My car has an Ernst reflex gauge, model ES-1102. It seems likely that this is the same as Ernst's current product EFI S-1102. But their spec for that product says "For STEAM up to 350 PSI @ 431° F". I wonder if it's safe to trust it at Stanley pressures.

What currently available reflex gauges have shown themselves to be dependable at 500-600 PSI?

Kelly

Dear Kelly, I have used many differeent reflex gauges though out the years. I had bought a couple that were rated up to 350 pounds and were hydro tested at over 1,000 pounds. They both failed me, not so much because of the higher Stanley pressures, but also because of the heat too. There bodies warped beyond use. If you have gauge shut offs top and bottom, you can still get home. Don't worry about the gauge glass getting you, I blew one of those at 450 pounds and it was no big deal. With only 3/8" copper tubing feeding the gauge glass, it wasn't any thing worse than blowing down your boiler. The reflex gauge is really quite safe, if properly installed. One tip is to never insulate a reflex gauge to keep it hot. It needs to run as cool as possible to keep heat expansion and warpage to a minimum. Go ahead and use your gauge. Meanwhile, look for a higher pressured one. What will happen if your gauge fails is that it most likely will warp the housing and blow out the gasket.

It’s a liability question for the company. Most of Ernst reflex gauge housings are rated for 2900 PSI.
Go on the net and look at the specs. They want you to use flat glass with a layer of mica between the steam and glass above 300 PSI. High pressure steam etches the glass and can cause it to crack. They also want you to change the glass every year.
We don’t run our boilers 24 hour a day like used in the power industry.
A reflex glass should last 5 to 10 years for most of us Stanley owners.

Rolly

Thanks gentlemen. In case anyone else is watching, I also discovered that the mica shield can only be used behind flat glass. The reflex glass is so effective, though, so I'll just get a spare & install some shutoffs & be ready if a failure occurs.

Testing a guage to 1,000# I found the gasket to creep,did not run backup test or go higher,,we had our needed answer for that occasion,,,Ben