Advice thanks.. I couldn't believe it!

[Chris Stevens]

Darren / Richard..

Everything was sent back to elmdale including the reg and all the pipes etc as they supplied all the kit in the first place, the del guy didn't want to take the reg back but I insisted he took it.. To be fair the manager at elmdale has been brilliant, but, as he says himself, he's useless at welding so struggles to advise.. And with no experience myself... Very frustrating and confidence sapping.. X

If the LWS guys cant weld, then surely it must be impossible for them to test a machine and work out whether its working properly or not? Would it not be a good idea to put your machine in a box with all ancillaries, and send it to someone who can check it properly? Obviously you must have tried a different bottle of gas already, as contaminated gas while uncommon is not unheard of, and something that needs to be tried before having machine checked properly.

 

[Noods]

If the LWS guys cant weld, then surely it must be impossible for them to test a machine and work out whether its working properly or not? Would it not be a good idea to put your machine in a box with all ancillaries, and send it to someone who can check it properly? Obviously you must have tried a different bottle of gas already, as contaminated gas while uncommon is not unheard of, and something that needs to be tried before having machine checked properly.

I think they send it away to be tested .. Not sure mind.. Yep as a last resort I will do that but hopefully Richard will be able to see both me and the mystical yellow box soon.. X

 

[Chris Stevens]

In my view you have either a machine fault or contaminated gas, both of which could have been sorted pretty easily. Seems a shame you have been unable to get either area properly checked out, as get the feeling had you done so you would have been getting reasonable results by now.................

 

[Richard.]

Noods it's difficult to see from the pic. Did the gas hole make any difference at all. Did you try it for long enough to see the results.

 

[Noods]

In my view you have either a machine fault or contaminated gas, both of which could have been sorted pretty easily. Seems a shame you have been unable to get either area properly checked out, as get the feeling had you done so you would have been getting reasonable results by now.................

Well on the gas front mate I must of had 25 bottles all from elmdale.. I get throu more gas than we do milk so it can't be that.. It's the inconsistency that annoys me.. I can run one bead and to me, it looks fairly good, then I go and run the next one without changing anything at all and it's hopeless .... X

 

[Noods]

Noods it's difficult to see from the pic. Did the gas hole make any difference at all. Did you try it for long enough to see the results.

It took a little while to make a difference tbf.. I could hear the gas escaping and eventually I got a burning smell and a crispy finish.. But I would imagine some gas still gets throu to the torch, but obv I'm using or losing far more than I should be.. I still don't think it's the issue .. Because even with the pipe taped up my beads are really inconsistent ... Decent for me one min and awful the next without adj or changing anything at all .. X

 

[Richard.]

Well unless your doing a hell of a lot of welding or using the tiny disposable bottles Id say the fact you have gone through 25 of them is a big clue to your problem. You have a gas leak noods which I know you have found one but you need to switch off the radio and inspect every pipe/fitting/connection.
Use proper leak detection stuff and find it. It may be internal it may be in the torch head there may be more than one. Once it's repaired you need to purge the lines out to get rid of any contaminants. I don't think your temp repair on that hole was enough. I would replace that pipe then close the cylinder and purge the lines dry then open the cylinder and run more through it. Then try it out. Don't use filler just weld and weld autogenous on stainless if you have some. This will tell you what's going on.

 

[Noods]

Ok

Well unless your doing a hell of a lot of welding or using the tiny disposable bottles Id say the fact you have gone through 25 of them is a big clue to your problem. You have a gas leak noods which I know you have found one but you need to switch off the radio and inspect every pipe/fitting/connection.
Use proper leak detection stuff and find it. It may be internal it may be in the torch head there may be more than one. Once it's repaired you need to purge the lines out to get rid of any contaminants. I don't think your temp repair on that hole was enough. I would replace that pipe then close the cylinder and purge the lines dry then open the cylinder and run more through it. Then try it out. Don't use filler just weld and weld autogenous on stainless if you have some. This will tell you what's going on.

ok mate will do .. I've ordered a new pipe and clips already .. When you say purge! What do you mean exactly? Also is it ok to look inside the machine itself to see if there's a loose connection etc in there? Unplugged obv .. X

 

[Richard.]

