Propane regulator, stuck open.

[Rivenin]

So i was brewing a beer yesterday. Heated the strike and sparge water just fine and as soon as i started to heat the wort... nothing.
So i turned down my music, turned off the pumps so i could hear what was happening, just a slight hiss.
So i turned everything off, disconnected everything and started off like i would in the beginning.
So i did that, and as soon as i turned on the propane tank it blew propane out full speed and the emergency valve kicked in.
Made sure the regulator was all the way off, tank was all the way off, and turned the tank on again very slowly. about 1/16th of a turn the propane is on full blast, any further and it hits the safety valve... so i just barely turned on the tank so i was able to save the brew day.
So basically the knob on my regulator now doesn't do anything at all, even when i was able to get the propane to come out, the regulator knob doesn't change any flow at all.

Any ideas? i have 3 brew days coming up and spent all my "allowance" on the brew days and can't afford to buy a new regulator until at least mid may.

BTW, it is the KAB4 setup with the adjustable 30psi regulator

i think i'm going to see if i can take it apart and see if a spring got stuck or an o-ring gave out somewhere... but im' at a loss and hopefulyl someone else has had this issue

 

[Dryhops]

Please be careful dealing with this. Pressurized gas is dangerous enough, let alone explosive gas.

It is very likely that it is a broken spring. If you are taking it apart, look at the spring under the adjustment knob since it is subjected to the most wear and tear under normal use. You can also check the poppit near the input since they are smaller and more fragile.

If you're lucky, the spring might just have been unseated and the diaphragm is just wedged open. If any of the springs are broken you should just buy a new regulator.

Edit: this image might be helpful

 

[Rivenin]

Thanks for the post!
still didn't work though... i took the top off, and was just an ajusting screw for the spring,
i took off both ends and was able to see a spring in there and barely touch it with a mini screw driver, so i pushed it around a bit while turning the regulator on and off... still no dice, i can blow straight through the regulator... ah well, looks like i'm down for a few weeks.