Many if you may remember that I finally got a CO2/Argon tank for my Miller Welder last December. Well, I only did a few small projects and already ran out of gas after 3 months. Here are some facts.

I forget what size the tank is, so here it is with reference to the welding cart from Harbor freight:


When I first hooked it up, the tank pressure gauge did not register anything. I do not know if it is defective or functional at this point. The flow gauge is set to 10-12 L/min.

The first project I did was tack weld a cheap metal shelf from Home Depot that was advertised to not need any screws. What a bunch of bs. Anyway, the shelf is 30 X 12 X 72” and I have 6 shelves on it

Then, I continued to work on a few welds of a computer desk.

Then, during welding a 4 wheel dolly to move stuff around, it began to splatter, so I checked the flow pressure, and it was 0 PSI. It is 44” X 26” and made out of 1” X 2” X 0.125” steel. With steering and braces, about 12 pieces of metal to weld together.

I couldn’t believe the tank was empty. The next size larger is the size that Datz510 uses, and it lasts him about 6 months. And he does a ton more welding than I do.

So to me, this could only indicate two things. The tank I received was not full or I have a leak Since I’ve accidentally left the tank on overnight and the flow gauge still read 10-12 L/min, I’m bending toward the tank was not full. I got the tank at Phoenix Welding. I can’t prove I got it empty now, but I hope they let me see that the next one is full before they load it on to my truck. And then I will know if my tank pressure gauge works or not too. I’ll explain what happened to them and see what they say.

Has anyone ever received an empty tank? That’s all I can think of that could of happened here. Anybody have any ideas?

I get a less-than-full tank from time to time. I have become anal about turning off my tanks. If I leave a tank on, it could be weeks before I use it again. It will have leaked out completely by then.
My habit is to turn off the tank before switching off the welder, no exceptions. Same sort of habit/ritual with my cutting torch tanks; when I shut off the torch, I turn off the tanks.

If you left it on overnight, that'll do it. I'm with Reserector... I've become super-anal about turning my tank off whenever the welder gets turned off.

I went through a few empty tanks by forgetting to turn them off overnight. It gets old (and expensive) fast.

My tanks when full run around 2500psi.

x3. The welder valve will leak, guaranteed. Guess how I know. Got to turn off the tank valve.

-Spike

If my torches are left on the takes will be empty. As soon as I'm done with the torches the tanks get shut off.

Wow, I've left my tank on quite a few times, for weeks on end. My solenoid valve never leaks.

That being said, I shut my tank off at the end of the day. My tank normally lasts 6 months to a year.

Thanks for the responses.

I’m going to play the devil’s advocate here. What do professional welders do with the tank? I doubt they turn the tank off during an 8 – 12 hour day. So, leaving the tank on overnight is just like a professional working for a day or two to me. Provided the seals are good shape, there should be no problem.(I have the same welder as Datz and it's about 3 years old). I can’t see professionals constantly turning off the tank while setting up what ever their going to weld, then turning on the tank for welding, then back off. They may, because I don’t know. But, it seems like a big waist of time to me and I can’t picture them doing it. Anybody weld professionally?

I get paid this week, so I will be able to get another tank Saturday. I’ll ask if they can test the tank pressure gauge and get a new one if needed. If a new one is needed, then I’ll know there must be a leak somewhere. If not, then I got an almost empty tank.

I’ll ask them, but what should the typical tank pressure read of a full CO2/Argon tank? I’m still going to ask them if they can prove it is a full tank to me before I take it home.

With a known good tank pressure gauge I won’t be welding blind anymore, WOOHOO!!!

Most welders would leave it on most the day if they are welding all day. But, they'd probably be changing the tanks out quite often compared to you or I too..

Well, I pulled out my welder yesterday to do a small job. First time I've used it in over a month. I tank valve had been left open, and I still was at 50 bar in the tank. I'm not sure how much I lost, but there is still several months worth of gas in there for me. I have a Lincoln welder so I'm sure it's running a different solenoid valve than the Millers.

The pressure in your tank should be around 150 bar when it's full if I remember correctly.

You have a good valve in the welder then. Mine slowly leaks down if I dont close it. It will empty a full size tank in a week.

Yes, I shut the valve at the end of the day, not between jobs. My tank usually lasts 6-12 months.

I shut mine off between jobs because I am old and forgetful. If the welder is off, with no fan running as an audio reminder, my addle brain forgets about it. Bottom line is that I can't be trusted to turn it off at the end of the day, so I have trained myself to shut it off EVERY time.

on my mig when i first got it, once i turned the bottle off i noticed it didnt take long at all to drain the remainder out. i took the cover off and teflon taped and had everything nice and tight and it would then hold the pressure for quite a while. ive since moved it a few times and swapped a few bottles so its loosened up again but it did help alot.

when im dont welding though i'll sometimes turn off the gas, knock the spring off the wire feed and hit the trigger to release the gas pressure. good habit to make sure the gas does not get left on.

quote:

Originally posted by TJL:
...i'll sometimes turn off the gas, knock the spring off the wire feed and hit the trigger to release the gas pressure. good habit to make sure the gas does not get left on.

x2. That's exactly what I do every time I run my MIG setup. Right now, I got it set up for flux, so I'm not worried about it,

Get your regulator rebuilt, it actually doesnt cost that much and it will save your gas. Use a squirt bottle with soapy water and check all you fittings, recheck em every now and then.