Does anyone have a good tool they use for checking the pressure in a home water line, I use an Air compressor but need a good attachment to hook up to the water line to test the pressure.

I use a rubber hose

I also use a rubber hose, I am talking about measuring the PSI from the lines, I have a tried a regular Pressure gauge, but you have to put so much air in the lines, one day I afraid it will bust a line.

I am a home inspector and I bought a combination flow rate/pressure gauge from Professional Equipment on line. You can attach the gauge to a hose bib. I carry a short section of hose with me and if I can I use the laundry tub to run the water thru the gauge. With this particular tool you can measure the gallons per minute as well as the pressure on the system. The cost of one of these is about $100 plus shipping. It is the best one I have come across.

One more thing, I use the same gauge when I winterize a home and I take a picture of the gauge with my digital camera and then I have that to forward with the rest of my report.
Good luck.

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opps .....I was reading to fast, I was answering the 2nd part of your question.

I have a question then - how much pressure do you put in a system without water/fluid in it?

How long do you hold your test for before determining the system checks out.

What standards do you use?

Do you compensate for expansion - say a dry system with non metallic water lines and empty hot water heater?

Curious - should this be moved to the Home Inspection Section?

water pressure coming in from the street is about 60psi (here in detroit). I pump 25psi and hold it for a good 5 minutes and that tells me if there is any leaks.........works for me

Most compressors have two pressure gauges, one measures the output pressure and the other measures the pressure of the storage tank(s). If the connections between the compressor and the house air tight all you have to do is drain the tank pressure to zero and leave the output pressure at 30 psi with all of the plumbing fixtures closed. If their are leaks in the plumbing your pressure will drop. As long as you keep your output pressure below 60psi you should never have to worry about bursting lines.