Magnehelic gauge: 0-3 or 5-0-5

[LeadTurn_SD]

For those of you servicing your own regs, which scale to your recommend for a Magnehelic gauge: 0-3 or 5-0-5 (and why?) ?

I'm getting ready (finally) to buy a better quality IP gauge, and decided to get a Magnehelic gauge at the same time.

Thank you!

 

[Luis H]

I have both and use both. The one I use most of the time is the 0 3 inWC. It is the most precise in the range that I am working of which is from about 0.5 inWC to just under 2 inWC.

It is nice to see the exhalation effort, but there is not really anything to adjust so having a scale in both directions is not essential.

If I was only going to have one, it would probably be the 0 3 inWC for the precision. On the other hand, you can still read in the 5-0-5 with enough precision to do most anything you need.

It is just a matter of preference. The scale and readability of the 0-3 is almost 4 times more spread out than on the 5-0-5 inWC.

Some people do like to see the inhale-exhale cycle back and forth. IMHO, that is just kind of cool, but without much of a real practical value.

I also don’t deal with any regulators that would exceed the 3 inWC. IMO if a regulator exceeds 3 inWC, it either needs service or need to be shelved (I rarely throw anything away).

If you are keeping an eye on eBay, you will run into both on a fairly regular basis.

Good luck



My next purchase is a flow meter, but at the range we need they are hard to find on eBay. I can buy them directly from Dwyer, but they are about $80 IIRC. I will get to it one of these days.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Thanks Luis! Great info as always.

The price is the same for the 5-0-5 and 0-3, and from what you've described the 0-3 sounds like the ticket for the regs I'll be maintaining.

Thanks again.

 

[Greg Barlow]

I use the 0-3 version for the same reasons that Luis has explained.

Greg Barlow

 

[herman]

Or go the cheap route and build a $5 manometer. Nothing to calibrate, always accurate, + and - scale and any range you want.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Or go the cheap route and build a $5 manometer. Nothing to calibrate, always accurate, + and - scale and any range you want.

True...

Hey, I could create my own trade-marked scale.... call it the "Newton Scale" to make it sound scientific and all.... and not tell anyone the unit of measurement is a stack of Fig Newtons next to the manometer

Friend: "What did you set the cracking pressure on this 2nd to?"
Me: "1.2 Newtons.... I would have set it higher, but I was hungry and ate the other two Newtons..."

Seriously, thanks to everyone who replied, it helps.

 

[herman]

I prefer strawberry newtons.

 

[Luis H]

You would have to come up with something different than a Newton. The Newton is already a unit of force in the metric system, to be more specific in the SI (Systema Internacionalle) measurement system.

1 Newton = 0.2248 Pounds force

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

You would have to come up with something different than a Newton. The Newton is already a unit of force in the metric system, to be more specific in the SI (Systema Internacionalle) measurement system.

1 Newton = 0.2248 Pounds force

I just knew I should have copy-righted the Fig Newton Scale. Dang it.... think of the royalties I'm missing out on

Sigh. Another fortune lost.