Mahnehelic Gauge

Has anyone ever install a permanent Mahnehelic Gauge in a direct vent boiler to monitor interior air pressure.

As all you direct vent owners are aware, this is critical in preventing hopper fires related to improper draft settings.

The main intention of the added gauge would be for the following:

*determining whether the direct vent pipe, blower etc is plugged

*Find out if ambient outside temp fluctuations require changes in draft settings


I think this could be a valuable addition to my KA-6.


Thoughts / Ideas?

Here is a thread showing two of them being used on an impressive install.

Draft Test Port Install in Stove Pipe...

Thanks for the info - that's what I am looking for. Guess I cant be the original inventor.

Just a standard Dwyer Manometer works fine too. I have hooked to my direct vent stove, never had a hopper fire. if everything is adjusted correctly and cleaned every month or so. I can tell when the direct vent needs cleaned the draft does drop a bit, but will go up a bit when really cold and it cranking, I normally do not adjust the DV unless it is absolutely necessary.

manometer install

I have a magnahelic guage installed on my ka-6 with a chimney. The guage works real well in giving you a draft reading for the boiler and chimney. A new guage is expensive but watch e-bay for the guages. I have even seen one magnhelic guage installed on the stoker of a ka-6, with a petcock valve for intermitent use, to give you cfm of air flow, to me ,that guage would tell me if my grates are starting to plug up.

Titleist1 I saw the custom install...looks clean. Those installs appear to be on a standard chiminey not the direct vent. Can any one tell me if my koker with top mount direct vent needs a manometer on the vent pipe or just the draft port on the ash pan door (over fire draft). Seems that an inline draft port which would be after the direct vent blower would give a bad reading because it has the direct vent blowing right at it