By purge I mean totally clear the lines. Turn off the bottle and press the torch switch till the reg drops to zero then turn the bottle on again and do it again. (After the line has been replaced) yes check the gas connections inside. I think a good visual check is best for this, don't go spraying inside there with leak fluid for obvious reasons.

 

[eSCHEn]

What size gas bottles are you using mate?

25 is a heck of a lot if they're not disposables. Unless you're running twenty purge lines lol.

 

[Noods]

What size gas bottles are you using mate?

25 is a heck of a lot if they're not disposables. Unless you're running twenty purge lines lol.

They are the smaller bottles which I think are 100ltrs ... X

 

[eSCHEn]

They are the smaller bottles which I think are 100ltrs ... X

Like this one?

http://www.thewelderswarehouse.com/Welding/argon-gas-cylinders-disposable.html

 

[Chris Stevens]

Well on the gas front mate I must of had 25 bottles all from elmdale.. I get throu more gas than we do milk so it can't be that.. It's the inconsistency that annoys me.. I can run one bead and to me, it looks fairly good, then I go and run the next one without changing anything at all and it's hopeless .... X

Your problem relates either to a machine fault, or gas coverage issue. Not quite sure why its not possible to box the machine up and send it to someone recommended by ESAB, who would be able to check it over properly for you?

You can keep asking questions on here, but maybe not the most effective way to help get your machine properly checked out by someone who is familiar with them?

 

[Noods]

Like this one?

http://www.thewelderswarehouse.com/Welding/argon-gas-cylinders-disposable.html

No mate.. Bigger than that ... When I say 25 that's a rough guess and it's since I had the machine from new .. Just over 2 years..

 

[AndersK]

10 disposable bottles would probably cost near a 5 litre 200 bar "replacable" (dont know what you call the ones you dont rent), and roughly by now you had refilled it for the first time.

Find the leak as already told and then get a proper bottle. With your dedication to learn this the money spent on a proper one will be well spent.

 

[Noods]

Do you mean 10litres?

Either about waist high and 6" diameter, or 'dumpy' and 9" dia?

Yep the smaller rent one about waist height and 6 inches across ..

 

[Chris Stevens]

I get the feeling Noods been spending money on gas, while under the mistaken belief its his ineptitude rather than machine issues, which have been causing problems. My GP2 was in need of attention, and took it to Philpots in Bristol who sorted it perfectly. If the machine was a small inverter, would have been much easier though, as no need for two 200 mile round trips, as could have been sent via courier.

 

[eSCHEn]

Excellent, so long as it's not one of those ones I posted!

But mate, even if you used fifteen of them in two years it's a lot for "hobby" use.

In two years I've used 2.5 size Y BOC bottles, well maybe 2.3 as the fill was stingy as owt this time. I weld a reasonable amount and do about half on stainless which needs more gas.

Given it's got one fault in that hose I'll be interested to see what difference the new one makes.

 

[Richard.]

I get the feeling Noods been spending money on gas, while under the mistaken belief its his ineptitude rather than machine issues, which have been causing problems. My GP2 was in need of attention, and took it to Philpots in Bristol who sorted it perfectly. If the machine was a small inverter, would have been much easier though, as no need for two 200 mile round trips, as could have been sent via courier.

Yes Chris that feeling you get we now know about.
He's wasted a lot of gas/time/effort and frustration for which 20/20 hindsight isn't going to get back.
Speaking from what to do rather than what he should of done I would not suggest he ships it off anywhere now until other (free) avenues have been explored. It's out of warranty and worth sod all on the grand scheme of things and any repair shop are gonna either bill him for removing the covers or tell him it's throw away before even looking because that's what these little £300 inverters are. I will go over the basics for him to see if there is a logical explaination for it and If I find one happy days ive saved him a cost of shipping and inspection repairs. If I can't then it's up to him to decide. It's too easy to sit back and point fingers and say what he should of done. I should of taken some meat out of the freezer this morning. Oh well takeaway it is

 

[Chris Stevens]

There have been maybe 100 or more posts on OPs welding problems, and he is still no closer to getting these resolved. He seems to have spent a fair amount of time and money and got nowhere fast. If he boxes the welder up and sends it to me I would be pleased to check it for function FOC. Some problems can be sorted via advice provided on a forum, but a lot of welding related issues need hands on, and cannot be dealt with remotely.