Buying a hud home,they say won't hold air test on plumbing.won't allow water to be turned on so what next? Or is it just a minor air leak?

That depends how much air is leaking . If its just a slow leak it is most likely a leaky faucet or a slow drip. Install a small air pump, fish tank aerator or a hand pump with some pumping air slowly. DO NOT USE A COMPRESSOR! Too much air pressure can burst the pipes or connections.Then spray water mixed with a little dish soap on the connections and search for bubble... first look at the most likely sources... water heater connections, toilet and sink connections... If you are in a cold weather climate it is possible a pipe burst when it froze so listen through the walls for air escaping... it takes time but it cheaper than a plumber... good luck

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Originally Posted by xx-man

That depends how much air is leaking . If its just a slow leak it is most likely a leaky faucet or a slow drip. install a small air pump, fish tank aerator or a hand pump with some pumping air slowly. DO NOT USE A COMPRESSOR !! too much air pressure can burst the pipes or connections.Then spray water mixed with a little dish soap on the connections and search for bubble.....first look at the most likely sources.....water heater connections, toilet and sink connections.... If you are in a cold weather climate it is possible a pipe burst when it froze so listen through the walls for air escaping .....it takes time but it cheaper than a plumber ...good luck

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Thanks I was on right track with your answer so appreciate it

I would think "won't hold an air test" would mean a test of the drain system. Never heard of testing a supply with air. To test a supply system I would think you would just turn on the water and with no water being used watch the meter to see if there is any movement.

New homes are commonly tested with 10-15# of air. Is this a slab house or crawl/basement?

Hi everyone.

All states that I have worked in require us to pressure test the water distribution system to 100-125 PSI before introducing potable water to the system. Here, the idea is to actually stress the system, as even systems with pressure regulating valves can fail so the water distribution system must be tight!

HUD homes and the such can have issues and sometimes require us to go in and test all systems, right? In this case, it sounds like the water has failed the test and the only reasonable solution in this case is to pump up the water distribution system and find the leaks.

I would start by setting up a "test apparatus" that included a shutoff and a pressure gauge... see image. Pump the system up to 25 PSI to start and see if you can HEAR the leak... increase pressure as needed to locate leak(s). When the gauge holds at 100 PSI you have found all leaks and can proceed to get the water turned on!

Glad to discuss...

Mark