General welding questions that dont fit in TIG, MIG, Stick, or Certification etc.
POgli
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  • Joined:
    Sat May 15, 2021 8:32 pm

Hi,

I a beginner, just finished my first argon bottle and when I replaced it, reconnected everything, I realized that the flow wasn't going any higher than 3 lpm.
After some debugging, I verified that the flow spikes once I shut the cylinder valve down, topping up the flowmeter until there isn't any pressure in the regulator.

The cylinder pressure is at 2650 psi.

I posted a video to better explain: bYmkU2kbixU

How do I fix this?

Thank you
VA-Sawyer
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  • Joined:
    Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:56 am
  • Location:
    Candler, NC

Are you doing that with no hose attached to the flowmeter? Perhaps it is tripping a max flow limiter in the regulator.
If it still does that when connected to the welder, then I would say something is wrong with the regulator.
No sense dying with unused welding rod, so light 'em up!
tweake
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    Mon Dec 18, 2017 4:53 am
  • Location:
    New Zealand

i suspect its the tank pressure shutting the regulator valve. quite possible it got a bit of dirt in it on the change over.
or its just a junk regulator which is not uncommon with cheap welders.
tweak it until it breaks
Spartan
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    Fri Mar 06, 2020 8:59 pm

I would think the valve on the HP side is not seating or actuating properly. Many things could cause this. Take a wrench and lightly tap several times around the sides of the body of the HP side in the middle of the reg. It's a shot in the dark, but that can sometimes help to re-seat a catawampus component. If that fails, plan to buy a new reg. A higher quality one. I've found that trying to otherwise disassemble and "fix" faulty regs is a waste of both time and money.
POgli
  • Posts:
  • Joined:
    Sat May 15, 2021 8:32 pm

Hi,

Following your suggestions, I de-attached the flowmeter and found gunk similar to dry honey in there. Cleaned it up, and now it flows perfectly.
Gunk in the whole
Gunk in the whole
IMG_4868.JPG (43.5 KiB) Viewed 876 times
It works
It works
IMG_4872.JPG (47.34 KiB) Viewed 876 times
Thank you very much.
tweake
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  • Joined:
    Mon Dec 18, 2017 4:53 am
  • Location:
    New Zealand

good to see its sorted.
looks like its got that crappy sealant cheap nasty crowds use. i usually see that stuff on the budget air compressors.
tweak it until it breaks
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