MIG welder problem...?

[84gmcjimmy]

Okay yesterday I got the gas tank hooked up for it after asking some questions to fellow memebers. As I was practicing welding I had to go in for dinner. So I turned off the machine, took of the ground clamp, and unpluged the welder from the electircal socket in the wall. I was next going to turn the gas tank off as I noticed the CFH guage was at 0, did I not have the tank all the way open or what happened? I had it set at 26 at the start. Thanks for any help you give /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[lukebaby1]

Do you know if you have a regulator type or a flowmeter type? A flowmeter has a sight glass with a little steel ball that rides up and down as you dispense the gas. /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

 

[jjlaughner]

you have a line leak somewhere between your gauges and the valve inside the welder. I recently built a new cart and was able to shorten up the line. I got rid of most of my leaks but by cutting the wore out ends off the lines and reclamping them. Since your is new, I would make sure the gas attachement/regulator-valve in the welder is hooked up right. To completely drop a tank to 0PSI during dinner it would have to be a big leak. I've went from 7,000PSI to 5,000PSI overnight.
Yesterday I went out to weld in my sliders and it was still at open /forums/images/graemlins/yikes.gif /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif but it was still at 5,000PSI and it has been open for at least two weeks since I've used it last /forums/images/graemlins/peace.gif

Also, I run 25PSI at the gauges it usually drops to 21-23PSI during welding and it seems to do well set right there. But always anytime your not using the welder for even 10minutes aways close the valve on the tank jus tto prevent leaks like this. Just like I said above though, I sometimes forget to close the valve the tank /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif Before I changed out the lines I've lost 3000PSI overnight before /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif at $17 a tank its not hard to start remembering to close the valve /forums/images/graemlins/whistling.gif

 

[HarryH3]

[ QUOTE ]
I was next going to turn the gas tank off as I noticed the CFH guage was at 0,

[/ QUOTE ]
CFH is Cubic Feet per Hour, and is measured with a flow meter. When you aren't welding, the valve in the welder should turn off, which would mean that no gas is flowing. The gas should be flowing only when you have the trigger pulled.

 

[tRustyK5]

...and since there is no flow the steel ball drops to the bottom of the sight glass.

Our bottles at work are 'on' for 20 hours a day and I can count on one hand the times we've had a leak. Still, we do shut them all off at the end of the night...

Rene

 

[84gmcjimmy]

I don't have a steel ball one. I just have one that looks exactly like the PSI but it has CFH on it instead. Where would the leak be? If theere is one? Someone said that the CFM should be at 0 unless your welding, when I turned on the gas it went up to 20, am I missing something. This is confusing /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[tRustyK5]

It measures flow...so when there is no flow the guage bleeds down a little until you pull the trigger again. Perfectly normal and chances are you don't have a leak.

Rene

 

[jjlaughner]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't have a steel ball one. I just have one that looks exactly like the PSI but it has CFH on it instead. Where would the leak be? If theere is one? Someone said that the CFM should be at 0 unless your welding, when I turned on the gas it went up to 20, am I missing something. This is confusing /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[/ QUOTE ]


/forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif its all good then. When I close the valve on my tank the gauges reads 25psi for a couple hours. then the pressure leaves the line slowly and returns to zero. Open the valve on the tank and WALLA 25PSI again... same thing on my cutting tanks. I have the same gauges as you probley /forums/images/graemlins/deal.gif

 

[84gmcjimmy]

Thanks everyone, I'm learning so much from here /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif