Patent ID: 6945092

Claim:
A method for operating a film leak indicator comprising two films, which are each tensioned inside a frame and which delimit a testing space when a test piece is introduced where said film leak indicator is equipped with two vacuum pumps, the method comprising: evacuating the testing space; switching the film leak indicator to a leak search mode after the evacuation is completed, during the first evacuation phase of the testing space utilizing only one of the two vacuum pumps, wherein only the second vacuum pump is utilized in the leak search mode; measuring the helium concentration of the ambient air; and checking the ambient air measurement before a leak search commences, wherein the ambient air measurement is taken into account during subsequent leakage measurements to avoid false measurements and in which the testing space of the film leak indicator can be evacuated both via bore holes located in one of the rims and also via a connecting port affixed to one of the films wherein the testing space during the first phase of the evacuation process is only evacuated via the bore holes with the aid of the first vacuum pump and where during leak searching only the connection port is utilized which is connected to the second vacuum pump.