finding air leaks?

[Archie T. Hogan]

Short of following every hose with soapy water, how does one go about finding air leaks?

Archie

[The Newell]

I know, Not what you wanted to hear but Finding small air leaks can be time consuming but eliminating them is worth the effort. There is no reason why our coaches should not maintain air pressure the same as your tires. One of the best and cheapest ways is to buy 'Bubble Soap' from the toy store. When sprayed or brushed on hoses and fittings it sticks in place and does not evaporate immediately. A very small leak will produce a mountain of bubbles. Just make this a long term spare time project. Do one area at a time and it doesn't get too boring. You also learn a lot about the air system as you do it. One leak that is very hard to find and not always consistent is if the compressor governor is leaking back.

[GringoPhil]

there are a bunch of cool tools available like this one Compressed Air Leak Detector Model 170S (http://www.impactrm.com/html/101.html) that listen ultrasonically to the leak and transpose the sound down into the audible range where even the hard of hearing can catch em!!
Hmmmm..... that said... the price tag is a bit steep, making soapy water suddenly look fairly attractive...

[NewellCrazy]

Dawn or Joy dishwashing liquid seems to make the best bubble soap, as does using distilled water.

The receipe:

1 cup (240 ml) Joy or Dawn dishwashing liquid
10 cups (2400 ml) water (tap or distilled)
4 tablespoons (60 ml) pure glycerin

Add the glycerin and dishwashing liquid to the water, stir gently. Let stand approximately 2 hours for best results.

Besides being good for chasing air leaks, it's great for kid's (or grandkid's) parties, too!