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On another topic, Chrisemtpa asked how to go about making a water gauge work....that it never seemed to do anything for him. Other people on this forum have talked about water gauge measurement...so I thought I'd take you through the steps of making your own gauge, and how to use it.</P>
Drive over to your local hardware store and purchase about five feet of 1/4 inch clear plastic tubing. Some call it neoprene. Also buy a roll of Friction tape....this is not plastic electrical tape....it is black fabric, impregnated with tar like, sticky substance. If the hardware store sells lumber and nails, pick up a piece of wood about two feet long, and four or five inches wide. A two by four works fine...and some two inch thinnails. Also, a hammer, if you don't own one, and a pair of fairly large size pliers. Finally, you will need a ruler or tape measure. If you're going to measure pressure in millimeters, then you'll need a metric scaled device. Don't plan to measure with a yard stick, or a sewing tape measurer, as these get unwieldly in the measuring process. A foot long ruler is best.</P>
ASSEMBLY: You're going to attach the plastic tubing onto the front of the piece of wood with the nails. The plastic tubing begins on the left side of the wood piece, at the top. It runs down the length of the wood piece and makes a 180 degree turn at the bottom, then continues up the right side of the wood, leaving about a 3 foot length hanging off the top of the right hand side. So....</P>
Look at the wood piece and determine which side looks best. Determine which end is going to be the top, and which end is going to be the bottom. (I forgot to mention that you would need a drill with a 1/4 inch drill bit). Drill a 1/4 inch hole at the top of the wood piece, so you can hang the thing on a nail when not in use. With a pencil, draw a straight line down the left side of the wood piece....then another straight line down the right side of thewood piece. These lines should be about 11/2 inch to 2 inches apart, centered on the wood piece. Hammer in about 4 or 5 nails just to the left of the pencil lines, with about a 5 or 6 inch space between the nails, running from top to bottom. The nails should only go into the wood about 1/2 inch. With the pliers, fold the nails over into an almost upside down U....not too tight. Then begin inserting the plastic tube from the top right. Pull it through the bent nails until you have about two feet of tubing on the bottom right, and aboutthree feet of tubing left...hanging off the top right side. Now bend the two foot section on the bottom right side, and start pulling it up the left side, through the nails. When this is finished, you should have a very long U shaped tube, with an open end at the left top, and a continuing 3 foot piece hanging off the right top. If the plastic tubing kinks at the bottom, then pull a little more tubing from the right side, and coaxing the 180 degree turn to form a fatter u in the turn. It can even get bulbous at the turn without hurting anything. Once you've got this arrangement made, and no kink in the turn at the bottom, go back with the pliers and squeeze down the nails so they will hold the tubing securely.Not too tight where it will pinch the tubing shut....but securely enough to hold the tubing in place securely.</P>
You now have a water gauge. Final step of assembly....wrap several turns of friction tape around the very end of the dangling three foot end of the tubing that is hanging off the board.Make each turn overlap the previous one, and keep the turns tight....not so much that you distort the opening in the tube, but tight enough that you are forming an air tight nozzle that you're going to putdown over a windchest pipe hole. Wrap enough tape around itself to form about a 3/4 inch in diameter nozzle. Take out a pipe on the edge of the chest that has a toe hole counter sink about the same size as the taped nozzle you've made, and push the taped nozzle down onto the counter sink. Caution! Push on the tape, not the tube, as the tube could let go and damage a valve. Push firmly enough to make the tape nozzle form a shape like the toe hole counter sink....which will make the nozzle air tight. Now you're ready to go.</P>
USING YOUR NEW WATER GAUGE:.....Water and organs don't make for good company. You have to be certain that the water in the gauge won't spill on something....I always use a helper for this operation, because you need a third hand to hold on to all the stuff securely. Your wife, or a friend will be able to do the helper job just fine....but do get someone to help you do the job of measuring pressure.</P>
There is only one position that a water gauge should ever be allowed to be in. That position is always upright, with the tube facing you. That means that theopen end on the left is at the top of the gauge.The right side should always have the tube end hanging over the top, and ready to measure pressures. Never put water in the right side. Always fill the gaugefrom the left side.</P>
Using a measuring cup, or a small bottle funnel, pour a very small amount of tap water into the left tube....the water will fall down inside the tube and start running up the other side. You only need to add water until the bottom third of the tube is full of water. The upper two thirds of the tube should be empty. Notice that the water is evenly distributed between the two sides. If not, there is a kink or restriction in the tube. Look for that and correct it before going further. Ensure that you don't have more than about a third of the bottom filled with water. Ensure that all external water has been dried off the gauge before using it onthe organ. The gauge should be absolutely dry on the outside.</P>
Whatever stop is on the edge of the chest where you will be doing your measuring, turn it on and block down the key that will be the pipe hole you will be measuring from. Take out the pipe and leave the toe hole blowing. Holding the gauge upright, have your helper run the tube through the rack hole and hold the taped nozzle down on the toe hole steadily. Listen for little spurts of air to come from the nozzle....have the helper absolutely get the nozzle snug so no air is leaking out.</P>
Notice now that the water in the bottom of the gauge is no longer evenly distributed on both sides. It now has a higher column of water on the left side, and a lower column of water on the right side. (Your gauge is working)! While holding the gauge where you can see the water columns, place the zero part of the ruler beside the water level on the right. Align the zero mark exactly, and hold the ruler steady at this point. Now observe the water level on the left column. Where the water level on the left meets the measurement on the ruler....that is your pressure.</P>
Be sure to hang your water gauge back up on the nail you have provided for it. If you are working with the bellows to arrive at a certain pressure, either have your helper hold the gauge for you between measuring times, or provide a place to hang the gauge close by while doing your measuring proceedure. Never lay your gauge down, or tip it too much, as the water will run out of it. If your gauge does have this problem occur, ensure that the right tube is absolutely dry before placing the nozzle over a toe hole. You never have to empty the gauge of it's water already inside....only top it off occasionally to keep the water level at about one third full.</P>
Hope this works for you guys....I've beenin church locations where I didn't have mygauge (mechanical ones are used for traveling) and had to make up one on the spot. They've always worked fine for me.</P>
Yes, dear critics....it's proper name is a Manometer.</P>
Best wishes.....</P>
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