Just a reminder - Turn off your gas when done welding.

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MileHighDart

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I just lost a whole tank of argon/c02. Was doing a little mig welding a couple weeks ago, and forgot to turn the tank off when done. Apparently there must be a small leak somewhere in the system. Fired it up today, and NO Gas!

Dang it, I hate when that happens. Just had it filled the other day.
 
Did you open it all the way? A lot of people do not realize high pressure bottles have 2 valve seals. One wide open and one closed. Still wouldn't help if you have a leak.
 
If you hang your hood on the gas bottle, you tend to not forget as much.
 
Bodyperson said:
Did you open it all the way? A lot of people do not realize high pressure bottles have 2 valve seals. One wide open and one closed. Still wouldn't help if you have a leak.
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I didn’t realize that, are you saying the valve on the bottle can leak if I didn’t have it all the way open? Cause I don’t open it all the way, I’m not sure if there is a leak anywhere else. Just that my bottle is empty now
 
I was told that u only open the gas bottle a quarter to half a turn so that if u ever have a problem that it’s just a flick of the wrist and the gas is off. Kim
 
oldkimmer said:
I was told that u only open the gas bottle a quarter to half a turn so that if u ever have a problem that it’s just a flick of the wrist and the gas is off. Kim
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That pertains to acetylene, with the C 25 gas Bodyperson is correct you need to open the valve all the way to back seat the valve, this is done for all high pressure bottles except for the above mentioned acetylene
Kevin
 
Acetylene and propane do NOT have "backseat" type valves. You don't want to open them and try and "backseat" them.

CO2, nitrogen, welding "mix" gases, argon, helium, etc all have backseat valves and should be opened "cracked" to avoid surge in the system/ regulator, then when pressure comes "up" open them full up and backseat

Frankly, I never backseat them for most "short" welding jobs.

Also, for "general" work that I do ( I don't do any/ much sheet metal and don't do body work) I use strictly straight CO2. It works pretty well, and lasts a long time while being VERY cheap
 
67Dart273 said:
Acetylene and propane do NOT have "backseat" type valves. You don't want to open them and try and "backseat" them.

CO2, nitrogen, welding "mix" gases, argon, helium, etc all have backseat valves and should be opened "cracked" to avoid surge in the system/ regulator, then when pressure comes "up" open them full up and backseat

Frankly, I never backseat them for most "short" welding jobs.

Also, for "general" work that I do ( I don't do any/ much sheet metal and don't do body work) I use strictly straight CO2. It works pretty well, and lasts a long time while being VERY cheap
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Yup, open slowly and do not stand in front of the gauges until full pressure is achieved. Then open the valve all the way and open it tightly just like you do when you close the valve.
 
And... while we are at it, never use oil on a high pressure fitting. The oil and high pressure can cause spontaneous combustion. When changing bottles, quickly crack and close the valve on the new bottle to blow any debris from the tapered sealing area before installing the flow meter or regulator.

Acetylene is not a high pressure bottle. If you notice my first post I said high pressure bottles differentiating it from low pressure bottles i.e. acetylene and propane.
 
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MileHighDart said:
I didn’t realize that, are you saying the valve on the bottle can leak if I didn’t have it all the way open? Cause I don’t open it all the way, I’m not sure if there is a leak anywhere else. Just that my bottle is empty now
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Yes it will leak. It will still leak somewhere when wide open so it still needs to be closed when not in use.
 
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Apparently when you were growing up, your Dad never smacked you on the back of the head really hard for forgetting to close the valve.
 
67Dart273 said:
Also, for "general" work that I do ( I don't do any/ much sheet metal and don't do body work) I use strictly straight CO2. It works pretty well, and lasts a long time while being VERY cheap
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I just got a whole new mig/gas set to replace the one my Brother gave me, and I asked the supply shop about using straight CO2 and he said that it just makes a cleaner weld but straight CO2 works fine for everything but sheet metal like body work.

You probably already knew that though since you said what you did.:D

My Brother got kinda annoyed with me because I declined to drive 200 miles to his house (twice or more) and do a top end rebuild on his 96 Chevy 4.7 V8 in 100+ degree heat where the wind blows dust real bad.
Sorry Bro, but F that.:D
So he took his welder and accessories back.
I can't really blame him actually.
 
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Funny. I have the other issue and that's forgetting to open the valve when I weld. Lol
 
TrailBeast said:
I just got a whole new mig/gas set to replace the one my Brother gave me, and I asked the supply shop about using straight CO2 and he said that it just makes a cleaner weld but straight CO2 works fine for everything but sheet metal like body work.

You probably already knew that though since you said what you did.:D

My Brother got kinda annoyed with me because I declined to drive 200 miles to his house (twice or more) and do a top end rebuild on his 96 Chevy 4.7 V8 in 100+ degree heat where the wind blows dust real bad.
Sorry Bro, but F that.:D
So he took his welder and accessories back.
I can't really blame him actually.
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What are brothers for? :rofl:
 
rednesss said:
What are brothers for? :rofl:
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Usually they wanna borrow your stuff and return it broken. At least my brother does. Anything i birrow from him i have to fix. And if i do, he wants it back right away.

Always check your fittings with soapy water or aporoved leak detector. Every time i change bottles. Every one leaks. Took one back because it wouldnt seal.
Its a big money saver.
 
Turning the gas off was the first thing we were taught back in the mid 60's. Anytime I'm in my shop & I walk by the tanks, I check them. It's always been that way in my shop, no matter who uses the equipment. Forget once you buy me a bottle of gas & are no longer able to use my stuff this applies to friends & relatives.
 
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