Anyone know what make of gauge this is?

[zflees]

Its from a fire system and needs replacing.. any ideas?

http://files.engineering.com/getfile.aspx?folder=1205e681-e605-4cc9-aea0-47ca2e4b0ad4&file=photo.JPG

Cheers

 

[ScottyUK]

Plenty companies make gauges covering that pressure range. Is there anything specific or unusual about it?


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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[roydm]

Consider replacing it with a damped gauge such as glycerine filled, dry gauges don't last as long on liquid filled systems.

 

[danw2]

A "Facts of life" talk about pressure gauges:

Lots of manufacturers. Every gauge manufacturer has multiple lines, designed for specific purposes.

In the US, ASME B40.100-2005 covers pressure gauges, any legitimate manufacturer meets the standard.

For gauges with the manufacturer's logo, price reflects the quality of the gauge.

For gauges with a private label logo, price is a spare parts profit center; anywhere on the map.

Silk screening is cheap, readily available and widely exploited in the OEM gauge business. Thousands of company logos on custom silk screened onto pressure gauge dials by the OEM, hoping the end user will unwittingly go back to the OEM who originally installed the 'system' and pay $50 for $10 gauge, or something proportional. It's like anything else, if you don't buy gauges on a daily basis, why would you know what the market is?

You might not get an OEM's discount, but you probably will only pay 1/3 to 1/5 of what an OEM will charge you for 4" brass, 1/4" NPT lower mount, glycerin filled gauge from a gauge distributor who handles the gauges directly from the gauge manufacturers.

You can get an idea of what 4" gauges go for here:

http://www.lesman.com/acatalog/LF21353_4_Dial.html

scroll down about half way to get to 400 psi gauge or search on the page for: WIKA 213.53 - 4" Dial Gauge 9694140

The cost of calibration cert is never included in the gauge price, that's an added service.

Your measured, working pressure should hang around mid-scale (12:00 on the gauge). If you overpressure a bourdon tube gauge, it's toast (needle never returns to zero, bourdon is stretched beyond its elasticity.)

The Wika brand is on the high end of the quality scale. Lots of Chinese 'stuff' is out there, too.

I, too, recommend glycerin filled gauges.

Have fun shopping.

 

[MikeHalloran]

One caution about glycerin filled gauges: You have to remove or pierce the rubber plug in the shell. Many of the plugs have a small nipple that you just snip off.

If you don't do it, the gauge readings will be inaccurate, usually noticeably low, because the elasticity of the plug will be working in parallel with the spring rate of the bourdon tube.

Corollary: You have to mount the gage so the plug is 'up'.

Yes, you can use them in portable applications, if you pierce the plug instead of removing it, and wrap it in a rag or bag it when you throw it in the toolbox, because a little bit of glycerin will leak out.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[ietech12]

zflee. You did not provide much information, but I assume that you are dealing with a common fire system where the media would be water. I also assume that you would be dealing with building fire systems of unit deluge fire systems. Either way I am going to suggest ashcroft guages. They are a reputable company whom I like to deal with. They will have avilable any type of guage you require. I am not able to tell the size of the faceplate as well as the size of the connection. If the fire system is in the building I would use a ashcroft commercial guage. For the outside fire system where vibration and heat may be a factor I would use a 4.5" faceplate, 1/2" NPT connection (they also come in 1/4"NPT type connection), 316 stainless wetted parts, C-tube element depending on pressure range and carries the ASMB.40.1 standard. The model number of this type of ascroft guage is the type 1259.

http://www.ashcroft-gauges.com/products.htm

main phone, sales: 203-385-0217

Regards,
Aldo

 

[ScottyUK]

You might be surprised but there are a few indigenous gauge manufacturers of reasonable quality in the UK too, and that's where the OP works by the look of the manual which is (almost) in the photo.


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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[roydm]

It will also be a parallel thread not NPT. It looks as though someone has used teflon tape at some time which is not required for that sort of fitting which has a compressible washer. The dial is off center, perhaps from tightening without a wrench.

 

[ietech12]

Take alook at this website, I maybe what you are looking for.

http://www.gageitinc.com/sprinkler.php