[heyarnold]

Can an Argon / CO2 regulator be used for Propane?

They're on sale at Princess Auto for about $40 and I thought that it maybe I could use it with a propane foundry in addition to my mig welder.

Has anybody done this?

[wendtmk]

No it can't. The argon/C02 regulator's seals and diaphragm will probably get eaten by the petroleum distillates in propane, and you'll have propane leaking pretty quickly. You need to get a regulator that's made for the product it will be regulating, as well as the correct hose for both the pressure of the product as well as the kind of product it is.

Mark

[heyarnold]

Hi Mark,
Thanks for the info!!!
In this case I'm off to Acklands-Grangier to get either the
Fairview, 0-60PSI with out gauges (but able to add)


or Uniweld; 0-30PSI with gauges

https://www.acklandsgrainger.com/AGI...!1285030523827

The Fairview is about $100 cheaper, and I don't think the gauge will set me back more the $10. So this is most likely the one for me. But I was wondering if there was an advantage to a dual guage regulator?

[heyarnold]

Sorry, here is the photo of the Fairview regulator




also, here is a good looking 10ft hose:

https://www.acklandsgrainger.com/AGI...!1285030523827

[heyarnold]

Darn, here is the photo of the Fairview regulator:

https://www.acklandsgrainger.com/AGI...!1285030523827

[wendtmk]

The dual gauge regulator tells you the pressure in the tank and also the pressure in the hose. Propane tanks don't have anywhere near the pressure that an oxygen tank. If you are using a small propane tank, say a 20 lb tank, typically the same size as you would on a grill, you can more or less tell how much propane you have left by simply lifting the tank. Empty 20 lb tanks usually weigh somewhere between 15 and 18 lbs or so, and when full would weigh between 35 and 38 lbs. So, is a dual gauge regulator necessary? They're nice to have, but most of the time, not really. You'll be more concerned with the pressure in the hose.

mark

[paprjam]

I got a high pressure propane regulator at the farm supply store. I think it was around $20, I had to buy a hose and a gauge. That brought it up to around $40. When the tanks gets low, it starts icing up real bad and pressure drops. So, I put it in a tub with some warm water to bring the pressure back up. Doesn't take very long.

[jc56au]

The dual gauge regulator tells you the pressure in the tank and also the pressure in the hose.

Dual gauges are useful for gas tanks (oxygen, argon maybe CO2). No use for tanks where the stuff is basically liquid like propane.

If there is any liquid propane in the tank the pressure depends entirely on the temperature as per:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pr...re-d_1020.html

[ewhipped]

Argon / CO2 regulators use a CGA (cylinder gas association) 580 connection where a propane or fuel gas will need something along the lines of a 510. Typically fuel gasses use a left hand nut anyway so connecting the cylinder and the regular would be impossible without switching the nut and nipple. Also the gauges won’t tell you much since propane is liquid and builds pressure and it is hard to tell without weighing the cylinder how much you have left. I suggest buying a new one

[Trollforge]

Acetylene Regulators come up @ Princess Auto for $35-$45 occasionally, and they do work with Propane, screw right in, I've been swapping mine back and forth for years.

[Rocco85]

I've been using an acetylene regulator too, they work great. Acetylene regulators generally only go up to about 30 psi, that might be an issue for some applications but it hasn't been a problem for me.