Wire feed welder gas leak question...

[TractorLegend]

The Miller wire feed welder at my shop seems to use a lot of argon lately. I got a new regulator and keep the flow guage at about 1-4, as little as possible to make a clean weld.
I think theres a leak somewhere due to amount of gas we go through and the fact that when I shut off the tank, the tank pressure guage (not the flow guage) sinks fairly fast instead of holding for some time.
I sprayed soapy water at everything- the regulator and fittings, the hose to welder, the fitting on the back of welder, the flow solenoid inside, the end of the gun and can't find a leak. Any ideas?
Should guage pressure guage stay steady with tank shut off?
Maybe I have unrealistic expectations of usage, but really seems gas lasted longer previously.

 

[MadReferee]

The tank pressure gauge on my Miller sinks to almost 0 in about 72 hours. Normal running pressure on the gun side is 20 CFH. A small bottle of argon should last for almost 2 of the 10 lb wire spools.

 

[rswyan]

The tank pressure gauge on my PowerMig 215 will drop to zero within an hour or two after closing the valve.

 

[kenmac]

my lincoln also leaks down.

 

[YanmarFever]

I would switch guns if you have another one handy & see if it still leaks.
My Miller 250 with a tweco gun holds pressure for about 5 days. If you have checked everything with soap,I would look to the gun leaking air inside. Have you changed the O ring on your gun liner?
Ernie

 

[TractorLegend]

Wouldn't the solenoid gas valve be leaking internally (not shutting off all the way) if there was gas getting out to gun or receptacle for gun/ hose assembly on the front of welder when machine is off?
I'm assuming theres a leak somewhere during use wasting argon if tank pressure guage goes to zero when tank valve is shut off. Bleed down time on mine is approx 20-30 seconds.

 

[TractorLegend]

I use to run 20CFH gas setting per owners manual, but was recommended by the welding supply shop and experimented and found that you could get as good a weld or better with much lower settings- I run about 2-3CFH. Try it and let me know what you find.
That's why i think the bottle should be lasting WAY longer than it does...

 

[MadReferee]

Your gas setting is way too low. You welds are probably not as good as you think they are.

Also, I knew I read about this problem before. It was on the Miller Motorsports welding forum. You can read about it RIGHT HERE.

Your best bet when having a welding problem is to ask the professionals. You will get a much better and more detailed answer than you will get on any tractor forum. The pros on the Miller and Hobart boards are always willing to help regardless of the askers experience or how dumb/stupid their question may be.

 

[TractorLegend]

thanks for the info---i figured someone here knew where to look. I'm not convinced however the welds are bad due to lower gas setting, but will investigate that further. It's fairly obvious to see poor welds as when the argon runs out and welds get all spattered. Thats not the case for me.
But others can try, and make their own judgements.

 

[rswyan]

FWIW, I've heard that running as little as 5 CFH is fine - as long as there is little to no air movement in the space where you are welding.

I currently have my regulator set to around 7 to 10 CFH and my welds look fine.