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Do a longer vac drop test. 20 minutes to half a hour is ok when you have the experience to pick up on those smaller leaks, but when you are just starting out then you should do a minimum of an hour.
In my experience, actual punctures in the bag are quite rare, and these tend to be the leaks that you can actually hear. And they are normally quite big leaks, ie. you will lose half your vacuum in 5 minutes. But this is my experience with the type of vacuum bag and mesh I use, etc. so it doesnt completely rule it out. I know some bag materials are more prone to punctures than others.
My number one piece of advice for people suffering with leaks, especially very slow ones, is to make your vacuum bag bigger. Even if you aren't getting bridging or anything like that and your bag seems big enough... make it a little bit bigger. As soon as I changed this, I virtually stopped getting any leaks, ever. It is very rare that I have to look for leaks after pulling vac the first time, and if I do then a quick press around the bagging tape normally takes care of it.
Which is the other key point. A lot of people dont realise how much effort it actually takes to get a good seal on the bagging tape. Your thumbs should be quite sore when you're finished. 99% of the time when you have a very slow leak that only drops vacuum by a fraction over half an hour, then this is a leak at the bagging tape.
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