# air testing water lines



## sparky 5798 (Nov 14, 2010)

Ok this should be a easy one even for a plumber. Just giving you crap Ha Ha _. I'm looking at buying a slab house in northern mn. It has been sitting empty for a year. All the water lines run under the slab and all I see is copper not pex or any thing else. So my ? is how do I do a proper air test and where can I get the right tools and equiptment to do it abd how much will it cost me. Thank you for your time. Oh ya the house was winterized for what thats worth _


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Yes, it's easy. Have a plumber do it. Seriously, why should you buy a compressor, plugs and pressure gauge for a one-shot deal? And not knowing what you're doing, chances are good that you'll miss something and/or misinterpret your results--which makes the whole thing a waste of time with no real assurance that the system is sound.


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## UALocal1Plumber (Jun 19, 2009)

I would agree to have a plumber do it.

But a plumber would probably test the air up to 150 PSI for 60 minutes and call it a system with integrity. There is no acceptable loss after the gauge settles. 

Obviously you'll need a compressor. As far as fittings go, you're on your own. Go to the counter and pick a selection of transition fittings, as well as a guage manifold. Tell the counterman what you need, and bring your checkbook.

Keith


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

I wouldn't test the system with air :no: Always test with water that way if something does fail you don't get high pressure air and shrapnel. Water is also much more stable as a test than air. Most all plumbers will test with water anyway so prob not nothing to worry about. You would be surprised at the volume of air a home system can handle at 10-15 bar.


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## rex (Jul 2, 2007)

fawk the air ....slam that ball valve open and see where the leaks are at


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

If you've got copper in the slab isn't that a big no no? I thought that cement degraded the copper over time and it would fail eventually


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## KillerToiletSpider (May 27, 2007)

Morning Wood said:


> If you've got copper in the slab isn't that a big no no? I thought that cement degraded the copper over time and it would fail eventually


Not if you insulate it before you pour the concrete.


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## rex (Jul 2, 2007)

Morning Wood said:


> If you've got copper in the slab isn't that a big no no? I thought that cement degraded the copper over time and it would fail eventually


 
thats why you sleeve the stubs....


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## kennewickman (Dec 22, 2006)

sparky 5798 said:


> Ok this should be a easy one even for a plumber. Just giving you crap Ha Ha _. I'm looking at buying a slab house in northern mn. It has been sitting empty for a year. All the water lines run under the slab and all I see is copper not pex or any thing else. So my ? is how do I do a proper air test and where can I get the right tools and equiptment to do it abd how much will it cost me. Thank you for your time. Oh ya the house was winterized for what thats worth _


 
Wow, first post? makes me wonder??


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## Mike's Plumbing (Jul 19, 2010)

Just turn everything on and run all the water for a couple minutes getting any air out. Then shut the supply off and go eat lunch for an hour.

When you come back turn the supply back on and hold your hand on the supply while doing it. If any water leaked you will hear/feel it make up the difference. 

Go look for above ground leaks and fix them if need be.

Mike


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## JohnFRWhipple (Oct 20, 2009)

*200 psi*

Water and 200 PSI is better....

The machine we use is just a small red box that has a handle on it. Pour some water into the box and give the handle some cranks until the pressure hits 200 PSI and your good.

Depending on the length of the pipping you can see a slight drop after a minute or two and if you can bleed the trapped air out with the shut offs at the toilet, sink locations etc you get a better read.

And of course make sure your system is closed to the city.... I once thought my tester was broken as I cranked against an open system.... :blink:

Most Plumbing wholesalers will sell them but it's best to get your plumber down as some modifications to the plumbing lines often need to be done to hook up the testing machine...

Good Luck.

JW





BCConstruction said:


> I wouldn't test the system with air :no: Always test with water that way if something does fail you don't get high pressure air and shrapnel. Water is also much more stable as a test than air. Most all plumbers will test with water anyway so prob not nothing to worry about. You would be surprised at the volume of air a home system can handle at 10-15 bar.


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