February 20, 2026 · 5 min read
What Leaks Actually Cost You
A single quarter-inch hole at 100 PSI leaks about 100 CFM. At typical Carolinas electricity rates, that one leak can cost more than $10,000 per year to keep supplying.
Add up all the small hisses in a mid-size plant and it is not unusual to see $30,000 to $80,000 a year in wasted electricity.
Why You Cannot Hear Them
Most compressed air leaks are ultrasonic. The frequency is above what the human ear can hear, especially over normal plant background noise. Walking the plant with your ears will only find the biggest, worst leaks.
Ultrasonic leak detectors translate that ultrasonic hiss down into audible range so a technician can pinpoint a leak from 20 to 40 feet away, even inside a running plant.
What a Proper Leak Survey Looks Like
We walk the entire compressed air system: from the compressor discharge, through the dryer and filters, along every drop and header, and out to every tool and machine.
Each leak gets tagged with a numbered label. We record location, estimated CFM loss, and estimated annual cost. You get a report with a repair priority list and a total dollar figure.
- Compressor room fittings, valves, and drains
- Main headers, drops, filter-regulator-lubricator (FRL) units
- Quick-connect couplers (the single biggest source of leaks in most shops)
- Hoses, whips, and tool connections
- Solenoids, cylinders, and process equipment
Repairing vs. Ignoring
Most leaks are cheap to fix: a coupler, a fitting, a section of hose. A typical leak repair pays for itself in weeks, sometimes days.
The trick is having someone actually do the repairs. Tagging leaks and never fixing them is one of the most common wastes we see. We can do the repairs during the survey or hand a work list to your maintenance team.
How Often to Survey
Once a year is a good baseline for most plants. If you are running 24/7 or you have a lot of quick-connects and hoses, twice a year pays off.
Combine the survey with a compressed air audit and you get the full picture: how much air you make, how much you use, how much you waste, and what to do about it.