Light Industrial vs. Heavy-duty Pressure Gauges 

By: Kylie Fredes

About the Author: Kylie is the Operations Manager of Floyd Australia. She has a passion for understanding customer needs and providing solutions to their problems and has spent the past 14 years in numerous roles at Floyd ranging from Sales, Purchasing, Marketing, Admin, Inventory, and now, Operations.

Definition of Light industrial pressure gauge 

Also known as economy or general pressure gauge, Floyd Australia’s light industrial pressure gauge is designed for general service conditions where the working medium is non-corrosive to brass with high viscosity or crystallization. It covers a wide variety of ranges from full vacuum up to 40,000 kPa or 6,000 psi that combines an aesthetic design offering reliability and performance for general industrial applications such as plumbing, heating, air conditioning, pneumatic, hydraulic, water tanks, air compressors, and OEM. 

Definition of Heavy-duty pressure gauge 

Suitable for harsh environmental conditions, the heavy-duty pressure gauge, also known as a full-stainless pressure gauge, features all stainless-steel parts. Floyd Australia offers superior quality and reliability heavy-duty pressure gauge that ranges from -100 to 100,000 kPa which are applicable in hydraulic and pneumatic systems, food and beverage, OEM equipment, mining, oil and gas, power generation, pumps and compressors, heating, and air conditioning, chemical and petrochemical, and marine. 

Which one to pick? 

Pressure gauges come in all shapes and sizes, and some are simply tougher than others. For example, Floyd Australia’s range of PBX (heavy-duty) is built for harsher applications than the ASG (light) pressure gauge and therefore costs a little more. So, to avoid making the mistake of either spending too much on something that is not suitable, or spending too little on something that doesn’t work, Floyd Australia, as the leader in providing instrumentation solutions is here to ensure that clients will only select the right instrument for the right job. 

So when is it appropriate to use heavy-duty pressure gauges rather than their light-duty counterparts? Below is a basic list of factors to look for in your application that will help you make this decision: 

Pressure Range: The higher the pressures range the more durable of a gauge you will need. Typically, once you are experiencing pressure spikes exceeding 40,000kPa (5,000PSI) you will be better off using heavy-duty pressure gauges. If you never see much more than a few thousand kPa then you should be just fine using a more standard model. 

Vibration: Quite often, pressure gauges are fitted to large equipment that produces a lot of vibration. A good example of this would be on an oil rig or other equipment in the oilfield. In environments such as these, it would be unwise to rely on a standard gauge. Heavy duty pressure gauges, like our PBX100 or PBX160, are built with thicker housings and were designed from the beginning to take a beating. 

Extreme Temperatures: Many of our pressure gauges are used outside, exposed to the elements. And in many cases, they are exposed to hot or cold temperatures. While a light industrial pressure gauge may be able to operate in these conditions it may fail to provide you with an accurate reading. 

Hazardous Locations 

Finally, if you are working in a flammable environment, you will want to make sure you are using heavy-duty pressure gauges. Our Digital Gauges were engineered to be intrinsically safe, and it has the certifications to prove it. Floyd Australia can also offer a Zero aluminum gauge. 

Using a pressure gauge within the incorrect environment is risky and may lead to disastrous consequences. If you have questions on what pressure gauges to use in your applications, please give us a call or visit us at Floyd Australia Head Office located in Tullamarine Victoria and we will be happy to help.