mercury sync stick

[bkuhr]

I have had for 15+ years a mercury sync stick. Lately during sync's on my venture, I have noticed a 'clear' substance, of different amounts, rises in the tubes above the mercury, and got me wondering when I sync'd, lineing up the mercury line, if I was really in true sync-ie:is the clear substance changing the vacum level imposted on the mecury?

 

So today I decided to check calibration, went to fish store an got 5 way hose adapter, and applied vacum with pump up mityvac.

My mercury lines are off a little +-.5", but more interesting, I had to apply continous vacum, as vacum bleed off fast, and was unable to hole mercury at a constant level to be sure where mercury was really at.

 

Considering opening mercury tank and removing the clear substance, and vacum test all the lines/tubes.

 

Q. Is it normal for sync sticks to bleed vacum? Supposedly thru the liquid mercury pool

[bkuhr]

All fixed now, and vac leak was due to poor fit between 5way and gauge hoses.

No clear stuff, and mercury reads straight accross, and holds steady with vac applied.

 

Actually tubes closest to vac pump on 5way start up tubes faster than others, and retain this dirrerence all the way up scale, but difference is almost none. Suspect if 5 way manifold used rather than plumbing fittings, all would be perfect.

[Dano]

Nice to see that if you just take a minute and analyze the situation, you can usually come up with the solution!