Unlike before when one had to shut down the engine first and open it up or dip a stick to check for any faults, or oil quality and levels, with the oil sight glass you can monitor in real-time what is happening inside of your machine without necessarily turning off the engine. Transparent gauge glass saves you time, improves machine efficiency, and allows you to detect and make necessary adjustments in time. Furthermore it also greatly improves the life span of your engine and saves you the cost of repairs or even buying a new machine altogether.
A sight glass, simply described, is a clear glass window or tube with liquid receptacle that allows one to inspect the observable changes taking place inside the reservoir. The use of oil sight glass provides the safest way to check the levels, quality, and quantity of oil in your engine while the machine is running.
This item has found its usefulness in many industries including wastewater treatment plants, manufacturing sectors, bio-fuels, chemical plants, and pharmaceuticals. It is also found in applications that use machinery systems such as steam engines.
There is a variety of oil sight glasses in the market today but the two major types are the columnar and the bullseye. Innovations in the industry continue to see the production of high-quality sight glasses with combined functionality and multiple components. The following are some of the high-end quality oil sight glasses you can use.
Columnar Sight Glasses
These are made of clear acrylic allowing you to see the oil levels as they fluctuate up and down. They are attached to the oil tank and connected to the headscape and a desiccant breather through a flexible tube. It will require that you first make a marking on the idle oil levels where you can refer to when the levels eventually go off. One weakness with this type is that you will not detect foam in the oil. That is because they are usually attached to the reservoir. This explains why they have limited industrial applications.
Condition Monitoring Pods (CMPs)
Condition monitoring Pods are multi-functional sight glasses with a 3D display allowing you a clear view of the oil color, clarity, and level. Some variants of CMPs come with an in-built sampling valve and a pilot tube that enable you to sample the oil on a live – zone basis.
With its 360 degrees viewing capability, you will be able to detect any foam corrosion or debris that is captured by the inbuilt magnetic plug. This unit can be easily removed for further and closer examination. These can also be connected with automation systems for seamless monitoring of industrial processes.
Bull’s-eye Sight Glasses
These are typically designed with a flat transparent viewing window and attached to a port just above the oil valve inside the oil tank. Since they are directly threaded to the port, they provide accurate readings for oil levels. These readings can be relied upon for studies and for configuring process control systems.
