This will be my first regulator build. I was inspired by the great build threads and how-to's located here. Thanks to everyone who took the time to contribute. Your efforts helped me tremendously, and I hope this build will help others in kind.
The regulator I'm building is the GO CYL-20. It is a dual stage, corrosion resistant, 316L Stainless Steel regulator. This particular unit features a 0-3000 PSI inlet with integrated filter, and a 0-50 PSI outlet with a diaphragm control valve. This regulator is made by or assembled by Circor Technologies in Spartanburg, SC.
http://www.goreg.com/products/regulators/cylinder/index.htm
http://www.goreg.com/products/regulators/cylinder/cyl20/cyl20_2006-08_lo.pdf
Here is the regulator as I received it.
The inlet on this unit was configured with a CGA 350 nut and nipple, and I will need CGA 320 for CO[SUP]2[/SUP]. My first step was to remove this, and I had been warned that it would probably not be fun, and that the threads of stainless steel are not forgiving. However, I was pleasantly surprised when the threads broke loose fairly easily using only an adjustable wrench. Whatever thread sealant was used is excellent. It remains rubbery even when dry, so parts can be removed if necessary. Once I had removed the nipple, I noticed some strange scratches near the port. I'm not sure what would cause that, as nothing should be near the port when the nipple was originally installed. The end of the nipple accepts a wrench just fine, far away from the regulator body. If anyone has any ideas about the scratches, please let me know.
The threads look good on the removed nipple. Some new gauges are left hand threaded, which means you loosen them by turning them clockwise. I wanted to make sure none of my threads were left hand threaded. As it turned out, all of mine are standard right hand threaded. Here is how you can tell.
Once the inlet nipple was removed, I could get a good luck at the threads on the regulator side. They looked good, as well, but I noticed quite a bit of thread sealant that would need to be removed. I discovered the integrated filter, so I didn't need to worry about pieces of thread sealant falling inside the regulator, and that made cleanup a lot easier.
To remove the thread sealant remnants, I picked up a set of dental picks at Harbor Freight. Cheap!!
This was the perfect tool for the job.
Next was to address my first major blunder. When I purchased the regulator, I failed to notice that even though the regulator is setup for up to 3000 PSI at the inlet, the gauge only went to 600 PSI. Finding a replacement gauge for a good price is proving to be extremely difficult. I could sure use some suggestions if you have any. Ideally, I would like to find just a matching high-side gauge that goes to 3000 or 4000. The kicker is it needs to have the stainless or nickel-plated brass 1/4 NPT post. I can find cheap brass gauges all day long. I determined that at one time SPAN made these gauges. The ones I have say Pacific Scientific. These gauges are also found on Parker Veriflo regulators. If all else fails, I'll likely order two matching USG stainless gauges from jandrweldingsupply.com.
For my metering needle valve, I'm using something a little different: The Parker HR Series Metering Valve, Part number 2F-H3L-V-SS-TC. I've heard of one other person using this Parker valve, but I couldn't find any pics of the build. If there are any others using this valve, I'd like to hear from you and your thoughts (and see pics of your build). I got this valve listed as New for cheap. I looked up the unit's specs based on the part number, and it has a nice flow curve which you can see, below. It is close to the ideal valve.
There is another rare model known as the HR0 that would be perfect, but it would be too expensive unless one could find it on an auction site, and that isn't likely.
You may be curious about how the knob operates. It's slick. The metering valve has a resolution of 15 turns to full open. The knob is marked with 10 steps per 360 degree rotation. As the knob completes each 360 degree rotation, the turn counter automatically increments or decrements one. Think of this relationship like a second hand to a minute hand on a clock. Every rotation of the second hand causes the minute hand to increment. Every rotation of the control knob toward open causes the turn counter to increment one. The threads on this knob are superb and extremely fine. Theoretically, with 10 steps per full rotation, and 15 rotations to full open, this provides 150 repeatable positions. If you look closely, you can see that it actually has half-positions on the control knob, so that would provide 20 steps and would provide +/- 300 repeatable positions. In reality, it won't be that accurate, but it will still provide an easy reference point for setting the bubble count.
