have I just broken my regulator?

[kibodwin]

Hi,
All happy I got my 10kg cylinder of 100% CO2 I screwed on a CO2 / Argon regulator. I
screwed the regulator valve closed (fully in) and then tried as best I could to
open the valve on the cylinder. A loud hiss (the regulator is not plugged into anything yet)
and a pop. I closed the cylinder valve. The internal pressure gauge did not move from zero,
not sure of this as I was not looking at the gauge I was more concerned about opening the
cylinder valve too quickly, and the external pressure gauge is showing 5 psi (could be bar)
and as there is no more gas flowing should it not be zero?
Have I broken my regulator? I googled and i think I have broken the diaphragm. Is fully in
open or closed on the regulator tap? is it advisable to repair a regulator? gut says not...
What do I look for in a new one and how much should I be looking at? Is one with a flowmeter better?
Looks like I will no longer be welding this weekend, not with gas anyway =(
thanks,
K

 

[BrokenBiker]

if all the valves are closed, and you filled the rg up wth gas, then shut the bottle off, there will be gas in the reg, causing the pressure needle to be up on 5, if you open the vale that would go to the welder, it will release the gas, thus dropping pressure.

as for your reg being broken, i dont know, but if its holding pressure i should imagine its ok

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

So you screwed an argon/co2 reg onto a co2 bottle? How may I ask?

 

[mike 109444]

Kbodwin think you'll find what Bbiker says is correct.
LMB my reg is marked up as Argon / CO2 and is fitted with the CO2 type connection (as per pub type bottles) Only thing you would have to watch for is the max rating of the gauge as CO2 will show as about 30 to 50 psi on a full bottle (cO2 = liquid) where as Argon mix bottle would be at a much higher pressure ie 130 to 300 bar and gauge may not be rated that high.

 

[mike 109444]

Kibodwin The bottle will be like the water taps in your house = anticlockwise to open (allow gas to flow) and the reg will be the opposite ! ie fully anticlockwise turnes it OFF and clockwise (slowly) allows gas to flow. Is the reg a dule gauge type ? If not then you may need a flow gauge.

 

[kibodwin]

Ok, First off thank you for the replies. I took another look this morning and the regulator stops gas flow fully out. The 'internal' gauge shows the pressure of the cylinder but the 'external' gauge still shows 5. I will do as brokenbiker suggests and try and bleed the regulator and see what happens. IF there is no change and the 'external' gauge still show 5 when unplugged what does this mean and what can I do to fix this? There are 2 small screws on the back of the gauge, can these be used to reset the bad reading?
The regulator seems to hold pressure and it looks like the external gauge still shows
a correct difference in pressure when used.
Again, thank you for the advice I will keep looking and see how I get on. Right now I just
want to get it set up so I can try running my first welds in co2... cant wait so the regulator in its present state will have to do.
K.
=)

 

[pedrobedro]

Have you got your pipe connected to the welder from the regulator ? If not the gas will not read pressure as it has no resistance. The regulator gauges are not always very accurate and I tend to go by the sound, a gentle hiss of gas from the nozzle of the welding gun or you can get a flow meter to check it with. Don't unscrew anything on your regulator, turn your gas cylinder off and then turn your regulator knob clockwise to let the gas run out of it. Now with your regulator turned fully out anti clockwise open the cylinder again and the left dial will read pressure in the cylinder. With your pipe connected to the welder screw the gauge knob in and the right gauge will read what pressure you are up to. Switch the welder on and pull the trigger with the wire feed disconnected and you will see the output gauge drop till you release the trigger.

 

[kibodwin]

Hi pedrobedro,
Thanks for the advice, I will give it a go later
And report back. Good to know that the gauge will not work untill
There is resistance.
K.