Had a pressure gauge blow its glass out on a startup last Friday

We were firing up a new steam boiler install at the old paper mill in Kalamazoo, just getting it up to about 30 psi for a test run. I was watching the main gauge and heard this little 'pop' sound, like a lightbulb breaking. Turned around and the gauge on the condensate return line was just a metal ring with a few bits of glass left in it, no needle, nothing. The new guy just froze and stared at it like it was a ghost. I shut the feedwater pump down and we spent the next hour picking tiny glass shards out of the insulation around the pipe. Boss man came over, looked at it, and just said 'well, that's a first for me.' Had to run to the supply house for a whole new 2.5 inch gauge. Anyone ever have a gauge just give up like that before it even saw real pressure?

2 comments

2 Comments

alicem291mo ago

Used to treat them like furniture, just part of the wall. Watched a brand new 4-inch compound gauge on an air receiver let go at maybe 20 psi during a leak check. The whole face shattered and the needle shot across the room like a dart. Stuck in a styrofoam cup on a workbench. Never stand directly in front of one now.

miaa411mo ago

Ever think those gauges were basically bulletproof? I used to until one blew on a cold water line at like 15 psi. Now I give them a wide berth on any startup, cheap glass is no joke.