It’s not just government departments that leak. 

Ivor Matanle looks at the growing use by manufacturers of in-built leak detection

Nobody who manufactures vehicles, cranes, earth-moving equipment or any other machine containing oils, water or other fluids likes to admit to the possibility that one day, just possibly, their products might spring a leak.

Yet, the hard facts are that leaks will happen, however good the design, however brilliant the engineering, however carefully the equipment is used and maintained.

So manufacturers don’t admit to their growing use of fluorescent leak detection media, installed as original equipment when the products are built and designed to stay there against the day when leakage strikes. Many famous names in engineering manufacturing now routinely install fluorescent leak detection fluids in their products and train their service agents to find leaks quickly and efficiently when they happen. After all, it is good for any manufacturer’s image to have service agents who solve problems quickly, effectively and inexpensively.

How many leaks?

Traditional leak detection methods tend to find the largest leak, or even the largest two. But traditional methods may well not spot smaller leaks, which will become apparent only when the bigger leaks have been cured and the earth mover is back dripping oil on the motorway construction site. Most (although, surprisingly, not all) service workshops have therefore recognised that UV fluorescent leak detection systems, pioneered some seventeen years ago by Primalec in Kent, are the answer.

UV leak detection undoubtedly provides the best method of ensuring that all the leaks have been found. However, using it on an ad hoc basis when leaks develop can take time with a large machine. Not only does the service engineer have to add the fluorescent fluid to the system, but the system usually has to be run, or the hydraulics operated repeatedly, to disperse the dose before leak detection can reliably begin.

Servicing is both faster and more efficient if the UV fluorescent fluid has been there since the machine was built. An appropriate UV fluorescent fluid is simply added to the system in question (not brakes, it should be noted) when it is commissioned. Then, should a leak occur, shining a UV lamp all around possible leakage points quickly reveals all the points of leakage because they glow brightly where the UV light encounters the fluorescent additive. Note the word ‘brightly’. Brightness depends on the concentration of the leak detection agent in the carrier fluid – oil or whatever. And therein can lie the catch.

Look out for the catch

The problem is that, since the British company Primalec originated this UV leak detection technique back in the eighties, the supply of UV leak detection fluids has become a seriously competitive and international business. In an effort to achieve the lowest price, or possibly because of a lack of technical expertise, some suppliers offer UV leak detection materials of much lower concentration than those of the market leaders (in some cases diluted beyond the point of real effectiveness). The result is that, when this diluted fluid is used in the same quantities as the original materials, the visibility of the fluorescent glow, even from large leaks, is much reduced. Very small leaks are likely not to be spotted at all, simply because the fluorescence is not sufficiently visible in the ambient light of the workshop.

Of course, it is true that, if a much larger quantity of the dilute fluid is used, the result is once again bright enough to be effective. However, using larger quantities will increase the price per application dramatically, thereby eliminating the apparent price advantage of the cheaper fluid. In some cases, it will actually prove to be more expensive.

Other sources of hidden cost in the use of UV leak detection lie in using the wrong concentration for the job in hand, and in the method of application. As an example, Primalec has developed three main types of its Glo-Leak UV leak detection fluids to provide optimum efficiency in various applications. Glo-Leak GL310 is for engine, transmission and hydraulic oils, and for fuel leaks. GL390 is for radiators and cooling systems, GL396 is for bodywork. Use the right material for the job, and costs are minimised, efficiency is maximised.

In the case of air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, Primalec produces Glo-Leak for A/C in three standard strengths, giving you a choice of injection methods and dosage rates from a 1.25ml micro-dose through a 2.5ml mini-dose to the 5ml standard dose. For larger commercial systems, even higher concentrations are available.

Getting it right

Manufacturers who see the sense of incorporating UV leak detection fluids into their vehicles or equipment as original equipment need to take the advice of an experienced manufacturer of leak detection systems to ensure that they achieve the greatest economy and shop-floor efficiency when using the products. There are right ways and wrong ways of doing the job, and a company like Primalec has the experience to guide you.

It is also important to ensure that your service agents use the right UV lamps for the job. Some lamps seem brighter than others, but may be less effective as leak detectors. This is because, to achieve the best results, the lamp must provide both the right combination of wavelengths in the light beam and the correct degree of contrast between the light beam and the fluorescence. It is quite likely that cheaper products may be poorer value for money than those of specialist brands, such as Invictalux, Primalec or Vector.

All this technology is only useful if it is saving time and generating profits. If you want to learn more about this, you could do worse than go to www.primalec.co.uk and browse.