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Is this brand new gauge defective?

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JeffGuy
JeffGuy Member Posts: 92
edited December 2025 in THE MAIN WALL

I had a domestic hot water heater problem, and was advised it was a good idea to get a lazy pressure gauge so I could check maximum pressure coming into our building from my city water. It is a $15 part, so instead of ordering from a site with $100 minimum order and fairly slow shipping, I held my nose and looked on Amazon, where I was pleased to see a Watts gauge which I ordered and arrived quickly.

But when I looked at the gauge it sure looks defective to me: the black pointer is on the wrong side of the brass zero pin. So any pressure will be stuck registering zero. Hopefully that is obvious from my picture.

So did I really get a defective gauge from Watts? I don’t want to hook it up if it won’t serve any purpose.

IMG_1429.jpeg

Comments

  • HydronicMike
    HydronicMike Member Posts: 292

    Yup. Put a claim into Amazon with that picture and get a new one. If Amazon doesn't want that one back, you could try to fix it yourself. Take off the screws in the back loosen it up an pop the needle over to the other side. Doesn't mean it will work correctly but it might.
    I use that gauge, it works well.

    HomerJSmith
  • Big Ed_4
    Big Ed_4 Member Posts: 3,412

    Yes , the needle is on the wrong side of the stop . Unscrew the plastic face and move the needle over …. I have a few of that dead needle gauge , they don't last in my truck .

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • JeffGuy
    JeffGuy Member Posts: 92

    Thank you, I will do the return. Clearly I should have checked local first, since both Home Depot and Lowe’s have this in stock. Oh well…

  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Member Posts: 6,881

    you can pop off the cover and carefully lift the needle back to the right side.

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 27,065

    The plastic top should pop off with a pocket knife, but I would put in for a return.

    Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware as well as plumbing wholesalers have these on the shelf

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • JeffGuy
    JeffGuy Member Posts: 92
    edited December 2025

    Thanks, if it was out of my toolbox I would mess with it, but don’t think I should have to fix a brand new tool before it’s been used once. As mike said, maybe worth it if they don’t want this one back.

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 27,065

    There seems to be a certain $$ amount where they don't ask you to send it back.

    I had some really loose fitting ball valves from SupplyHouse a few weeks back, they didn't want them back, just credited me.

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • JeffGuy
    JeffGuy Member Posts: 92
    edited December 2025

    Well they want it back, which is fine, so I ordered a replacement rather than a refund. Planned to return the first one when replacement arrived. Note this is coming from the “Watts store” on Amazon, not some unnamed seller. The replacement arrived, and look what they sent. First shipment on right, replacement on left. Exactly the same problem. Am I crazy and this is the way it should be manufactured? Or has the quality control at Watts gone completely out the window and they are no longer able to ship working products?

    IMG_1430.jpeg
  • jesmed1
    jesmed1 Member Posts: 1,352
    edited December 2025

    I bought that same exact gauge from Amazon a few years ago, back when the assemblers knew which side of the pin to put the pointer on. 😂

  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 8,371
    edited December 2025

    Apparently your post office likes to throw the packages against the wall before they deliver them!

    A similar thing happened to several of us who ordered Gorton #1 vents

    NJ Steam Homeowner.
    Free NJ and remote steam advice: https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/new-jersey-steam-help/
    See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 27,065

    that may be from shipping that the needle jumped the pin. Or it froze and the Bourdon tube expanded and pushed the needle

    Regardless, I would not trust it even if you jumped the needle over the pin.

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    ethicalpaul
  • JeffGuy
    JeffGuy Member Posts: 92

    I went to the watts.com website and found a page to email them, so sent the following to Technical Support (closest category they had). They don’t have any way to send pictures, so I sent a link to this forum thread. I’ll see if they respond, and start the process to return this one too. I can’t believe things have gotten this bad.

    “I have received two defective Water Pressure Test Gauges, model IWTG. Ordered from Watts Store on Amazon, then a replacement sent that is also defective.
    I started a thread about it, including pictures, at https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/203112/is-this-brand-new-gauge-defective
    Could you please let me know if I should return this second gauge and ask for another replacement, or whether it is impossible to get a working gauge from Watts on Amazon?”

    ethicalpaul
  • HomerJSmith
    HomerJSmith Member Posts: 2,743
    edited December 2025

    I gave up on Amazon as they don't scrutinize their vendors. I've returned stuff and the replacement was a used return by someone else.

    Ask for your money back (a credit) and go buy one at one of the box stores or return it to Amazon and choose another gauge manufacturer.

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