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Cost of compressed air leaks

A leak barely makes a sound, but it makes the compressor run for nothing, all year long. Estimate what your leaks cost.

Examples

Often 6 to 7 kW per m³/min at 7 bar. See your compressor's data sheet.

Indicative estimate, to be confirmed with the actual specifications of your machines.

How this is calculated

The flow escaping through a hole depends on its cross-section and the network pressure. The calculation uses the formula for air flowing through an orifice (choked flow, the case of compressed air escaping to atmosphere), then converts that flow into power using your compressor's specific power: the energy it needs to produce 1 m³/min of air. It is a theoretical estimate; a real leak is not a perfectly round hole.

Good practice: listen to the network with machines stopped, find leaks with soapy water or an ultrasonic detector, and fix the biggest first.

How to find leaks?

  • By ear, in a quiet workshop, at the end of the day: the biggest leaks hiss.
  • With soapy water on the fittings, valves and hoses: a leak makes bubbles.
  • With a standstill test: network under pressure, tools disconnected, watch how quickly the pressure drops.

Leaks are most often found on quick couplings, worn hoses, drains stuck open and filter-regulators. Repairing the biggest ones is often enough to significantly reduce the compressor's running time.

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