Hey guys, I did use the search function but unfortunately, I found nothing.
I just got my new flute sections. They all have a 4" sight glass as shown in the picture.
How tight should I screw the metal ring compressing the glass itself? Can I do it by hand without the wrench? There is one gasket on each side of the glass.
Did the sellor of the plate sections not give any instructions with their products for “how to” use them? It sounds like a unorganized supplier. Customer service/support is the best marketing strategy for business success. Economics are important, but support after the sales is fundamental.
Honestly...there were no instructions for assembly of the sight glass? That’s just dumb. Where’d you get them from?
ss
Looks like a mile hi section and perf plate. Hand tight is good enough. Once it warms up and cools down for your cleaning runs check them again because I bet you can tighten them a bit more.
Mine came fully assembled so sight glass instructions weren’t included. It didn’t leak until the sacrificial alcohol cleaning run. The ethanol seems to get through leak paths easier than water or vinegar does.
When I put the Sight Glasses from StillDragon on mine I used a end cap & tri-clamp, filled it with water and tightened till no leaks.
Then I watched it real close when I ran it the first time and tightened as needed.
Hoosier Shine9 wrote:When I put the Sight Glasses from StillDragon on mine I used a end cap & tri-clamp, filled it with water and tightened till no leaks.
Then I watched it real close when I ran it the first time and tightened as needed.
Did you hand tighten it or you used a spanner wrench?
Saltbush Bill wrote:Wet the seals with water before tightening, I have different clamps on my windows but that's the advice I was given.
Thats top advise Salty . Even on module gaskets I find it helps .
blizzstill,
Spanners or wrenches are not needed . If you are needing to use them then you have serious mis-alignment issues you need to address . ..... hand tightning will be all that is neccessary .
Even my home made flanges and sight glasses that are nowhere near the prescision machined ones in your pic will seal simply by hand tightening
My sight glasses leaked initially, like I said, but once it warmed up and I saw which sight glasses were dripping a bit I was able to hand tighten them with a rag, no tool, and they stopped leaking.
Hoosier Shine9 wrote:When I put the Sight Glasses from StillDragon on mine I used a end cap & tri-clamp, filled it with water and tightened till no leaks.
Then I watched it real close when I ran it the first time and tightened as needed.
Did you hand tighten it or you used a spanner wrench?
Mine are a little different than yours.
be careful tightening, if they are over tight you will hear a POP during your run. from different expansion rates in metal & glass. don't ask me how I know....4 different times
Id suggest that if your breaking sight glasses you either have bad sight glasses, or some other design problem.
The glasses on the still below are now at least 7 years old, and the still has made a lot of booze in that time.
The glasses have been on and off the still a heap of times for different reasons, they have been tightened at many different tensions in that time, but always by hand , never with a tool. I have yet to break one.
I did chip one once when I dropped it on the concrete floor. Put it back on with the chip facing out and its not been a problem. Bought them from Punkin when he first started selling such things.
There probably isn't hardly a pound of pressure in the column so not much tightening is needed. Leaking is very common with the more rigid gaskets. But as soon as they heat up you can tighten a bit and they seal up just fine.
Alcohol leaking would be more likely than water due to differences in surface tension.
But as mentioned, just a hand tighten quarter turn or so is all that's needed.
