Pressure Gauge Not Moving

danFromJersey · January 2014

I have a utica peg 112 that came with a 0-30 psi gauge. The needle on it almost never moves. Twice, when the system was working really hard, I saw the needle move to 1.5 psi. The other day this happened and then the needle stuck at 1.5 psi and won't move.

Yesterday, I added a Wika 0-3 psi gauge on a new pigtail. When I fired up the system, I got no movement on the new gauge. Actually, I get a little shimmering in the needle but no movement beyond 0psi. The system heats well. All the radiators get hot, the main get hot in under 4 minutes.

Did I configure something wrong? Everything back to the union is new. The pigtails were filled with water before I fired it. I also took whole assembly off after the boiler fired and blew into the union and the gauge moved to 1 psi.

I have thought about closing the radiator valves and firing the system so it builds pressure quick and see if the gauges work then. Any other thoughts?

Oh. This picture is taken during a boiler firing. That is why the water in the glass is so far below the center line.

Thanks

Dan

Hap_Hazzard · January 2014

Low pressure isn't a bad thing.

You only need enough pressure to get the steam out of the boiler and out to the radiators. If the radiators are heating up, I would say it's working. The only reason for closing the radiator vents and build pressure might be to check for a leak--or cause one--so unless you suspect a steam leak, let sleeping dogs lie.

You might want to see if your main vents are closing, but you can do this without building pressure. Just hold a lit candle near the vent at the beginning of a cycle. The escaping air should make the flame gutter. When the steam reaches the vent, it should close. You may or may not hear it, but the candle should now burn steadily. This is the point at which you're most likely to see a rise in pressure--after the main vents have closed but before the steam has reached radiators and started condensing--but if it only jumps from 1 oz to 2 oz, and your low pressure gauge is jittery, it's tough to be sure you're seeing it.

conversiontime · January 2014

anti-climatic huh

I remember feeling a bit disappointed with 0-3 gauge too in action as it barely flickers during normal burn. If you run the boiler long enough it will eventually build some pressure. In my case a sustained 45 minute burn is needed to finally get the gauge to move towards 1.0. By that point most vents are starting to hiss though so it does show that residential steam is designed to run on very low pressure. My vent does need annual readjustment of the needle (+).

One the plus size this means the boiler is likely sized correctly which goes a long way toward efficient system.

Maine Vent · January 2014

Wika Gauges

I would waste anymore money on these Wika gauges.

These are, very well promoted on this Web site?????

I have not had good luck with their instruments.

There are much better low pressure gauges on the Web.

JStar · January 2014

Gauge

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Pressure Gauge Not Moving

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