|
| Safety -- Make sure you are safe! |
2010-03-27, 8:13am
|
 |
sunscreen me baby
|
|
Join Date: Jun 05, 2005
Location: Exeter, NH
Posts: 17,496
|
|
Unblock a regulator?
I have a propane regulator that I used regularly for 5 years. A while back I got another so I could hook up two torches. For whatever reason I stopped using the old one and it sat on a shelf for about a year. I tried to use it the other day and nothing will come through. What would be the best way to clean it?
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
~
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2010-03-27, 9:40am
|
 |
Curmudgeon Engineering
|
|
Join Date: Feb 15, 2006
Location: Near Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,723
|
|
Unless you are familiar with taking it apart and putting it back together I don't recommend trying to do it yourself. Ask the local weld shop where they get regulator repairs done and send it there. Shouldn't cost much to clean unless they find it needs parts.
This applies to single stage regs only.
IF you decide you have nothing to loose in doing it yourself I would get a can or two of carbeurator cleaner from the local auto parts place and spray that into all the openings and let it soak for half an hour or so. Unscrew the adjusting handle also and spray into the hole. Blow it out with air and do it again several times. Blow it out good and even let it sit a day or two before reassembly. Put the pressure adjusting 'T' handle back in and try it out. Most likely cause of sticking is that the 'smelly' oil in the propane has congealed around the little valve.
Regulators are pretty simple mechanisms with only 6 or so moving parts so not much can go bad. Passages and ports for guages are not shown.
|
2010-03-27, 1:32pm
|
|
sunscreen me baby
|
|
Join Date: Jun 05, 2005
Location: Exeter, NH
Posts: 17,496
|
|
You rock! My son got that gleam in his eye when I asked him if he would attempt this for me. Thank you.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
~
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2010-03-27, 5:31pm
|
 |
Gentleman of Leisure
|
|
Join Date: Jun 10, 2005
Location: A Little Bit West of Yosemite Valley
Posts: 5,200
|
|
I don't know if I would use carburetor spray.... Some of the synthetic materials in regulator may react badly to the cleaner and swell and distort or become soft and gummy, permanently ruining internal parts and making regulator total useless instead of just being able to cleaned and repaired at welding shop...
Using any type of unproven cleaners or methods seems a little risky to me, and I would avoid doing it.
Dale
__________________
You can lead a person to knowledge, but you can't make them think.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Vendor-Artist-Studio-Teacher Registry
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
San Francisco - A Few Toys Short of a Happy Meal
|
2010-03-28, 12:12pm
|
|
Curmudgeon Engineering
|
|
Join Date: Feb 15, 2006
Location: Near Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,723
|
|
Almost all the parts in these things are metal..totally unaffected by the cleaner. It's broke now and requires some type of repair/rebuild/cleaning so you can't break it more but you may fix it. A good chance to learn something in any case. I guess being a ships engineer for my whole career and having to make, repair, improvise, and invent solutions away from the 'experts' gives me a different outlook on problems. Worse case.. it still diesn't work and some gaskets have to be replaced.. which would be the case anyway when it went in for rebuild.
|
2010-03-28, 12:56pm
|
|
sunscreen me baby
|
|
Join Date: Jun 05, 2005
Location: Exeter, NH
Posts: 17,496
|
|
Well I can't get it apart. It's corroded and my strong teenage son can't get it to budge. I'll just ask the guys at the welding shop if they can do something with it. Thanks for the help and concern guys, I appreciate it.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
~
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 2:29am.
|
