problem with CO2 Regulator

[Canadian Man]

I have a SWC regulator with the built in bubblecounte. I just got my 20lb bottle refilled and they had to change the valve as they said it was bent. $114 later I hooked it all back up and everything seemed to be working fine.

The problem I am having is that after about 8 hours the bubble rate has dropped considerably. I usually run about 200bpm and it slows down to about 60bpm.

The cylinder pressure is constant 800ish psi and my working pressure is constant.. I usually run it at 10 to 20 psi.
So every day I have to fiddle with my bubble counter to increase the bubble rate. Any ideas? :confused:

Thanks

[StirCrazy]

I normally have to do this when restarting my reactor after a fill.. I think it is due to the pressure raise in the reactor as the co2 becomes adsorbed.. I found usually after 2 days it was constant.

Steve

[Dez]

I had the problem with the same regulator but I've never refilled my bottle. I fiddled for a few weeks and finally it stabalized. It was frustrating. Jayson said it might have been a fine particle stuck in there. Try running it full, then cutting back etc..

des

[Delphinus]

I couldn't get a consistent bubble rate forever with that thing. Jayson suggested a blockage too, but I don't believe that was the case. In the end I just had to fiddle and fiddle and fiddle with the settings to get a consistent rate out of it. I was just about to give up on it after several months of that nonsense. In the end I discovered that my mistake was that every time I'd make an adjustment, I'd increase the pressure and then use a "more closed" setting on the needle valve to compensate (I thought a higher pressure would lead to more steady-state situation). When instead what worked was decreasing the pressure and using a "more open" setting on the needle valve. My theory is that the needle valves these things are using are not very good near the thresholds (i.e., if it's "mostly open" or if it's "mostly closed" then it's not at a setting where it has optimal performance, somewhere near square in the middle is where it gives consistent results). BTW Hi Dez good to see you, long time no see, hope things are well. :biggrin:

Anyhow I think I run my reg somewhere near 10psi now, which is about half of what Jayson recommended to me at the time. If I recall correctly Milwaulkee recommends 10psi on their instructions, by coincidence I was just reading them the other day.

[Canadian Man]

Thanks guys! I will give the sugestion's a try.

Thanks!