors within pneumatic valves will trip or gauges monitoring cylinders will show depressurization.
By simply paying attention to the function of your system, an air leak will quickly be discernable, which will put you quickly on the path to resolving it… that is, of course, after you locate it.
Locating a leak
So, you’ve been alerted to the presence of an air leak within your pneumatic system. Great—you’re on your way to resolving the problem. But how do you determine exactly where the leak is occurring and what pneumatic parts in Minnesota it’s affecting? This is where things can become more difficult.
Pneumatic systems are complicated, which means routing an air leak can sometimes be a tedious process. Luckily, there are a few ideal ways to get to the bottom of things quickly:
- Trace the problem from where you’re being alerted. Many systems are sophisticated enough to tell you exactly where pressure is being lost within the system—it’s up to you to examine the components in question to discern where and why the leak is occurring.
- Find the manual gauge depicting pressure loss and trace it backwards. Listen for hissing or rushing wind to signal the leak and be sure to check fitments and connections, instead of simply looking for damage.
- Hear the leak, but can’t put your finger on it? A common solution is to spray the affected part with soap. If the soap remains soap, there’s no leak; if bubbles start to appear, you’ve got yourself an air leak!
Tracking down an air leak isn’t always easy, but if you take the right approach, you can be swift in catching it.
Fixing the leak
Depending on the size and nature of the leak, you’ve got a few options in the way of fixing it. First, tighten all fitting and connections to make sure it’s not a maintenance issue. Second, apply a bonding product to try and re-seal the system. Finally, if nothing else has worked, you can consider replacing the entire part, however this is the costliest and most invasive option.
If you’re having trouble routing a leak or need advice on how to resolve one, contact the experts at M & M Hydraulic Company. We’re happy to serve companies throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin when it comes to servicing and repairing pneumatic systems!