What is a slow puncture?

[Ajax Bay]

I think a conclusion/lesson one can draw is that if a tyre (butyl inner) loses pressure more than the odd psi per day, something is wrong which needs attention. If you're on the road it's reasonable to try the 'pump up and see how far I can get' protocol. But otherwise, at the first opportunity, take the tube out, noting carefully its orientation (qv); inflate it a bit (no dog scaring), check with an all round 'kiss' followed (if unsuccessful) by a systematic dunk to seek out the bubbles; go back to the tyre and check (in good light, until you find) the cause of said slow puncture, pick out the culprit (which could be minute (ie short and low calibre, but very sharp) metal/glass/thorn - a sharp safety pin is useful for this btw); replace, or patch and refit the tube, pump up and leave overnight (ideally and as a confidence measure) before riding.
A slow puncture, once detected, is like a lesson identified: neither are solved/learnt until a change is made.

 

[andrew_s]

My slow puncture, which was losing about 5 psi a day, has now been fixed.
The thorn gained a companion tonight, about a foot round the tyre, and this one wasn't any good as a plug.

I think I'll have to add a small pair of pliers to the toolkit - they were a bit reluctant to come out.