That's all for now. Once I find my replacement high side gauge, I'll pressure test the unit and then order the stainless fittings and solenoid to complete the build, and continue the build log.
The regulator I'm building is the GO CYL-20. It is a dual stage, corrosion resistant, 316L Stainless Steel regulator. This particular unit features a 0-3000 PSI inlet with integrated filter, and a 0-50 PSI outlet with a diaphragm control valve. This regulator is made by or assembled by Circor Technologies in Spartanburg, SC.
http://www.goreg.com/products/regulators/cylinder/index.htm
http://www.goreg.com/products/regulators/cylinder/cyl20/cyl20_2006-08_lo.pdf
Here is the regulator as I received it.
The inlet on this unit was configured with a CGA 350 nut and nipple, and I will need CGA 320 for CO[SUP]2[/SUP]. My first step was to remove this, and I had been warned that it would probably not be fun, and that the threads of stainless steel are not forgiving. However, I was pleasantly surprised when the threads broke loose fairly easily using only an adjustable wrench. Whatever thread sealant was used is excellent. It remains rubbery even when dry, so parts can be removed if necessary. Once I had removed the nipple, I noticed some strange scratches near the port. I'm not sure what would cause that, as nothing should be near the port when the nipple was originally installed. The end of the nipple accepts a wrench just fine, far away from the regulator body. If anyone has any ideas about the scratches, please let me know.
The threads look good on the removed nipple. Some new gauges are left hand threaded, which means you loosen them by turning them clockwise. I wanted to make sure none of my threads were left hand threaded. As it turned out, all of mine are standard right hand threaded. Here is how you can tell.
Once the inlet nipple was removed, I could get a good luck at the threads on the regulator side. They looked good, as well, but I noticed quite a bit of thread sealant that would need to be removed. I discovered the integrated filter, so I didn't need to worry about pieces of thread sealant falling inside the regulator, and that made cleanup a lot easier.
To remove the thread sealant remnants, I picked up a set of dental picks at Harbor Freight. Cheap!!
This was the perfect tool for the job.
Next was to address my first major blunder. When I purchased the regulator, I failed to notice that even though the regulator is setup for up to 3000 PSI at the inlet, the gauge only went to 600 PSI. Finding a replacement gauge for a good price is proving to be extremely difficult. I could sure use some suggestions if you have any. Ideally, I would like to find just a matching high-side gauge that goes to 3000 or 4000. The kicker is it needs to have the stainless or nickel-plated brass 1/4 NPT post. I can find cheap brass gauges all day long. I determined that at one time SPAN made these gauges. The ones I have say Pacific Scientific. These gauges are also found on Parker Veriflo regulators. If all else fails, I'll likely order two matching USG stainless gauges from jandrweldingsupply.com.
For my metering needle valve, I'm using something a little different: The Parker HR Series Metering Valve, Part number 2F-H3L-V-SS-TC. I've heard of one other person using this Parker valve, but I couldn't find any pics of the build. If there are any others using this valve, I'd like to hear from you and your thoughts (and see pics of your build). I got this valve listed as New for cheap. I looked up the unit's specs based on the part number, and it has a nice flow curve which you can see, below. It is close to the ideal valve.
There is another rare model known as the HR0 that would be perfect, but it would be too expensive unless one could find it on an auction site, and that isn't likely.
You may be curious about how the knob operates. It's slick. The metering valve has a resolution of 15 turns to full open. The knob is marked with 10 steps per 360 degree rotation. As the knob completes each 360 degree rotation, the turn counter automatically increments or decrements one. Think of this relationship like a second hand to a minute hand on a clock. Every rotation of the second hand causes the minute hand to increment. Every rotation of the control knob toward open causes the turn counter to increment one. The threads on this knob are superb and extremely fine. Theoretically, with 10 steps per full rotation, and 15 rotations to full open, this provides 150 repeatable positions. If you look closely, you can see that it actually has half-positions on the control knob, so that would provide 20 steps and would provide +/- 300 repeatable positions. In reality, it won't be that accurate, but it will still provide an easy reference point for setting the bubble count.
That's all for now. Once I find my replacement high side gauge, I'll pressure test the unit and then order the stainless fittings and solenoid to complete the build, and continue the build log.
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