Busted regulator

[mattd2]

So I got a regulator that my father had lying around to use for kegging. It is a mestriner micro series http://www.mestrineronline.com/eng/pag_prod_en/prms.htm Part# 25590. I replaced the gauge on the low pressure side from a 0-20 ltr/min manoflowmeter to a 0-60 PSI (~4 bar). I tested it with nothing hooked up and it was going sweet. But I tried it out the other day when I kegged and ran into some problems;
It seemed to be going good untill I cranked it up to 30 PSI to seat the keg lid, then it wold climb to just over 30 psi then jump back to 20 psi then climb and drop over and over. I assumed the lid to be seated so I pulled the gas QD off. Then the gauge began to climb steadly up past 30 psi and just keeped going.
I quickly unscrewed the CO2 bottle (I'm using a bottle with a pin valve like the paintball cylinders) and the neddle dropped, but is now sitting at 6 psi even though the lines are vented.
Any suggestions or help?

 

[iasquith]

I had this problem with a regulator that was calibrated for L\M flow .
I decided to change the dial for a 0-30psi one so I could read the pressure I was putting on the tank, It seemed to work o.k. for a day or so then suddenly kept climbing out of control even when the screw was adjusted right out(off)
i| tried cleaning the insides but after taking apart a few times it seemed to develop a leak from the main body to boot.
I ended up buying a new one thats for psi\Kgpcm2 much better no problems
.

 

[jonp9576]

l/m flow is very low pressure. i know i've read on here that people say a reg is a reg and the only difference is the low pressure gauge. this is incorrect.

30psi is much more than say, 25 l/m. that reg was not designed to go that high. you cracked the diaphragm.

 

[Dwain]

30psi is much more than say, 25 l/m.

Isn't l/m a flow measurement like gpm and psi would be equivilent to bar? If so, the 2 have nothing to do with each other as far as regulators go, right? I'm asking, by no means an expert. However, the only time I had something funky going on with a regulator, I had overpressured the inlet and it wouldn't work. I had to get a new one. some of the cheap regulators not made for a specific purpose use different materials to make the diaphram. If it had been laying around long enough, any of them might be bad. Let us know - Dwain

 

[mattd2]

l/m flow is very low pressure. i know i've read on here that people say a reg is a reg and the only difference is the low pressure gauge. this is incorrect.

30psi is much more than say, 25 l/m. that reg was not designed to go that high. you cracked the diaphragm.

Fully don't understand what you are meaning by l/m flow is very low pressure, the flow is measured by the pressure drop across a orifice (i.e. the reg outlet) so basically the flow gauge is just a pressure gauge with a scale that is calibrated to the regualtors geometry - in otherwords so much pressure = so much flow and depending on how big the orifice is depends on the flowrate for a given pressure. The reg output is good to 4 bar (or 60 PSI), read the table in link I posted.
I took it apart last night and the internals all looked ok. Hooked up the "paintball" tank and it seemed to be going ok (LP gauge just started at 10 PSI not 0) but then it started to creap again. Even with the reg wound all the way out it was still leaking pressure through slowly as if the poppet is not seating right? anyone have any issues with something like that before? what should I use to clean the internals of the reg?
Cheers.

 

[mattd2]

I had this problem with a regulator that was calibrated for L\M flow .
I decided to change the dial for a 0-30psi one so I could read the pressure I was putting on the tank, It seemed to work o.k. for a day or so then suddenly kept climbing out of control even when the screw was adjusted right out(off)
i| tried cleaning the insides but after taking apart a few times it seemed to develop a leak from the main body to boot.
I ended up buying a new one thats for psi\Kgpcm2 much better no problems
.

Thanks for the reply, yeah I hope I don't have to go that way but I fearing the worst at the mo!

 

[mattd2]

If it had been laying around long enough, any of them might be bad. Let us know - Dwain

I think this might be the case, took the stem off to get to the poppet and the sealing material (seemed like some kind of waxy/gummy sunstance) was dry and cracked and didn't look like it would seal completely so I think this is the issue. Now I just got to find if I can replace this or get some kind of sealing material to replace the old stuff.
Cheers.