Beyond the Leak: How VES USA Is Rethinking Helium Leak Testing for RHVAC Efficiency

Why ‘Good Enough’ Leak Testing Is Costing You More Than You Think

In the world of HVAC&R manufacturing, leak detection isn’t just a step in the process it’s a gatekeeper for quality, efficiency, and long-term reliability.

Yet for many coil and compressor manufacturers, helium leak testing remains a costly, footprint-heavy, and labor-intensive challenge. The problem? Most setups were designed for function not for optimization.

At VES USA, we asked: what if you could turn leak detection into a strategic advantage?

🔧 The Real Challenges in Coil and Compressor Leak Testing

1. Helium Background Noise

Testing outside of a vacuum chamber allows leaking parts to contaminate the ambient helium concentration. This background noise often leads to false failures and unnecessarily long cycle times.

2. Excessive Footprint

Today’s setups often require multiple stations for gross leak detection, helium injection, evacuation, fine leak testing, and helium recovery eating up critical floor space.

3. High Labor Costs

Multiple stations mean multiple operators. And in an environment where skilled labor is harder (and more expensive) to retain, that’s a cost worth reevaluating.

4. Rising Helium Prices

The cost of helium continues to climb. With operator safety limits capping pressure in open environments, many plants use more helium than necessary just to stay within spec.

💡 What VES USA Proposes Instead

We didn’t just tweak the leak testing system. We rethought it starting from the floor plan all the way to gas consumption efficiency.

1. Eliminating Helium Background Noise

VES systems use helium background subtraction. Our vacuum chamber evacuates the existing helium before the part is even injected. That means the only helium detected is from the part ensuring reliable results and no false failures.

We stop the test the moment the part hits the failure threshold no guesswork, no wasted time.

2. Integrated Floor Plan Design

We consolidate gross testing, helium charging, fine testing, and recovery into a single vacuum chamber unit cutting your footprint by 30–40%.

Need multiple test lines? We offer one or two primary test machines depending on your takt time, plus a dedicated repair zone with sniffer + small vacuum chamber certification.

And through our automation partner, Alphr, we can integrate loading/unloading and tooling systems that match your production goals.

3. Lower Labor Requirements

With our consolidated leak testing system, a single operator can manage multiple chambers freeing up skilled labor for other high-value tasks.

4. Smarter Helium Use = Lower Helium Costs

By doing all charging inside a sealed vacuum chamber, we can safely run at higher test pressures which means we can lower helium concentration while maintaining the same sensitivity.

Less helium used. Less helium wasted during recovery. Greater ROI per gram of gas.

A gas mixer and helium recovery system (like our PURE System) enhance this even further, closing the loop and protecting your margins.

Conclusion: The Real Cost of "Good Enough"

You may already have a helium leak testing system. And it may be doing okay.
But in a world of rising costs, tighter footprints, and shrinking margins, okay isn’t competitive.

VES USA gives you more than machines we give you insight.
We help you optimize floor space, reduce helium costs, eliminate false failures, and build a business case your CFO will love.