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Leak finding tool
I just got my Christmas gift to myself. I’m tired of spending money for people to tell me that my air leaks are fixed only to leak again, so like so many of you, I taking matters in my on hands. As I’ve aged my eyes and hearing aren’t what they used to be. I might not see the tiny bubbles and or hear the leaks, so I purchased a product made by Tracerline for finding leaks. It amplies the sound and in fact is tuned to find air leaks, it comes with a pair of headphones to help identify the leaks faster. So let the games begin, I think I read that Jeff uses something like this to aid in leak detection, so I will keep you informed how well it works.
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17 Replies
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I have got three coaches leak free and it takes time and hard work ,no one thing will find the leaks time and cold weather finds the leaks , when you fix one it pushes the leak to the next spot so time will help you , fix what you can and then next day fix more until there is no more , but time is the key after you fix some leaks if you wait until the next day or so others will show up , don’t get lost break it into three areas and do one at a time
Primary. Secondary. Auxiliary. Pick one and start there when all three are done you might have a leak free coach but cold weather is your friend when finding the leaks,,,,,, -
Our coaches all have a high potential for air leaks, mostly because we have so many devices and connections for air. But as Peter said there is no single best way to find them other than a systematic approach using one circuit at a time.
Whatever approach a person takes is less important than doing the detection to a plan. Understanding how the system being inspected works is the key because once a system is identified as being a leaker, then 100% of the effort can go into following that circuit rather than an entire area such as the steer compartment or rear of the coach. Not all leaks are going to make noise. Not all leaks will blow bubbles. Not all leaks show up at the point of the leak such as a valve leaking internally and exhausting the leak at another point 20 feet away.
The greatest chance of finding leaks is starting first by finding which circuit or device leaks. After that has been determined the search gets very easy because you follow the air flow from the supply to where it is used.
One general rule that will pay big dividends is that every time you encounter a push in fitting, replace it with a compression fitting. Once those fittings are leak free future air leaks become less difficult to isolate because they will not be among the hundreds of fittings now used.
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Mark,
Do let us know how it works.
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Summit racing has the on there web page
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Peter I agree with what you said about the cold weather, last week here in Arlington,TX we got down to 15 degrees and the bus just set down in the back end. Dan I ordered mine off Amazon, but as Peter said I’m sure you can find them on Summit Racing as well. I also agree with what Jon and Peter said, start with one system and stick with until you get it as leak free as you can, replacing all push in fittings with compression fittings. Everyone have a great Christmas.
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Mark, which one did you get, do you have a model/part number? Is it strictly for air leaks?
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Jerry,
There are two types. One is an amplified stethoscope. It just aids hearing sounds. The other type is a different principle and it is an ultrasonic leak detector that picks up sounds we ordinarily would never hear. It can “hear” tiny leaks, it can hear arcing within a switch or circuit breaker, and it can hear air passage within a valve.
My ultrasonic leak detector also has an emitter which generates a sound not audible to me. You can put it inside a door for example and by running the ultrasonic detector around the gasket perimeter of a closed door or window you can “hear” where the gasket is not sealing properly and may be contributing to wind noise.
I have both and they both have their purpose. There is no one single best way to detect leaks so a person’s box of tricks has to have multiple tools.
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I have a cheap stethoscope from Harbour Freight, works better than my ears, but I would like to have an electronic/ ultrasonic type detector to add to my special tools.
Any recommendations as to which model to get is appreciated.
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Found one I liked at Granger. Had several in stock to pick from.
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Jerry the one I bought is like Jon said, it will amplify sounds and also has a emitter that came with it. I bought it on Amazon, this is the brand and part #. I realize that it won’t find everything, but after spending the last 33 years around noisy airplanes my hearing isnt’ what it used to be. Hope this helps!
Tracer Products TP9367 Ultrasonic Diagnostic Tool
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This is what I have been using for almost 20 years.
http://www.amprobe.com/amprobe/usen/hvac-tools/ultrasonic-leak/amp-tmuld-300.htm?pid=73418
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I’ve been doing compressed air leak detection for 15 years and have found that not all leak detectors are effective at finding the small leaks, especially if it’s coming from an obstructed leak such as, a leak in an air bag where the bag folds over the lobe. They can be found if you use what is called a (LLA) liquid leak amplifier, this is a specialized fluid made for UE Systems, but can partially replicated with other liquid leak detectors that will produce small bubbles. The reason for that is the popping can be detected by the ultrasound tool. I realize you’re not going to spend thousands of $$ on a dector, just don’t by something because it supposedly finds leaks. Some tools covert the ultrasound to an audible tone, I prefer the ones that amplify the sound so you actually hear the air escaping.
I use the Ultraprobe 9000 with a close focus module, not that I recommend you buying one, but there are some out there that are similar and will do a fantastic job. Just my 3 cents.
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I ordered the Tracer Mark.
I like the headsets that come with it, I can’t hear either. I’ve been flying a B200 King Air for the last 21 years, along with driving race cars, playing the drums in Bands, and operating a Drag Strip for many years,,,,,,my ears ring and they sound like air leaking all the time anyway!!
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What did you say Jerry?
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