Vacuum Gauge fitting size to buy?

[TerryEspo]

I am wanting to buy a vacuum gauge and see online 1/4" npt for the size.

I hope to screw the gauge into my 5/16 blue tubing and connect it to a lateral with a T. That is what I see others do here at Maple Trader, lol.

Is that the size I want to buy and will using a T work for me?

Or, what is the easiest way to connect a vacuum gauge to a line of 5/16 tubing ?

Thank-you.

Terry

[maple flats]

My vac gauges are at the end of the mains. There I have for example, a barb insert fitting x 1" fem. pipe thread. That is reduced to 1/4" pipe thread and the gauge screws in.
I have heard of others who make a set up to use where ever they want to test. I think those might have been guys who used a stubby and then a CV adapter into the tree. They made an adapter so they separated the stubby from the adapter, and put the gauge on the stubby. I prefer leaving the gauge on each main at the farthest out end. As such, 15 mains means 15 gauges, plus 1 at the pump.

[DoubleBrookMaple]

I should have done what Maple Flats did, but had to do it the hard way. I put my four gauges at the end of a lateral at the end of my mainlines. Installed on a drop line with a 5/16 barb to 1/4 female pipe fitting. I have to go out the lateral to read it, and that is stupid. Just put it at the end of the main.
Here is where I got my fittings. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LNKIDK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Grainger has a brass 1/4" npt to 5/16" barbed for about $8. Add that to a $12 2"gage and it's $20 a pop. We are considering putting one after each valve on the main lines so we can shut the valve off and see if the vacuum holds to check for leaks. We need 40 and are wondering if it's worth it.........

[eagle lake sugar]

As Sunday Rock mentioned, I have one at the beginning of each mainline, after the shut off valve. I can walk the wet/dry and shut off each main as I go to check for leaks. It saves an unbelievable amount of time in isolating leaks. I buy the cheap ones from Andersons maple, they're only $6 and work fine for that purpose.

[JoeJ]

When I installed my new 2,100 taps in 2013, I put in 18 1" mainlines with a ball valve and vacuum gauge where each mainline enters the wet line. The wet line is 2,800' long and it takes about 20 minutes to walk the whole wet line shutting off each ball valve, wait 10 seconds, and if there is no movement or drop in the vacuum gauge reading, open vale, move on to next valve. Very simple and easy to find even small leaks in each line. Last Saturday, found one line with a deer chew and one line with a fisher cat chew. Luckily both chews were only 50' up the line so it was quick to find them and repair.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

What are you using for vac gauges at the top of your 3/16 lines?

[psparr]

I have them on my 3/16 lines. Just used a "t" then a section of 3-16 tubing. I couldn't find a 3/16 barb, a 1/4" worked well. Just need to really force it in.

[maple flats]

After I posted my answer at #2, I found an even easier and cheaper way. I was looking for something else in Lowes, in the PVC barb fittings, near the black poly pipe and I noticed they had 1" insert barb x 1/2" FIP (female iron pipe thread) elbows, and they were on clearance. I bought all they had at $.43 ea. Most of my mains are 1". Then I got online and bought 25 PVC threaded bushings at about $.37 ea. (unfortunately I can't find who I bought them from). Then I had a deal I bought on vacuum gauges, they happened to be both sides of zero, ie. they read pressure or vacuum, 1 gauge. I bought a whole bunch of them at under $5 ea. with free shipping. Now I will remove the plug at the end of each main, insert the 1 barb x 1/2 FIP ell, screw in a reducer bushing using teflon tape and then screw in the gauge. For the gauges at the beginning of each main, I'm adding a 1" barb x 1" barb x 1/2 FIP Tee. This will go right next to a ball valve to shut off the main, then I can watch the gauge, if it drops slow and steady, there are no leaks to worry about, if it drops too fast, I need to open the valve and walk that main until I fine the leak. For this I usually walk the main, looking for saddle or other leaks at or near the main going out to the far end. If I find none, I then walk the laterals to find it or them. I did buy a leak detector that finds leaks quite well from up to 10-15' away, but I need to stop walking to find them, If I hear none I walk further.