Did you know?
Just one dripping faucet or leaking toilet can amount to 3,000 gallons of water loss per year. One small crack in the line of an irrigation system can lose more than 13,000 gallons annually and leaky valves and gaskets anywhere in your facility can cause mechanical break downs and property damage, impacting your water, sewer, and energy bills.
If your facility has a compressed air system that powers machine tools and spray painting equipment, you may already be aware of the potential for significant losses due to leaks. One 1/4 inch leak alone can add more than $10,000 year in energy costs and significant reductions in compressor capacity.
With recent water rate increases in several Maryland jurisdictions and the potential for quick payback in energy savings by fixing compressed air losses, now is a great time to take a fresh look at your facility to identify and address leaks.
Look and Listen
Water Leaks |
Compressed Air Leaks |
Look for... |
| Pooling water, rust, mold, moisture, mineral deposits and other sides of leakage |
Difficulty in maintaining optimum pressure. Air tools functioning less efficiently. |
| Wet spots in landscaped areas or cracking in paved areas which may indicated a break in the supply line or irrigation system |
Cracked couplings, hoses, fittings, missing O-rings, open condensate traps, missing welds, bad solenoids, seals and valves |
| Unexpected increased usage in your water bills. |
Unexpected increased usage in your energy bills |
| The water meter running during a leakage check test after all water use has been turned off (video) |
Pressure loss during monitored compressor operation tests and bleed down tests |
Listen for... |
| Drips, running water and running toilet |
Escaping air using an ultrasonic leak detector
|
| Alarms. Leak detection devices are an inexpensive way to monitor key areas of your facility and will either sound an alarm or send an alert to your phone. |
Compressors running when plant is not in production |
| Feedback from employees. Consider posting a sign in bathrooms or other locations to encourage the reporting of leaks or other plumbing problems. |
Feedback from employees. Consider creating a leak tag information board and rewarding employees for locating and tagging leaks. |
Fix that Leak!
| How to repair a leaking faucet (video), toilet (video) and other repairs. |
Check here for best practices, case studies and training for locating and fixing leaks. |
Buy Smart
| Buy efficient WaterSense labeled products which will save you money over the life of the product. |
Use AirMaster+ software to determine the right-sized air compressor for your facility. |
Prize Drawing Winners
Thank you to all who submitted entries in the Look for the Leak Prize drawing. Names were drawn at the Maryland Green Registry Annual Membership and Awards Event on June 14, 2017 and the prizes, sponsored by ICF, included water leak detectors, thermal leak detectors, light monitors and a free registration to the September 25-27. 2017 ISWA World Congress/ WASTECON event in Baltimore, courtesy of SWANA. The winners were CEM Design, Architects, the Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Control Agency, Merritt Properties LLC, Michael Baker International, NVS Merle Norman, ThermoFisher Scientific and Marks, Thomas Architects.
