Welding gas connection

[jim]

I have got myself a BOC argoshield light bottle and a regualtor to fit from Machine Mart along with the pipe that will go from the small plastic pipe on the welder to the larger type on the regulator.

once it was all tightened up i opened the valve on the bottle and slowly opened the valve on the regulator it doesnt show any pressure in the bottle and no gas is coming out

where have i gone wrong?

[composimmonite]

Have you pluged the welder in and pulled the trigger ? There is a solenoid valve so it might be you need to "bleed" the gas though the pipework.
Go back to basics and dismantle the pipework. Turn on, and off, bottle valve to check gas comes out. Then add add regulator and check again gas comes out. If so then you know problem is further down the line - ie the solenoid or a blockage.

Paul H

[Dez]

What regulator did you get?

[jim]

www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-gh2-gas-regulator-hose that is the conversion pipe

www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/range/guid/628688F9-084E-41F1-87F3-ADE549DC71BB i'll check the part number later but it is a twin guage regulater that has the argon adaptor on it

I had the welder all set up to run a few test welds as this is the first time as i used to have the throw away bottles with the basic regulator

I'll try the venting thing later too

[MrSpeedy]

I assume you've screwed the regulator adjustment screw in?

You won't get any gas flow if it's screwed all the way out

[optimusprime]

Check the obvious.
Was the bottle supplied full?
Check there isn't a seal/bung in the neck of the cylinder. ( its been known ... and for people to screw the regulator in and jam it all up)

That regulator is the same as mine.
Fit to cylinder, connect reducer pipe to welder, open main cylinder valve, you should hear a faint 'whoosh noise' (well i do).
You should then get a pressure reading on one gauge, the other gauge is flow rate, screw that in to adjust to what you need.
Depending on welder you may need to power the welder up, pull the trigger,and you should get gas flow. (My Clarke welder don't need powering up, mine just has a 'manual' valve on the trigger mech)

[jim]

Right I've taken it all apart and opened the valve and the bottle and nithung came out I can't see anything blocking the neck so it looks as though I was given a duff bottle

Is there something special about the boc key or is it ok to open the valve with a spanner?

[optimusprime]

If you crack open the cylinder with no regulator on, you'll definately find out whether the cylinder is pressurised.

As to the 'boc' key, i assume you mean a open ended spanner with a raised casting containing a square hole?

[jim]

Yea the small square one, opened that out and nothing happened, I wasn't sure if it works like a pill top with ratchets etc

[optimusprime]

Nah mate, just turn it anticlockwise to open.

Sounds like you got an empty bottle.

[jim]

Awesome! I'll be having words with boc tomorrow then!

[Dez]

be aware you sometimes have to open the valve as much as 3 or 4 turns to get it to 'pop' open. an 'empty' bottle will usually still hiss a bit when the valve is undone, as they're rarely returned totally empty with the valve open.

[jim]

I wound it all the way out and its not made a peep

[mrx]

Had a few like this over the years......if it feels full, open up the valve and give the head a tap (Tap not smack), if this doesnt do it, get a replacment

[jim]

That seems to have dine the trick but the regulator holds gas fir a few quick bursts which is odd

[mrx]

Gas will stay pressurized in the hose and regulator as it has no where to go but out.

Glad I could help you out

[jim]

Should it take a lifetime firvany pressure to build uo on the gauge as it struggles to go higher than 3 (forgot the unit) I don't have any leaks I'm really struggling with this new setup!

[mrx]

Na should be instant

[optimusprime]

Duff cylinder or duff regulator ?

[mrx]

Sounds cylinder to me, if you hit the neck whilst the reg is on there you sbould instantaniously get gas out of the pipe, if you do this is both a good and bad thing. good thing, if it works for a while you might get a full use of the bottle, or it might die half way empty, and boc will exchange it free for a full one,,,good times, bad thing, you decide to use it and it dies or wont open when you really need it, bad times

you don't say if you have a single or a twin guage regulator.

if its a proper twin guage, one guage will show bottle pressure, which can also be a rough equasion to the amount of gas left in the bottle, the other guage shows the regulated pressure.

if you have a single guage, the guage only shows the regulated pressure. Screw the knob all the way in, this will give you maximum pressure through the guage, turn the bottle key and the guage should shoot all the way up, if it doesnt tap the neck.....still nowt, duff bottle