Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

What are these test ports?

icesailor
icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
in Gas Heating
What are these test ports? No one can give me an answer.

They appear to be 1/8: NPTX  (?) Caps. Shrader valves? Or Flare Caps.

They are for testing pressure on a gas train on a large gas burner.

They are the brass fittings  screwed into special places that need to have gas pressure checked for testing and adjustments.

In the first picture, there are two. On on a high pressure sensor, the other on the side of a ball valve shut-off. The second picture has the same one on the high pressure cut-out switch. The third picture has one on the line going to the pilot to check the gas pressure.

Comments

  • JStar
    JStar Member Posts: 2,752
    Ports

    You answered your own question?.
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    Test Ports:

    I know what they are, I know what they are used for and I know how they are used.

    What is the fitting? No one has been able to tell me what they are or where to get them.

    Without pulling a cap off, I don't know what the end of it is. Flare or some type of Schrader valve.
  • JStar
    JStar Member Posts: 2,752
    edited September 2012
    Ports

    Looks like 1/4" flare. Or whatever the fitting is for Air Conditioning hoses.
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    Flared Ports:

    I know what it LOOKS like. But, a 1/4" OD Flare Cap is six sided and these are knurled. I went to F.W. Webb today and looked at everything they had. The closest thing was the male end of the fitting. In the refrigeration section, they had all kinds of fittings but nothing close to that. I have asked AC folks and they are no help. The fittings must accept the ends of some instrument. When I took the photos, I didn't think I would be in such a quandary over it. Someone else will be putting instruments on it, not me. I'm just trying to make it all correct and have the fittings where they need to be.
  • Plumdog_2
    Plumdog_2 Member Posts: 873
    beats me

    But our shop has a manometer that has little knurled adaptor-fittings that look like they would screw onto those~! I never used them yet; maybe before retirement.
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    Knurled Fittings:

    Then that is what it is. You put a manometer on the fittings to test the gas pressures.

    So the question becomes, is the fitting on the pipe like a Schrader valve and the manometer hose has a fitting like a refrigeration tester, or what. Those fittings are not usually screwed in because of the high pressures. Gas is less than a pound on the service side.Although they do go negative.

    When I took the photos, there was someone working there and I asked him about the fittings. He had no idea about them. Maybe I need to look on-line about digital manometers and see if they have weird ends. Mine doesn't. I spoke to someone that worked on the boilers/burners at the site that is pictured and he told me that he didn't like digital manometers. He had these long plastic things in his bag. I never asked him how they worked and at the time, it wasn't important to know. Now it is.

    If I find out anything, I'll post it as general information.

    You have to give to get.
  • Tim McElwain
    Tim McElwain Member Posts: 4,621
    I believe they are

    Presto-Tap fittings for checking gas pressures. I have the guy who sells thems card at the training center. I can get it for you on Friday.
  • Tim McElwain
    Tim McElwain Member Posts: 4,621
    I found his card

    his name is Paul Courson he is the sales rep for Presto-Tap  toll free number is



    866-574-5325 his e-mail is pcourson@presto-tap.com he sells the fittings and the



    hook ups for them as they are quick connects. He also sells some neat gauges.
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    Presto, A Test Port:

    Thanks Tim.

    I figured that you might know something about them. I'll have to contact him or see if there is a web site.

    The company that services this burner in this area uses them and I thought that I should set it up like they want. Just to make things smooth on something I had nothing to do with making it rough. I'm just trying to get it proper.
  • RobG
    RobG Member Posts: 1,850
    Presto-tap

    Ice, look at the second product on this link: http://www.presto-tap.com/Products/Pressure_Fittings.htm
  • Bob Harper
    Bob Harper Member Posts: 1,034
    psi test ports

    These ports are for medium to high pressure testing as in psi. You can test for wci but you'll need an adapter to depress the Schrader core. There is Pete's Plug, which has been around for a long time and is very similar. http://www.petesplug.com/



    HTH
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    Presto-Taps:

    That's what they look like. Or, that must be what they are.

    Do they have a fitting that goes on the hose of a gauge

    I asked a guy that works for a local LPG dealer and he didn't know what they were but another guy there said that they use them. They used to drill a 1/2" Bl. Mal. tee and install a 1/8" Schrader valve at the appliance so they could always check the pressure.

    I haven't seen anything like this until I copied this large gas burner installation and saw them.

    Thanks all for the information.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories