CO2 regulator

[subrunner]

I've been looking for a regulator for the CO2 tank I picked up at the Offroad Swapmeet and every one I find has a flow gauge on the outlet. Are these pressure regulators or do they just have an adjustable orfice? I've looked at the welding shops($80) and Harbor Freight($29.99). I'm wondering if I can just swap out the flow gauge for a pressure so that I can regulate it down to 90# and run air tools.

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[mgobaja]

Airgas can order these : http://www.westernenterprises.com/en...s/PDFS/wi5.pdf

the p/n for the preset at 100 psi is rp320100

[tedmales]

if you ran air tools you would freeze up the regulator

[mgobaja]

If the bottle is standing ( Co2 ) it is less likely to "freeze" up as quick. I have had good success changing up to 4 tires, one right after another, without having any issues.

Nitrogen is a way around the "freezing" issue as well, but to store the same volume you need a larger cyclinder then you do with Co2.

[Chase 2]

The freezing issue with CO2 comes from the fact that under pressure the CO2 is liquid. With standing the bottle upright you are less likely to have liquid CO2 hit the regulator.

Also be careful with buying 2nd hand CO2 bottles, there are some out there which actually have a syphon tube to specifically allow the transfer of liquid CO2. Recreationally, the syphon tanks are used by paintballers.

Nitrogen is much perfered, but it only is kept in the cast iron bottles, not the trick looking (and much lighter weight) aluminum. I've had Nitrogen freeze up a die grinder while trying to cut the Kevlar belting from a flat tire wrapped around an axle.

[tmathews]

Nitrogen is the prefered choice, but you get more volumn on a CO2 bottle. Call the guys over at WSE.. Their prices can't be beat and their customer service is awesome. Their ph# 619-575-4000.

[roach]

i know someone who is looking for a flow meter and has a gauge regulator in exchange if you are interested. pm me and i can call him.

[Ramsey_ElWardani]

I have used a 125 Psi Preset Pressure Regulator on a CO2 Tank for years and think it is the way to go. There are no gauges to break and they are very durable and safe. Got it at a Welding Supply House (WSE in San Diego) for just under $30. I use the CO2 for just about everything in the field you can think of, Air Tools to Airing up. The reason that you want to use CO2 over Nitrogen are several. CO2 is cheaper, safer and lasts longer. Nitrogen is stored in compressed form as a gas at up to 2000 PSI so breaking a valve off could be catastrophic. CO2 is stored in compressed form as a liquid at around 800 PSI. Because it is stored as a liquid the same size tank can hold more cubic feet of gas. The gas that is released from the tank is evaporated off the top of the liquid CO2 at an almost constant pressure of I think 600 PSI at a given temperature until all the liquid is gone. The Nitrogen bottle will have half the original pressure when half the original volume is used. The only way you can tell how much Nitrogen is left in the tank is by the tank pressure, so a gauge is necessary. With CO2 you can only tell how much is left in the tank by weighing it. Freeze-up has not been a problem, even using impact guns. Both Nitrogen and CO2 can cause Freeze-up; it is the release of the pressurized gas (just like in your Air Conditioning) that creates the temp drop. It has nothing to do with the fact that CO2 is stored as a liquid. By the way there is very little moisture (H2O) in CO2, less than 15 Parts per Million in Industrial Grade CO2 which is 99.5% pure. You can also get Instrument Grade which is 99.98% pure. Liquid CO2 is heavier than water, so if there were any moisture in the tank it would rise to the surface and blow off first. The moisture that most people see when working with CO2 is condensation from the air. When CO2 is released from its pressurized liquid form as a gas there is a rapid temperature drop which condenses the moisture in the surrounding air. The moisture is not in the CO2.

[scottm]

It has nothing to do with the fact that CO2 is stored as a liquid.

Actually it does have to do with the co2 being in liquid state. The liquid vaporizes to gas by boiling, which carries away heat energy with the vaporized gas. This causes the temperature of the tank and the liquid co2 to drop. If it drops enough, the liquid co2 can change to solid, or dry ice. This is the real reason of concern when talking about the co2 "freezing up". If it does, you are done until it thaws, which can take a long time. I worked with liquid co2 for shielding gas in an experimental brazing oven. This system drew liquid from the bottom of the tank and vaporized it outside the bottle in a big finned evaporator. The evaporator would become covered in frost in just a few minutes. The tanks with a liquid tube are called a dip tube tank. Look for the letters DT on your bottle - if so the co2 will vaporize after the regulator, which can freeze your hoses to something like -50° and make them crack, or make your impact wrench verrry cold!

The process of vaporizing co2 creates powerful cooling in the tank. Its no trouble to fill several tires or run tools for a couple minutes, but watch for frost to form on the outside of the bottle. You want to slow down the use if it does.

[mattb]

On this note.. I have a question. Why is it that whenever I fill a tire with CO2, it seems to go down over a matter of time. It doesn't matter if it has a leak or not, it just goes down.