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9. Maintenance
It is assumed that the person charged with the maintenance tasks is fully conversant with
measurement and control systems. Untrained persons must not carry out maintenance work!
If there is no adequately qualified person available, IGEMA GmbH can be brought in to service
your measurement and control system.
When replacing components, it must be ensured that only original IGEMA GmbH parts
are used.
Any warranty is void if components from other manufacturers are used.
Preventive Maintenance
The following points should be observed to maximize gauge life:
Proper cleaning and maintenance of level gauges in steam service is vital for enhanced
performance and service life. The gaskets and mica shields shall always be replaced during
maintenance, even if they appear to be in perfect condition. Gaskets relax and can harden
over time while defects in mica (i.e., chips or scratches) become points of high stress
concentration. Even with no visible defects, a used glass has surface stresses induced from
the original assembly and pressurization of the gauge. If reassembled, the gaskets and
sealing surfaces will apply new stresses, which are likely to break the mica either during
assembly or when the gauge is pressurized.
Therefore, new mica is always required. The gauge glass must be kept clean to ensure the
visible water level in the chamber accurately represents the water level in the boiler.
The user must determine upon evaluation of his or her own operating experience an
appropriate maintenance schedule necessary for the specific application. Note that the
frequency and method of blow-down/purging may affect service life and performance of glass
level gauges. Realistic maintenance schedules can only be determined with full knowledge of
the services and application situation involved.
