cbwmn

BART
I don't think you arre reading the reply's.
You drill out debris, not brass.
If you don't believe me, at least believe Milwaukee.

bartoli

Hmm... I wonder what gave you the impression that I was not reading your reply? I am just trying to understand what the drilling will do to the regulator. What is puzzling to me is that if the drilling does not damage the regulator, then why doesn't Milwaukee pre-drill all their regulators?

As to believing in Milwaukee, I have some first hand experience there. As mentioned in my opening post, Milwaukee told me that the needle valve of my brand new CO2 regulator had been clogged and that I should ignore the low pressure gauge reading when setting up the CO2 regulator. It seems to me Milwaukee was wrong in both counts. My needle valve was not clogged. All I needed to do is ensuring that there is enough low pressure (around 20 psi) to provide a sustained bubble rate. When the low pressure was set to have lower than 20 psi, the low pressure and bubble rate gradually dropped.

If anyone has a different take. I like to hear them. After all, I am here trying to understand the operating principles behind the CO2 regulator.

rbarn

Milwakee's hang up on wanting as little pressure as possible is so the
solenoid wont leak when closed.

As long as your solenoid is not letting Co2 bypass when closed then your
PSI is not too high.

Low pressure recommendation has nothing to do with the needle valve.

nvision

actually, i find the needle valve and bubble rate to be less consistent if the pressure is set too low when used with a solenoid switching on/off over time. for some reason a higher pressure yields better consistency, i keep mine between 20-30.

cbwmn

See this:

bartoli

Yes, that too was my understanding. I wonder whether that is a common concern for all regulators or is it an issue only for Milwaukee's regulator?

BTW, I found the following quite helpful in trying to understand how a DC solenoid works:

http://www.detroitcoil.com/PAGES/How...d%20Works1.pdf

bartoli

I would assume that being in the regulator business Milwaukee also knew that as well. But why does Milwaukee go as far as asking its customers to completely ignore the low pressure gauge reading?

When I was on the phone with Milwaukee and brought up the observation that my low pressure gauge was at zero psi, the Milwaukee support person was noticeably upset and insisted that I should ignore the low pressure gauge reading. Why was Milwaukee so touchy about discussing the low pressure gauge reading?

I hope someone can explain the role of a low pressure gauge in having a sustained bubble rate.

bartoli

Hi Charles, I am not sure what you were trying to say.

nvision

you probably called and got a disgruntled rep. try calling again and see if someone else answers. i do not think the low pressure gauge is entirely useless.

BryceM

FWIW I usually keep my Milwaukee low-side pressures around 100 psi. I replaced their needle valve with one of Rex Grigg's finer valves though. I get better overall consistency at the higher pressures.

Engineering-wise, this type of regulator is made to function correctly around 20-150 psi. At extrememly low pressures it often fluctuates. I know why Milwaukee instructions read like they do. With the kind of needle valves they use (coarse) it's about the only way to get a reasonable bubble rate. Still, it's not really using the regulator as it's designed.