Nomad
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- 1,407
- Location
- North Devon (for how long?)
A couple of months ago I bought a new cO2 fire extinguisher, ready for a car renovation / restoration project.
It's been working fine for a couple of weeks, yesterday it's started to leak badly from the handle area when the handle is pressed - ie when I'm welding !.
If the handle isn't being pressed, everything seals fine, no leaks.
Gas has dropped less than 10% with a couple of weeks regular welding, it's dropped another 10% since yesterday when the leak started
I'm fairly sure the problem is the seal around the pin under the handle, problem is it's a sealed unit on top of a pressurised bottle so opening it to try a new seal isn't going to happen.
Looking at the unit the handle is held in by a rivitted pin, the leaking pin runs is the cast body - no nut on top that could have worked loose and caused the leak) so there's no easy way to get better access than what I have now.
It was bought mail order so taking it back isn't a practical option (I only have 1 local supplier and their prices make your eyes water).
I've used fire extinguishers when welding for many years with no problems so even if this isn't what they're designed for they normally work ok.
Any suggestions? Is it as simple as running a few drops of magic liquid down the pin in the hope it make the seal swell and seal properly ? (all ideas wlecome - I'm thinking 3in1, greaseless lube, washing up liquid, whiskey, etc)
It's been working fine for a couple of weeks, yesterday it's started to leak badly from the handle area when the handle is pressed - ie when I'm welding !.
If the handle isn't being pressed, everything seals fine, no leaks.
Gas has dropped less than 10% with a couple of weeks regular welding, it's dropped another 10% since yesterday when the leak started
I'm fairly sure the problem is the seal around the pin under the handle, problem is it's a sealed unit on top of a pressurised bottle so opening it to try a new seal isn't going to happen.
Looking at the unit the handle is held in by a rivitted pin, the leaking pin runs is the cast body - no nut on top that could have worked loose and caused the leak) so there's no easy way to get better access than what I have now.
It was bought mail order so taking it back isn't a practical option (I only have 1 local supplier and their prices make your eyes water).
I've used fire extinguishers when welding for many years with no problems so even if this isn't what they're designed for they normally work ok.
Any suggestions? Is it as simple as running a few drops of magic liquid down the pin in the hope it make the seal swell and seal properly ? (all ideas wlecome - I'm thinking 3in1, greaseless lube, washing up liquid, whiskey, etc)