UK businesses are taking action now to stop losing £100m a year due to air leaks

Most organisations have a culture that optimises production to save costs. However, many UK businesses are losing £100 million to air leaks every year. Your company can do even better in saving energy by ensuring to check and maintain equipment thoroughly.

Meanwhile, you could be thinking that the slightest air leaks do not matter, but that 3mm hole leak in your ultra-silent air compressor could be the reason your average annual cost is adding up.

While you expect the best for the business, you also want to inspect the systems for possible air leaks. You can improve the accuracy by allowing professionals to keep the tubes, pipes, and hoses in your noiseless air compressor free from holes.

How UK Businesses Are Losing £100 Million to Air Leaks

Research on air leak detection in the UK shows that businesses can lose an estimated £100 million per year. Your business alone could be losing up to £600 each year from one 3mm hole leak.

At least 20-40% of air generated in a manufacturing facility is wasted through air leaks. Besides, some businesses could be losing £2-£7 daily even with a good compressed maintenance culture.

Reasons You Should Maintain Air Compressors for Air Leaks

1. Save Cost

Your business can save a lot of pounds from fixing your air leaks. Even the single 3mm hole that you fix can save you £600 every year, which reflects in your energy bill.

2. Put an End to Pollution

You may not realise how much you could be spending on wasted energy. Moreover, your company’s culture of saving earth could be faulted since air leak from your quiet air compressor is emitting higher levels of carbon into the atmosphere. But you can revive that culture by hiring a professional air compressor maintenance service to help your company detect and fix air leaks regularly.

3. Ensure Workforce Safety

Your organisation hopes to ensure workforce safety, but is this the practice currently? If safety is not the priority, then apart from exposing workers to injuries, your company is failing to meet safety standards, which may be expensive should the government decide it’s time to consider your activities.

4. Reduce Production Downtime

You can improve productivity and make deliveries faster to give your competitors intense competition by contacting professional maintenance providers to maintain your ultra-silent compressed air regularly. When the tools are not working, you can’t expect an efficient workflow. Moreover, the workforce will take longer to complete tasks, and clients are dissatisfied with your turn in duration.

How You Can Detect Air Leaks with Technology and Manually

Technology

• Ultrasonic detection. You can purchase or hire ultrasonic leak detectors to use for identifying air leaks in your equipment. Using ultrasonic technology is the most effective way you can detect air leaks, and your in-house staff or hired specialists can operate it in the business premises.

It may be better for your in-house team to focus on production while external professionals handle the detection. Ultrasonic leak detectors are accurate during work hours. You can inspect every part of your production tools without interrupting production.

Manually

• Listening. Manually, you can listen for strange sounds on the machines. However, you must disable all other devices to get rid of the noise. This method works best outside business hours and takes longer to identify air leaks.

Although it is not an accurate method, you may still be able to detect possible leaking spots, including valves, joints and flanges.

• Looking. Another manual method for detecting an air leak is to inspect components physically with your eyes. First, mix water and liquid or soap in a bucket. Use a soft sponge or brush to apply the mixture to the pipes, joints, valves, and flanges. You will find bubbles in the spots with leaks, but you just have to be watchful and patient. This method is pretty stressful and not reliable.

Ways Businesses Can Minimise Air Leaks

To prevent is always the best course of action. You can simply hire a maintenance provider to prevent air leaks professionally. However, you could do the following:

• Check the hoses, pipes, and tubes. Inspect the tubes, pipes and hoses for possible leaks. You may have to replace these parts instead of repairing them to avoid air leaks.
• Make sure the rubber is in good condition. The O-rings and valves are not quite visible parts to check for air leaks, so you want to give it a thorough assessment.
• Avoid ignoring loose connections. When you find loose connections, ensure to replace them immediately to avoid air leaks.
• Replace any broken component. All broken components must be replaced without a second thought.

To add to this article or start a conversation, join our forum to share your opinions with other readers. For stories of this sort and more, do well to log on to www.jbklutse.com or visit us on Facebook.

source https://www.jbklutse.com/air-leaks-in-uk-businesses/