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A compressed air leak doesn't trip an alarm, doesn't show up on a maintenance schedule, and rarely gets reported by anyone on the floor. It just sits there, quietly running the compressor harder than it needs to, every hour of every shift, for as long as nobody looks for it. Across UK industrial sites, an estimated 30% of the compressed air generated is lost this way before it ever reaches a tool. Finding it isn't guesswork — ultrasonic detection hears the turbulent hiss of escaping air long before it's audible to a human ear, even on a noisy plant floor. A CMMS like OxMaint turns every tagged leak into a costed, prioritised repair job instead of a sticker that gets painted over at the next shutdown.
Turn Tagged Leaks Into Prioritised Repair Orders
Cost-per-leak calculations, repair priority by ROI, and repeat-survey trending linked straight into work orders — so a leak survey pays for itself in months, not years.
What a Compressed Air Leak Actually Costs
A leak's cost scales with the square of the orifice diameter, which is why a leak that sounds barely worse than the one next to it can be running up a bill several times larger. At typical UK industrial electricity rates and a system pressure of 100 psi, the numbers add up fast.
| Orifice Size | Approx. Air Lost | Estimated Annual Cost | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/16 inch | ~6 CFM | Low hundreds of pounds | Log and batch-repair |
| 1/8 inch | ~26 CFM | Low thousands of pounds | Repair within weeks |
| 1/4 inch | ~104 CFM | High thousands of pounds | Repair immediately |
How Ultrasonic Detection Finds What You Can't Hear
Turbulent Flow Signature
Escaping compressed air generates high-frequency turbulence that ultrasonic sensors pick up clearly, well above the range of normal background plant noise.
Directional Sensing
A directional ultrasonic sensor pinpoints the exact fitting, valve, or joint responsible, rather than a general area of a manifold or header.
Works on a Noisy Floor
Because it listens above the frequency range of most industrial noise, ultrasonic detection works reliably during normal production hours.
No Shutdown Required
Surveys run on a fully live, pressurised system, meaning a leak audit doesn't cost a single minute of production downtime to carry out.
Leak Severity: Prioritising the Repair List
A survey typically turns up far more leaks than can be fixed in one pass. Sorting them by estimated cost, rather than by location or ease of access, is what makes the repair list actually pay off.
Batch With Next PM
Small fittings and low-cost leaks add up in volume but rarely justify an emergency callout. Batch these into the next planned maintenance round.
Repair This Month
Worth a dedicated repair slot within weeks — the running cost is high enough that delay has a measurable price attached to it.
Repair Immediately
Large leaks on header lines or major fittings can single-handedly justify the entire cost of the survey. These jump to the top of the list.
From Survey to Repair: The Leak Tag Workflow
Survey & Tag
Every located leak is tagged on-site with its exact location, so it can be found again quickly by the repair crew.
Quantify Cost
Estimated flow rate is converted into an annual cost figure, turning a hiss into a number a budget holder can act on.
Prioritise by ROI
Leaks are ranked by cost, not location, so the repair crew works down a list that saves the most money first.
Repair & Verify
A repeat ultrasonic check confirms the fix worked before the tag and work order are closed out.
The Numbers That Make the Case
A single survey finds the leaks that exist today. A repeat survey on a regular interval catches the new ones before they compound — fittings loosen, seals age, and a clean system slowly leaks again over the following year. Sign up free to see leak cost tracked against a repeat-survey trend instead of a one-off spreadsheet.
How OxMaint Connects Leak Surveys to Repairs
Digital Leak Tagging
Every tagged leak is logged with location, estimated flow, and photo evidence, replacing paper tags that get lost between the survey and the repair.
Cost-Per-Leak Calculator
Estimated CFM loss is automatically converted into an annual cost figure, so every leak on the list carries a number the budget can act on.
ROI-Ranked Work Orders
Repair work orders are generated and ranked by estimated savings, keeping the highest-value fixes at the top of the queue.
Repeat Survey Trending
Survey history is tracked over time per zone, showing whether the leak rate is genuinely falling or creeping back up between rounds.
Find Out What Your Compressed Air Leaks Are Really Costing You
Digital leak tags, cost-per-leak calculations, and ROI-ranked work orders — built so a leak survey turns straight into savings, not a filed PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a compressed air system be surveyed for leaks?
An annual survey is a common baseline, though sites with older piping, frequent maintenance disturbance, or high energy costs often run surveys every six months to catch new leaks before they compound.
Can ultrasonic detection be done while the plant is running?
Yes. Ultrasonic detection listens for the specific high-frequency signature of escaping air, which lets it work reliably on a live, pressurised system during normal production hours.
How is leak flow rate estimated from an ultrasonic reading?
Most ultrasonic leak detectors correlate the recorded sound intensity with reference tables built from known orifice sizes and system pressure, giving an estimated CFM figure without needing to isolate the leak.
Why do small leaks matter if they cost so little individually?
Individually, a small leak is minor. A typical site running unmanaged for a year accumulates dozens of them, and the combined cost of that population is often larger than a handful of major leaks put together.
Does fixing leaks reduce compressor run hours?
Yes. Less demand from leaks means the compressor cycles less often to maintain system pressure, which reduces run hours, energy consumption, and wear on the compressor itself.
