Meg > wrote in message >. ..
> On 29 Feb 2004 07:31:42 GMT, (BCHUKB) wrote:
>
> >Your County Home Economist can test the guage and tell you how to use it.
>
>
> Thanks for the suggestion. I need to find a convex 2" glass gauge
> cover before I do that. I'm concerned if I put the cover on after it's
> tested, I may change the reading on the gauge. I'd rather take it in
> to test when it's in final condition.
>
> So far I haven't found any 2" convex glass dial glass, I'll look in
> the flea markets.
The glass is basically just a dust cover. If the guage is working
properly, removing or reinstalling the glass should have no effect on
the reading. It's more important to not let water flow into the guage
when you wash the underside of the lid. Do not unscrew the guage from
the lid unless absolutely neccessary. This is because the guage pipe
is stainless steel and the lid is aluminum. It's so easy to
cross-thread this putting it back on and the stainless steel cuts
through the soft aluminum threads like butter = start looking for a
new canner. Perhaps someone knows why these guages even need to be
calibrated as they have nothing to do with regulating pressure and
seem to only be good as a warning in case the pressure climbs too high
allowing one to turn off the heat and take cover, preferably in an
adjacent building, while it cools down. Having the pressure regulator
calibrated, or both the guage and regulator, would make more sense.