Question #2
 

I have a barracuda torch, and Oxy con 10. my torch flame is very low and sputtering a lot. The question is. Is it the oxy con or the propane regulator that is causing this "sputtering" :roll:

Liz R

Liz, this may not have anything to do with your problem, but on the off chance it does...
My Cricket was misbehaving, spitting and sputtering, and I tried everything I could think of. My last option was to send it in to GTT to be cleaned and diagnosed. Turns out it was clogged with propane residue; the oily stuff they add for the stink. I had gotten into the double bad habit of just using the knob at the torch to shut off propane and not draining the hose. When I would light up, I was forcing some of that build-up from the hose into my torch. When it just got so bad, it had nowhere to go but out into the flame. A thorough cleaning at GTT did the trick and my sweet little Cricket runs perfectly now.

Thanks for the suggestions Teri, I'm not sure that would be the problem with this, I have always turned the propane off at the tank and let the gas in the hose burn out then turned the gas nob on the torch off. and I just replaced the hose about 3 months ago. Some how my gut tells me it's the regulator, Don't know why but it's a feeling I have. I've also thought perhaps when I hooked up the oxy con 10 I bought some knew clear plastic lines and like always I over bought. I would guess that I have about 5 feet of clear hose from the machine to the torch, Maybe I'll just go ahead and shorten that some and see if it will help.
Liz R

Liz, I don't think the length of your hoses if the problem. My hoses are about 10 ft long and I work with a M20 and my lovely Barracuda. I hope you figure it out. It's so frustrating to have equipment problems.

sent from my Samsung Galaxy S6

Are you certain that the hose from the propane to the torch is a "type T" ?

If it is made for acetylene the propane will cause it to disintegrate from the inside and that causes it get gummy as well.

Also even if you do always turn it off at the tank and burn off the stuff in the hose you should still disconnect and drape the hose to drain once a month if you torch every day.

Think of the smelly stuff as condensate on the inside of the hose.
It still needs to be drained and dried if your are torching often.

Also if you swap out propane tanks you can wind up with crap in the bottom of the tanks that can get stirred up and fed into your hose.

A third point is the age and type of regulator; If it is not made specifically for propane the rubber diaphragm on the inside can get attacked by the chemicals in the propane.
And the regulators also need to be rebuilt every decade or so if they are the expensive kind or just replaced if they cost less than $200.