Thank you for your feedback.
So looking at the information available, and if my understanding is correct.
The recommendation of a five year replacement originates from the BCGA.
HSE appear to make no suggestions on shelf life that I can see, but recommend checking BCGA guidelines or with the manufacturer.
Manufacturer’s guidelines seem to vary, but most advise periodic inspection, some follow BCGA and recommend replacement at 5 years. Date marking also appear to vary widely.
I notice in the U.S. they seem to prefer test and inspection rather than replacement, and are happy with service lives of 10 – 25 years on inert gasses with corrosive gasses being much shorter.
Therefore one could assume that the BCGA service life is probably heavily on the cautious side, taking into account the sort of use and abuse likely within a commercial environment.
The main risks of a regulator failure seem to be either excess downstream pressure build up (I assume from valve seal failure) or leakage to atmosphere (diaphragm failure).
It is also worth noting that the diaphragm service life is measured in cycles – so more frequent use will shorten it. Presumably the material will also degrade over time.
Interestingly I saw somewhere that if an additional downstream pressure relief device is fitted, there is no requirement for replacement of the regulator at five years. So perhaps the primary concern is excess pressure?
From a personal perspective it would seem that if I apply common sense – look after the regulator, ensure gas is shut off when not in use, monitor the pressure and flow for abnormalities, and use in a well ventilated area (also a good idea for welding fumes) the risks are likely very low.
However, given it is, optimistically, already eight years old, perhaps it is a wiser investment to err on the side of caution and purchase something newer, with warranty.
In which case I think I would prefer to go with something decent which I might get ten years out of rather than a dubious no-name brand which might be broken in three.
In which case, aside from the EDGE, can anybody recommend any other decent dual stage regulators for under £100 which I should take a look at?
i did mine with Dave Fell. Also retired but also a great guy.Good old Les Ness, a one off
300 bar fed through numerous passagese designed to withstand it, will at worst make a bit of noise - do you not think most of us would close the cock at that point?
These things aren't difficult to strip and inspect, a diapgragm will show early signs of failure. Nothing else wears out.
That's all well and good in theory until someone with no knowledge of how compressed gases behave comes along and decides to add a little lubricant to an oxygen reg without any understanding of the potential consequences.Oh really? Do you think something that has 6 to 10 working parts should tax the mind of an average person on here?
Maybe...
So did I.Good guy!i did mine with Dave Fell. Also retired but also a great guy.