Regulator failed suddenly.

[Mike_H]

I’ve recent bought a new gas bottle for my mig. Same brand / size / type.

When I swapped the regulator to the new bottle it wouldn’t flow - I didn’t adjust anything during the swap. Regulator is probably 20 years old but hasn’t had a hard life.

Turned the old bottle off, unscrewed regulator, fitted to new bottle without adjustment. No flow.

Main nut adjustment valve in the middle of the regulator seems seized solid, so I know I didn’t adjust it by accident.

Regulator wasn’t dropped or lying in the dirt.

No signs of any dirt or debris. Spare regulator from my TIG bottle works fine.

Anything I should check that’s a common problem? Searching this forum didn’t find an obvious thread on it.

 

[Brad93]

I’ve recent bought a new gas bottle for my mig. Same brand / size / type.

When I swapped the regulator to the new bottle it wouldn’t flow - I didn’t adjust anything during the swap. Regulator is probably 20 years old but hasn’t had a hard life.

Turned the old bottle off, unscrewed regulator, fitted to new bottle without adjustment. No flow.

Main nut adjustment valve in the middle of the regulator seems seized solid, so I know I didn’t adjust it by accident.

Regulator wasn’t dropped or lying in the dirt.

No signs of any dirt or debris. Spare regulator from my TIG bottle works fine.

Anything I should check that’s a common problem? Searching this forum didn’t find an obvious thread on it.

There's a diaphragm inside.

Due to the pressures involved in a bottle - 200-300bar they're not really user serviceable.

 

[voipio]

Just replace the regulator. Hard life or not, regulator components do deteriorate over time.

 

[dave h 2]

Regulator fail- had one of those, turned the used bottle on and the reg vented the contents at full pressure. Beats the hell out of castor oil any day

 

[Onthespotwelding]

Regulator is probably 20 years old but hasn’t had a hard life.

20 years old! I think you can Treat yourself to a new one.

On my new regulator it has stamped into the brass housing “inspect/replace 2030”

 

[Mike_H]

Thanks all. I was thinking I might need to just replace it, but you never know with all the brainpower on here.

 

[Ton-up]

You dont say whether the new bottle got gas in it??

 

[Mike_H]

You dont say whether the new bottle got gas in it??

‘Spare regulator from my TIG bottle works fine’.

 

[Mike_H]

Not expecting to fix it, but as the regulator was broken anyway, I took it apart for a look . It seems to have two filters on the inlet side (I suspect they’re dryers as well as filters).

The second one isn’t letting anything through. I can blow through the first filter in the inlet pipe.

Does anyone know about these? Do they need drying out after years in a damp barn?