Milwaukee regulator help

[props]

k i'm puzzled
my co2 tank ran out couple of days ago so i bought myself a 20lb co2 tank.. with the main valve off i turned the main black knob so that its loose and also turned off the bubble counter adjuster.. turned main valve on and great 65kg/cm² @ main guage for main pressure.. adjusted black knob for low pressure use and set second guage to 10lbs/cm².. plugged in the solenoid and hurray bubbles started coming out so i tuned it down to 65bpm.. works for two minutes then all of a sudden bpm slowed down till it stopped after roughly three minutes.. whats the deal? broken solenoid? low pressure? or too much pressure?
i have adjusted 2nd guage from 2lbs/cm²-25lbs/cm² but same result
help pls

heres what it looks like

[StirCrazy]

as the pressure inside the reactor increases your bubble count will slow and you will have to open up a little more.

Steve

[Chin_Lee]

Jesse
i have the same regulator and I don't know if it will help but I set the pressure to around 20 on the second gauge. let me know if you still can't figure it out and I'll come over to give you a hand and pay you a visit.
clee

[props]

bizzare still doens't work
adjust 2nd guage from low pressure to high same result
it stops working after few minutes

[Delphinus]

It sounds like it's hitting some threshold. I.e., if the gas can't go anywhere, the pressure will build up over time and once the pressure is the same as the output, it can't go anywhere (because it has to flow from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure).

So, before you raise your pressure any higher, check to see if there's a blockage somewhere.

Are you using a check valve on your CO2 line? If so, it's not backwards or something is it? Can you blow through it yourself? If you can't, it's a sure bet that the CO2 can't either.

Check for crimps in the line maybe ... or clogs in your plumbing.

Try opening and closing the needle valve, all the way, a few times. If there's a blockage in your regulator that might help blow it out. Sometimes there might be some teflon chunks in there or maybe there's some residual crud in the cylinder itself.

I'm not sure what else to suggest. I've had issues of inconsistent bubble rates with those regulators, but nothing that couldn't be resolved by making minor adjustments. A full out "stoppage" means something is not right, IMO.

Good luck

[props]

thanks tony i've replaced all 1/4"hose lines just to make sure there aint any backpressure on the regulator and also have openned the bubble counter full on and off just to make sure nothing blocking it but same result

[dyereefer]

I had the same problem with mine I had to adj the low side to 40 psi before it was resolved.

[Delphinus]

40 psi! I'd be a afraid of popping my reactor (has happened to me once before already, so I know it can happen!) Make sure your output can't clog.

I dunno ... maybe there's a reason these regulators are the most cost-effective? Everyone I know who has one has the same complaint, that they require extensive fiddle-faddling before you hit a steady state.

I'm curious, what kind of bubble rates are people using with these Milkwaulkee regulators (with built-in bubble counter).

I can't run my reactor at 6.7 pH unless I have a bubble count near 100 bpm. Some people have told me that 30bpm should be plenty. For me to run 6.7 at 30bpm I'd have to have an effluent rate near 15 ml/min.. Which I've tried, and it simply does not maintain the levels in the tank. Where things stabilize is at 60 ml/min and the super fast CO2 bubble rate.

[Chin_Lee]

Delphinus
same here with my bubble count at about 100 bpm. I tried around 30-50 bpm but only got my ph down to about 7.4. so at around 100 bpm, my ph is around 6.8 which is fine by me. my reactor is the DJ square design and holds two containers of ARM.
my psi is set at 20 and i've never experienced what jesse has and i'm hoping to have some time next week to go see if i can help in anyway. I'm just glad i've got a 20lb CO2 tank.

[Gools]

Jesse. Have you got your problem solved? Just want to know how you made out.