Pressure gauge question

[Bucket Head]

I've replaced the low pressure gauge on my RO two times in the last four years and it's starting to leak glycerin again(!) and now the high pressure gauge is leaking. I can't be mad at the high pressure one since its OEM and the machine was built in 1991. The low pressure gauge was also OEM four years ago. Both are Foster brand gauges.

Both of the replacements were not what you'd call "cheap". The first came from a local industrial supply and the second from CDL- a BII brand gauge. Both leaked within two years and I do not want to play this game again with the high pressure gauge. Garbage belongs in the trash, and that's where my previous gauges ended up. Is there a brand out there that you guys would recommend?

What brand gauges are on your RO currently? Just curious.

Thanks.

Steve

[maple flats]

I don't know about better gauges, but one time on my air blast sprayer I had a glycerine leak and I just added more glycerine thru the port that has a rubber plug in it on the side of the gauge. That fixed it for 2 or 3 years and I then repeated it. Glycerine is cheap at a drug store.

[ronintank]

When is liquid-filled gauge case venting necessary?
ALWAYS! * All liquid filled pressure gauges should be vented after the gauge is installed to preserve the accuracy. Temperature fluctuations during shipment and in the process application cause the liquid filling to expand and contract which, in turn, increases or decreased case pressure. As a result, accuracy can be decreased and the pointer may not return to zero properly until the gauge is vented to the atmosphere.

How do I vent my liquid filled gauge?
Simply cut off the rubber tip from the fill plug located on the top (12 o’clock position) of the pressure gauge.*

[Bucket Head]

Dave- I should not have to refill these even if I wanted too. Besides, the leakage runs down the front of the control panel.

Tim- I did cut off the rubber tip- on both of the replacement gauges. And "Always vented" might not always be the case. The original Foster brand high pressure gauge has no rubber plug at the top to vent or add glycerin. Nothing had to be done to that one and had worked fine for a quarter century. Maybe it was internally vented but it was problem free.

Overall gauge quality is suspect here with what is currently available. I guess they "don't build them like they used to" anymore.

What gauges are the big RO manufacturers using these days, any idea?

Steve

[ronintank]

We don't build r.o. systems, but we do build filtration systems for our machines. for years we used ENFM gauges and had great luck and performance with them. They went bankrucpt in 2016. this company has taken over their product line. http://www.badotherm.com/
A good quality gauge.

[Bucket Head]

I will check those out. Thanks for the info. -Steve