Major Vac Leak

[lew]

I have a Bernard Double Mechanical releaser that i have a major leak on or around but cannot find. I usually have 21+ inches at the releaser but can only get 12 right now. With the vacuum pump right next to the releaser i cannot hear where the leak is. Does anybody have solutions to finding a leak without the use of your ears? Like if you have a pressure leak, use soapy water and look for bubbles. anything like that?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Just plain water or sap and look for it to get sucked in. It will look like the rain off the windshild at about 100 MPH. Why do you think its at the releaser. Do you have isolation valves for EVERY line that comes into the manifold. Look for misalingment at the blue flapper valves both inside and the ones on the inside

[Snow Hill Farm]

Turn off the pump and you should hear your releaser hissing where the leaks are, that's how I found mine. Mine was leaking around the inlets a little so I re-taped the threads and still have to replace a warped slip plate that's losing a lot of vacuum right now...

[maplecrest]

i have two of those releasers. every time problem is at elbows in back. 9 out of ten is the o rings inside are cracked or rolled out of groove. or froze and split the pipe that goes in there.the pipe breaks like eggs

[Homestead Maple]

Try a spray bottle with water and see if the water is pulled in any place.

[lew]

Thanks for replies. Haynes, I can shut off both my dry and wet line just before the releaser therefor isolating the releaser, so I know I have leak there. As for using water, I have been trying that, but not with much success. I did find a major leak by playing with the valves that go from my water tank to the pump and the coolant line. By opening and closing these I was able to make major amounts of air go through my flow meter. The leak is at the pipe joints around the screen housing for the coolant water before it goes to the pump. It is swinging quite freely around the threads. I was talking to a buddy of mine that is not maple inclined but kind of clever. He was telling me about using ether to find vacuum leaks on a car and then he thought of using smoke. Just get some one that smokes to come over and blow smoke at the fittings and see which ones suck in the smoke. Sounds like it might work. Any body else tried this?

[bigtreemaple]

What about a small squeeze bottle filled with power like hunters use to check wind direction? I never tried it, but it might be easier than blowing smoke at them.