Will an LP regulaor work for Acetylene?
- Thread starter bgarrett
- Start date
Rookie2
Well-known member
i would call a gas supplier parts dept. and ask. Acetylene bottles have acetone in them i think. Better to be safe !
I know quite a few portable rig guys that use acetylene regulators for propane, and I have done this as well in the past. But I have not heard of any that use them the other way around.
You have to be careful with acetylene in that you can't (shouldn't) run over ~15psi as it become unstable. Most propane regulators will allow high pressure, which could become a dangerous situation with acetylene.
Personally I wouldn't, but I honestly don't know if it is just a pressure safety issues or if the internals are different. I ain't scared of much, but pressurized flammable gas, especially acetylene scares me $hitless.
You have to be careful with acetylene in that you can't (shouldn't) run over ~15psi as it become unstable. Most propane regulators will allow high pressure, which could become a dangerous situation with acetylene.
Personally I wouldn't, but I honestly don't know if it is just a pressure safety issues or if the internals are different. I ain't scared of much, but pressurized flammable gas, especially acetylene scares me $hitless.
4x4gearhead
Well-known member
Wont the propane one be right handed thread? If so it wont work. (where it goes onto the valve into the tank, should be JIC)
Outlawmws
Well-known member
in a word, no...
The LP regulator fits the acetylene tank
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Tell you what, since you seem to trust a complete stranger on the interwebs more than a professional welding supply shop, I think you need to do some actual work researching. I'll point you in a direction, and you do some homework.
I'm taking this approach as Acetylene is damn dangerous stuff used improperly. For that, this is where to start:
Go look up Acetylene on Wikipedia. after you have read what is there, use their references for things that relate to safety.
Then once you have been through your voyage of discovery, you can report back.
I'm taking this approach as Acetylene is damn dangerous stuff used improperly. For that, this is where to start:
Go look up Acetylene on Wikipedia. after you have read what is there, use their references for things that relate to safety.
Then once you have been through your voyage of discovery, you can report back.
To put this issue to rest. Will it work? yes. Is it a good idea, ABSOLUTELY NOT. That is all I really want to say on the subject.
Allow me to quote Chris Rock to get the point across (caution foul language is present)
I really hope you get the point of this. How much money will you be saving by purchasing this propane gauge? How much do you value your life, or the lives of those around you?
There are many a threads on the welding forums about this. No offense, but this is one of those things that if you don't have the knowledge of why you shouldn't do it, THEN you probably shouldn't do it. Overdrawing and over pressurizing acetylene is a real concern.
Allow me to quote Chris Rock to get the point across (caution foul language is present)
I really hope you get the point of this. How much money will you be saving by purchasing this propane gauge? How much do you value your life, or the lives of those around you?
There are many a threads on the welding forums about this. No offense, but this is one of those things that if you don't have the knowledge of why you shouldn't do it, THEN you probably shouldn't do it. Overdrawing and over pressurizing acetylene is a real concern.
Chuck122
Well-known member
I'm not sure lpg regulators comply with acetylene RBO protection standards.
Rezeppa
Well-known member
Ok we have a thousand acetylene regulators at work. When Detroit Edison switched to propylene and got rid of their acetylene out gauges became useless. They DO work on propane but not forever. The diaphragm inside is different and will deteriorate overtime just like the hoses do. The regulator will eventually leak. Ok now as stated earlier you can but absolutely should not run propane regulators on acetylene due to the higher pressures it will let you run. It is not safe. So in my opinion (which is the right opinion) for 100-200 bucks run the right regulator it's not work the risk.
thank you for the response. I understand that Victor regulators have no rubber parts so whats to deteriorate?
When I use acetylene gauges on the LP regulator, where is the concern about higher pressures?
I am not wanting to argue with anyone who has posted but do want to learn and understand. Thanks guys!
Curmudgeon
Well-known member
Doesn't matter what gauges are on the regulator. The regulator will still allow pressures that are very dangerous with acetylene, and those dangerous pressures will not show up on the gauge. If you have a regulator that allows you to set an output pressure of 400psi, putting a lower reading gauge on it will not change that.
It's not the gauges that regulate the pressure. All they do is tell you how much pressure is being delivered to your torch. Many acetylene gauges max out at 15psi. Put that gauge on a regulator that allows higher pressure and once the needle hits the stop you won't know how much pressure you're actually delivering. You could think you have 15 when you actually have full tank pressure.