Pressure gauges are vital to the performance and safety of industrial systems. Whether you have a water treatment, wastewater, or gas line application, ensuring that your meters perform at their peak levels is important.
One of the most common causes of gauge failure is vibration. Vibration is caused by the continuous oscillation of mechanical parts in a system.
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Improved Accuracy
Pressure gauges are designed to be accurate, but even the most high-quality gauge can degrade in accuracy over time. This is why it’s crucial to verify your gauge’s calibration periodically through PSI testing Houston TX.
A gauge’s accuracy is based on how close the reading is to a set range of pressures, known as full scale (FS) or span. Some accuracy grades divide the range into quartiles, with the middle half being more accurate than the first or last quartile.
If the pressure gauge is used in a system prone to media clogging, use a diaphragm seal that isolates the pressure gauge’s internal parts from the process media. This will help prevent damage and clogging that may occur from media entry.
Reduced Maintenance Costs
Pressure gauges are used in a wide range of industries to monitor the functions and applications of various equipment. It is important to test them regularly to ensure they are in working order and performing at their best.
These devices are based on sensing elements like diaphragms, bourdon tubes, and springs that respond to pressure fluctuation.
They are critical to several industrial processes and functions, including hydraulics, gas and fluid pipelines, and spray nozzles. Inadequate or damaged gauges can cause various problems in these systems, including leakages and high-pressure buildup.
When selecting a gauge, consider its environmental factors, including the medium it will monitor and the ambient temperature. Temperature can have a dramatic effect on the accuracy of readings.
Improved Safety
Pounds per square inch (PSI) is a unit of pressure that measures an object’s force on a specified area. It’s most often used in pneumatic and hydraulic systems to measure the pressure of gases or liquids.
PSI is also used to measure materials’ tensile strength and elastic modulus.
Although the PSI has many advantages, a more important benefit is that it’s one of the most accurate ways to measure pressure in a gauge. That means that your gauge maintenance will be more efficient, and your equipment will be safer.
Reduced Downtime
One of the top reasons we’re so passionate about PSI testing is that it can save techs a lot of time. With the ability to document tests on a chart recorder, technicians no longer have to write down pressure readings manually and can get their work done more quickly and efficiently.
In the past, technicians had to spend significant time writing down gauge readings and re-tracing their steps. This very labor-intensive process often resulted in errors and unnecessary downtime.
When selecting a pressure gauge for your application, it’s important to consider the working pressure and maximum system pressure. Ideally, the operating pressure should fall within the middle of the gauge’s range. This will help prevent inaccurate readings and a shorter gauge life.
Increased Productivity
Pressure gauges measure various parameters, including pneumatic, hydraulic, and liquid pressure. They are also used to measure tensile strength and elastic modulus.
One of the most common reasons for failure in pressure gauges is pulsation and vibration. These conditions can cause a meter to read inaccurately and damage the pointer mechanism.
Therefore, ensuring that the pressure gauge is not subjected to these conditions is important. This can be done by choosing a liquid-filled dial or a diaphragm seal that isolates the needle and internals from the vibrating pressure.
Another issue that can affect pressure gauges is misapplication. This can be caused by selecting the wrong pressure range for a system or not confirming that the maximum and operating system pressures are within the gauge’s pressure capacity.
