My main argon gage is very low but not quite out. If I turn off the valve and hit the pedal, I can see it move a little. I can also hear gas flow. Can I get insufficient flow in this situation? I'm getting some black contamination but don't know if it is this or something else. Picture is with valve open.
- Thread starter mcman56
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zzr1200
Working at 650 ft on open steel work.
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chrismac
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Looking at your gauge if its not today it will be tomorrow you need to change that bottle out, its empty, have you screwed the other side up to squeeze the last drop out too or is that where you normally run, I cant see what the LP gauge is readying in, would it be Litres per min?
hotponyshoes
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I can't read the left gauge but looking at the position of the needle I'd say its too much flow causing turbulence which is causing the black stuff
The trouble with interpreting cylinder contents gauges is that they are not precision instruments, nor are they treated gently by every user. Every drop, or knock, can affect the calibration, especially the zero point, so they can only be used as an approximate guide to cylinder pressure.
The lower indicator needle end stop on the cylinder pressure gauge isn't located at zero pressure. Rather it is located at around the 150 PSI mark, or around 10 Bar. Does this mean that the needle being slightly off the end stop, and moving a bit when the cylinder valve is closed and gas is drawn off, is a reliable indicator that there is still 10 Bar argon pressure in the tank? I would say no. All it tells you is that there is still some gas in the tank at somewhere above atmospheric pressure, but that's all.
One test that could be done with the cylinder contents gauge just off the end stop, is to let the gas flow at the desired flow rate, say 7 litres/min, and noting the time it takes for the gas to completely run out. This duration could be written on a label on the regulator, and would apply only to this regulator.
Another thing that could be done would be to attach a bull nose connector to the cylinder, and connect a more sensitive pressure gauge. This would have to be done with care, with a suitably rated pressure relief valve also in the circuit.
In the grand scheme of things, it's probably just better to assume that the cylinder is empty, to all intents and purposes, and get a refill.
The lower indicator needle end stop on the cylinder pressure gauge isn't located at zero pressure. Rather it is located at around the 150 PSI mark, or around 10 Bar. Does this mean that the needle being slightly off the end stop, and moving a bit when the cylinder valve is closed and gas is drawn off, is a reliable indicator that there is still 10 Bar argon pressure in the tank? I would say no. All it tells you is that there is still some gas in the tank at somewhere above atmospheric pressure, but that's all.
One test that could be done with the cylinder contents gauge just off the end stop, is to let the gas flow at the desired flow rate, say 7 litres/min, and noting the time it takes for the gas to completely run out. This duration could be written on a label on the regulator, and would apply only to this regulator.
Another thing that could be done would be to attach a bull nose connector to the cylinder, and connect a more sensitive pressure gauge. This would have to be done with care, with a suitably rated pressure relief valve also in the circuit.
In the grand scheme of things, it's probably just better to assume that the cylinder is empty, to all intents and purposes, and get a refill.
The gage says 27 L/ min in the picture. I can set it with no flow but it drops some L/min with flow. Using manual suggested settings and a gage like this, is it set when static or when it is actively flowing? The welder manual lists a setting of 21 for my set up but I just noticed that is in SCFM. OOPS! 21 SCFM is about 10 L/ min so yes, per the manual, the setting is way too high. (This was all sold as a set so it is a little odd for them to change units.)
BrokenBiker
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Just buy a new bottle of gas...
pull the trigger and listen ,, if you hear a his you have gas ,,, flow rate is different all together. but if theres no hiss your not welding , make sure some joker hast wound the flow rate adjuster all the way out , just for giggles ,,, Ive seen worse things done ,,, but the gauge does read empty , sometimes you get another day out of it but once you see issues ,, swap the bottle .
ie swapping welding rods for sparklers and telling the guy they are new hitech rods .
ie swapping welding rods for sparklers and telling the guy they are new hitech rods .
Munkul
Jack of some trades, Master of none
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Can you answer yes to the following points?
1. is the bottle about empty?
2. are you getting issues welding?
If so, then you need to change the bottle.
Here, we can usually run bottles until absolutely empty/no flow, but that's because most of our gas suppliers vacuum out the tanks between refills. The purity of the argon is 99.998% or better.
Some gas suppliers, especially worldwide, don't offer this purity, meaning that as you get down to the dregs of the cylinder pressure, any trapped moisture can off-gas and cause welding problems.
Sometimes, no matter the gas supplier, you can get a bad cylinder - it happens.
1. is the bottle about empty?
2. are you getting issues welding?
If so, then you need to change the bottle.
Here, we can usually run bottles until absolutely empty/no flow, but that's because most of our gas suppliers vacuum out the tanks between refills. The purity of the argon is 99.998% or better.
Some gas suppliers, especially worldwide, don't offer this purity, meaning that as you get down to the dregs of the cylinder pressure, any trapped moisture can off-gas and cause welding problems.
Sometimes, no matter the gas supplier, you can get a bad cylinder - it happens.
20 cubic feet per HOUR is about 10 litres/min. See e.g at: https://www.unitconverters.net/flow/cubic-foot-hour-to-liter-minute.htm
