How do I Protect my Air Compressor From Leaks?

Establishing a Leak Prevention Plan

Air compressor leaks can be a substantial source of wasted energy in any system, sometimes wasting 20-30% of a compressor's production. Worst of all, a poorly maintained compressor can have a leak rate expected to equal 20% of total compressed air production capacity. A compressor leak produces a drop in the systems pressure, which causes tools to operate less efficiently, run longer, and shortens the life span of that tool. Increased run-time adds more strain to the system and can lead to additional maintenance and unscheduled downtime.

Let's Make A Plan

A leak repair program is critical in maintaining the efficiency, reliability and cost effectiveness of any compressed air system. Below are a few steps to implement a program in your shop.

1. Leak Identifications: Your operation should establish a program to find and reduce leaks. This can be as simple as walking the facility during a non-production period and addressing the audible leaks, using a solution of soap and water to visibly identify leaks, or by using an ultrasonic leak detector to more accurately identify the source of an air leak and to detect the inaudible leaks.

2. Seek, tag & repair the leak: Now that you've located the leaks and "tagged" them, schedule them to be repaired. Once repaired, make sure you run an audit to ensure the leak has been patched and operations are running efficiently. Documented leak repair program is insightful on finding root causes of leakages, and where leaks occur frequently and which component fails fast.

3. Employee Education: One method of reducing air leaks or inappropriate uses of compressed air is employee education. Educate your employees about how much a leak can cost the company. Some facilities have even adopted programs rewarding employees for reporting air leaks or reducing compressed air demand for their departments.  Air leaks and inefficient compressed air uses will continue to develop so it is important to recognize they should also be addressed regularly. A leak prevention program should be part of an overall program aimed at improving the performance of compressed air systems.

Who we are and how Ash Air can help your business!

Ash Air has been around in New Zealand since 1979, and we’ve grown into a nationwide company with international support and a reputation for quality and reliability.We look after all things compressed air for your business!

Ash Air's range of Chicago Pneumatic, Alup, Pneumatech, and Quincy compressors are used extensively around the world in industries ranging from oil and gas to food, automotive and farming, and we bring you these world class compressors here in the land of the long white cloud.Our technicians are compressed air equipment experts and are dedicated to addressing customer needs. Supported by a 13 locations nationwide, Ash Air offers one of the widest selections of compressed air equipment and parts available today in New Zealand.

Reliability and Efficiency

With Ash Air compressors, you can count on reliability and high performance for even the most demanding applications. We focus our efforts on the following:


Talk to the team today:  CONTACT US CONTACT US

Read more from our #expertcorner


Your company purchased an air dryer for your compressor, now where should you install it? One of the most common things we see in the industry are air dryers being stored on top of the compressors. Seems like a wasted space not being used on top of the compressor, right? Wrong. …


When using air compressors, there are many variables that are integral to the quality and effectiveness of your compressed air. When dryer air is necessary, being able to constantly and accurately monitor dew points can be a critical factor to your operation. …


Compressed air plays an integral role in breweries both large and small around the world. From start to finish, all details in the brewing process are managed in fine detail and having the right air compressor is no exception. …


We Kiwi's love our Coffee! Coffee, like all other food & beverage products, must go through a preservation process to keep the beans fresh during storage and packaging before they reach the consumer. Coffee that is not properly stored after it is roasted will lose a large amount of carbon dioxide, which lessens its' flavor and speeds up the staling process. One of the most common ways to preserve the freshness of coffee is the use of nitrogen gas. Learn more here: …


Air compressors are helpful for an enormous range of applications such as air filling, packaging, tools, HVAC control, and more! One possible drawback is the amount of electricity they use; air compressors can be a huge drain on energy if used ​inefficiency...  …

Show More