Testing Pressure Gauges - New Locations in Nevada!!

Here are two MORE locations in Nevada for testing pressure gauges.  For a complete list of locations click here.


East Clark County/Logandale, NV:

Mike Donahue
mouse(at)mvdsl(dot)com
East Clark County Extension Office
1897 N. Moapa Valley Blvd.
P.O. Box 126
Logandale, NV 89021-0126
(702) 397-2604
Fax: (702) 397-8301
email or call to schedule an appointment

Lincoln County/Caliente, NV:

Holly Gatzke, Extension Educator
gatzkeh(at)unce(dot)unr(dot)edu
360 Lincoln Street
P.O. Box 728
Caliente, NV 89008-0728
(775) 726-3109
Fax: (775) 726-3332
email or call to schedule an appointment

Testing Pressure Gauges - New Location in Nevada!!

Picture from Fresh52

Janet Knight will now be testing pressure gauges at Fresh52 Farmer & Artisan Markets.  For a complete list of locations click here.

Saturday at Tivoli
302 S. Rampart
Las Vegas, NV 89145

Sunday at Sansome Center
9480 S. Eastern
Las Vegas, NV 89123

Both are open 8am-1pm.

Testing Pressure Gauges - Locations in Nevada

Listed below are the current locations in Nevada that will test dial gauges for presser canners.

Henderson, NV Locations:

Lisa Casey
95/Sunset or 215/Stephanie
lisainnevada(at)gmail(dot)com
email to schedule an appointment

Janet Knight
Sunday's at Sansome Center

9480 S. Eastern

Las Vegas, NV 89123

Time: 8am -1pm

Northwest, NV Locations:

Faith A.
Summerlin at Del Webb and Lake Mead
olefaithfull(at)gmail(dot)com
email to schedule an appointment

Janet Knight

Saturday's at Tivoli (Rampart & Summerlin Parkway)
302 S. Rampart
Las Vegas, NV 89145
Time: 8 am -1 pm

East Clark County/Logandale, NV:

Mike Donahue
mouse(at)mvdsl(dot)com
East Clark County Extension Office
1897 N. Moapa Valley Blvd.
P.O. Box 126
Logandale, NV 89021-0126
(702) 397-2604
Fax: (702) 397-8301
email or call to schedule an appointment

Lincoln County/Caliente, NV:

Holly Gatzke, Extension Educator
gatzkeh(at)unce(dot)unr(dot)edu
360 Lincoln Street
P.O. Box 728
Caliente, NV 89008-0728
(775) 726-3109
Fax: (775) 726-3332
email or call to schedule an appointment

A dial gauge canner has a pressure dial on the top that allows you to read the pressure inside the canner during the canning process. Dial gauges operate from 0- to 25-pounds of pressure, with most recipes and canning instructions calling for a pressure of either 6- or 11-pounds of pressure. Dial gauges MUST be tested every year for accuracy. Your dial gauge will be tested against a Master Gauge which will determine if your gauge is accurate, if you can compensate for your gauge being off, or if your gauge needs to be replaced.

If the gauge-reading is off by one or more pounds, you are encouraged to purchase a new gauge. If it is off less than one pound, remind yourself of the difference and adjust the recipe’s ressure accordingly to allow for the difference. Incorrect readings will lead to unsafe foods that are under-processed or over-processed.

Replacement gauges and other parts (e.g. gaskets, safety plugs) for canners are often found at stores that sell food preservation equipment or from canner manufacturers. When ordering parts, be sure to provide your canner model number and describe the parts you need.

Testing Pressure Gauges - Testing Form with Disclaimer

Click the picture above to download the Canner Testing Form

Testing Pressure Gauges - General Information

Testing Pressure Canner Gauges

Pressure canners use either a dial gauge or a weighted gauge. The gauge (dial or weighted) controls and monitors the pressure.

The weighted gauge permits pressure to rise to a definite point and then releases excess steam to keep pressure from going higher. Some people refer to these gauges as “rocking” or “jiggle” gauges. With this type of gauge, the canning process is monitored by listening for a certain number of jiggles per minutes. Check your canner manual for information on how to monitor the pressure. Most weights allow you to process at 5-, 10- or 15- pounds of pressure. Weighted gauges do not require testing but should be kept clean and rust-free.

A dial gauge canner has a pressure dial on the top that allows you to read the pressure inside the canner during the canning process. Dial gauges operate from 0- to 25-pounds of pressure, with most recipes and canning instructions calling for a pressure of either 6- or 11-pounds of pressure. Dial gauges MUST be tested every year for accuracy. Your dial gauge will be tested against a Master Gauge which will determine if your gauge is accurate, if you can compensate for your gauge being off, or if your gauge needs to be replaced.

Check with your County Extension office to see if the testing is done locally. If you cannot get your gauge tested locally, National Presto Industries will test your gauge for no charge!

Carefully remove and package the gauge. Send the gauge to:

National Presto Industries
3925 North Hastings Way
Eau Claire, WI 54703-2200

Questions? Presto Consumer Service Department (1-800-877-0441)

If the gauge-reading is off by one or more pounds, you are encouraged to purchase a new gauge. If it is off less than one pound, remind yourself of the difference and adjust the recipe’s ressure accordingly to allow for the difference. Incorrect readings will lead to unsafe foods that are under-processed or over-processed.

Replacement gauges and other parts (e.g. gaskets, safety plugs) for canners are often found at stores that sell food preservation equipment or from canner manufacturers. When ordering parts, be sure to provide your canner model number and describe the parts you need.

Testing Pressure Gauges - Policies and Procedures

The Office of the Attorney General at Washington State University Pullman has reviewed potential liability issues connected with Extension testing pressure canner gauges. Many county offices have provided this service to the public for years. Because improper pressure canning can result in severe illness or death, we wanted to insure that our policies around testing were sound.

The Assumption of Risk Form should be used in all county offices that are continuing to test pressure canner
gauges. The policy is as follows:

• The owner of the pressure canner must be the one who signs the release form.
• Duplicate copies of the form should be signed and the office should keep a copy for at least six (6) years.
• Fees should be charged for testing pressure canner gauges. The fee should be sufficient to cover the cost of one or two canning bulletins to assure that home canners have the most recent versions of the bulletins. One of these should be the bulletin “Using and Caring for your Pressure Canner” (unless the client already owns that bulletin).

Your office has the option of no longer testing pressure canner gauges. If you do choose to continue testing, we recommend that your office purchase the version of National Presto Industries testing unit for dial gauges, which uses an air pump and master gauge. The fees for testing pressure canner gauges can be set to include funds for cost recovery of the unit’s purchase. One disadvantage with the new air pump gauge tester is that will only test Presto canners. However, it is more accurate and safer to use than Presto’s older testing unit which uses steam.

Testing Pressure Gauges - Video

Testing Pressure Gauges - Equipment

Presto Testing Units are available to Extension Educators for a $75 fee.  Download the PDF above for more information