Loud arc with 5% Co2 Argon mix

[adam_lambert]

Hi,

I just bought a new welder. I had a clarke 135 and have just gone to a GYS smartmig 162. I now have a 9 litre hobby cylinder and unfortunately had to get a 5% Co2/Argon mix as they ran out of the 20% Co2/Argon mix.

I have noticed the arc created by the welder is extremely loud. I would say close to double of the clarke even on comparable settings. Is this down to my gas choice? Will a 20% mix be far quieter and will 100% Co2 be far quieter again?

I live in close proximity to some grumpy neighbours and we already make enough noise, I dont want this to add to it so unfortunanly for me, the noise is actually more important that the weld quality.

I usually weld plate 3 - 5mm thick and 12mm bars.

Thanks,
Adam

 

[pedrobedro]

Tell them you are not doing anything different to what you were doing before and their hearing must have improved. Assuming they notice a difference and you are not just worrying too much but actually the more co2 in the mix the noisier and messier it gets usually so you are back to front with your thinking

 

[adam_lambert]

Really? I have read on a few websites that its the other way around. Yes, Co2 is most messy, most splatter etc but is also the quietest. The more argon the noiser but cleaner. I just wonder how by how much. Correct me if I have read/understood this totally wrong! Thanks,
Adam

 

[pedrobedro]

I'm going from personal experience with my Kemppi welder. I have a co2 cylinder I use for mobile jobs and argoshield mix in the shed and the co2 is noisier and messier than the argoshield by a large margin.

 

[mike 109444]

Are you sure you have (they supplied) 5/95% ? what does you bottle gauge show. If a mix of 5/95 should be between 200 to 300 if 100% CO2 then pressure will be MUCH lower (<50) as CO2 sits in the bottle as a liquid with just the space above the liquid becoming a gas so pressure is much lower. I use 100% CO2 and don't find it that noisy.

 

[mike 109444]

Stick a radio on and tune to HEART FM Then they will be begging you to turn the radio off OR TURN THE WELDER UP

 

[adam_lambert]

Its 93% argon, 2% o2 and 5% Co2. We always used Co2 up to now and it was quiet enough to talk over the top of. This Argon mix is super noisy.

Is there anything else on the welder than can cause this? Its surly just an the and the way it burns?

 

[backpurge]

I am assuming you have re tuned the welder to suit the different gas

 

[adam_lambert]

When you say retuned...... no probably not. Is there more than just changing the wire speed to do?

 

[backpurge]

From reading your original post you have got the wrong gas for the material thickness you are welding, you would be far better off with a 12 or 20% mix as you were using before. Having said that, if the joints are not of a critical nature you should be able to get by with the gas you have. The lower co2 content should allow you to weld smoother so something is not right

As well as the arc being louder, what else is happening, are you getting an increase in spatter, what is the weld profile like etc etc

 

[adam_lambert]

I was aiming to get the 20% Co2 / Argon mix but unfortunanlty they ran out so we went with the 5%. I think I will go and swap it out once they have the 20% back in.

The weld profile is very high but I read this is to be expected with high argon content gas. The weld is smooth in appearance however I do see that on a straight test piece the start of the weld always seems to get pushed up, so it starts very high and the last cm or so is low.

I would say splatter is less than what I am used to with the Co2. Certainly no big blobs that stick to the work piece although there is a fine splatter within the shround.

I am welding 12mm round bars to 3mm plate and use the welder on its highest setting (160 amps). If I change down to the next setting down then the penetration is not so great on the bar, altough this may be down to the gas rather than the power used.

 

[backpurge]

Have you tried turning the volts up

 

[adam_lambert]

I only have 4 power settings A min, A max, B min, B max and I have tried on all of those. It does get quieter the lower the power however still nowhere near the clarke I had. Maybe it was just the clarke was knackerd and wasnt producing good power.... that said it still stuck things together pretty well!

 

[adam_lambert]

What kind of gas flow should I be running at? 10 lpm? I have never had the luxery of choosing before, just turned the tap till I heard a reasonable hiss! I tried at both 10 and 20 lpm and did not notice much differce to the weld.

 

[norlander]

I only have 4 power settings A min, A max, B min, B max and I have tried on all of those. It does get quieter the lower the power however still nowhere near the clarke I had. Maybe it was just the clarke was knackerd and wasnt producing good power.... that said it still stuck things together pretty well!

No you have the wire speed contol knob as well. I think you maybe right about the Gys power -I was slightly taken aback at its poke. I have noticed that when you get the gas shroud nice n close to the job you get a hissing sound and very smooth welds.

 

[norlander]

Check your Gas flow I just had a read of the manual for my Smartmig 182 and recommended flow for steel is 12-18 - I have been running under that so I am going to increase the flow rate next time I am in the workshop.Give it go and see if it quietens down.

 

[Bill Edwards]

I don't think that argon mix is too bad for what you are doing. Probably best suited for up to 5 or 6mm thick steel, but seeing as you're welding both thin 3mm and also 12mm round I think that whatever you use is probably going to be a slight compromise in this respect. I don't think you'll notice the difference if you try a slightly different mix.
Set your gas flow at 10, anything more is a waste.

As to the noise, if it is louder with argon I can't see it being that much worse, and I would suggest that the far superior mix of argon over straight CO2 is well worth any noise increase. A MIG welder doesn't make that much noise unless you're in a small welding booth, or a college/fab shop with a dozen of them all going flat out at the same time. If your neighbors are moaning they probably need to be (politely) told to get a life.

 

[Rob Heath]

Have you tried adjusting your wire speed? You mentiong getting a tall weld......that would indicate too much wire plus that would account for loud/cracking arc up

 

[adam_lambert]

Just to update on this, it was indeed the gas type creating the loud arc. I have a friend with a db meter. The 5% measured from 1meter away was around 104db, the 20% was at 97db. Straight Co2 was not measured but it was noiticably quieter than the 20%. I would say the same level as on my old Clarke welder where its possible just about to still hear people talking to you.

 

[norlander]

Just to update on this, it was indeed the gas type creating the loud arc. I have a friend with a db meter. The 5% measured from 1meter away was around 104db, the 20% was at 97db. Straight Co2 was not measured but it was noiticably quieter than the 20%. I would say the same level as on my old Clarke welder where its possible just about to still hear people talking to you.

Thanks for posting the cause of the issues-some people post a problem and having sorted it, don't post a closure.
Glad you got it sorted, hope you are enjoying your new GYS kit-just been caning mine doing security grilles for a mates workshop.