Advice needed re CO2 regulator

[Cronessa]

Hi All

A few years ago I obtained some bits and pieces for a keg system from a mate. I have finally gotten around to trying to put it all together although I already know that I'm going to have to acquire a few things like a CO2 bottle.

The regulator I obtained is a Foxx branded dual gauge regulator which is made in the US, pic is here:



I was a little concerned that the regulator may have had a US connection for the CO2 bottle (especially as my mate came from the States) but you will see from the pic that it has a 'type 30' connector which I understand will fit standard Australian CO2 bottles. Plus, I definitely know that the thread fits an Australian soda stream bottle thread.

The confusion I have is that the type 30 connector does not seem to be air tight:



I did find the following bits floating around in the box all the parts came in:



Are either, or both, of these used to make a seal in the type 30 connector? The red part is hard plastic, but has a groove on one side which seems to fit neatly onto a groove on the 'connector stem'.

Apologies if my terms are not correct, it's been a bit of a steep learning curve over the past day or so.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read through.

 

[woodwormm]

type 30 is a face sealing thread, so yep there's a washer, looks like the red one.

 

[Cronessa]

Many thanks for your reply - guess I'll just hook it up to CO2 and see how I go!

 

[wogdog]

Yep washer could be either depending which one fits the whole.. They are a replaceable part as they squash up tight an say bottle empty an change over u may wanna replace it from time to time. Hope that helps..!

 

[MastersBrewery]

replace each time you get a new bottle of gas

 

[Cronessa]

Thanks all for the replies. Appreciated.

I picked up a CO2 bottle today and now I'm a little worried that the thread on the regulator isn't right.

I couldn't hand tighten the type 30 nut beyond a couple of turns without a wrench. I wouldn't say that I had to absolutely crank it to get it tight (didn't feel like I was forcing it) but there was no way I could tighten it with my hand. Managed to tighten it and get an air tight seal with the regulator. I then removed the regulator, applied a little bit of lubricant to the thread and it was easier to do up by hand (but I'm hoping that isn't because I somehow cut the thread).

Worried that next time I go to get it refilled it won't fit...

Has anyone had this before or should the nut be easy to tighten? I have read a few things online but it sounds like experiences are a bit mixed.

Edit: Bottle connection is definitely type 30 and so is the reg connection (at least its stamped with that as you can see from the first pic above)

 

[mrsupraboy]

Soapy water and spray and wipe are Ur best friends mate. Just once u have it connected apply soapy water to all Ur connections and if it bubbles it's leaking

 

[TidalPete]

Sometimes this happens to every metal thread you may encounter but as mentioned above, apply a little food-grade lubrication before tightening, then spray the (tightened) connection with a soapy solution & all should hopefully be ok if no bubbles happen.
Running over with the thread-appropriate tap\die is a no-brainer but as the majority of us cannot do this then greasing & tightening should be ok in most instances.
Hopefully that is? h34r:

Different (read *****) manufacturers sometimes have different quality standards as regards to Australian so take this into account.
Gas leaks really **** me to tears so don't forget to use a new (silicon is best) washer every time you muck around tightening up the regulator to the gas. They are as cheap as chips from BOC so don't hesitate to replace. Better sure than sorry.

Good luck,
(gas) Paranoid Pete. :lol:

 

[schrodinger]

I couldn't hand tighten the type 30 nut beyond a couple of turns without a wrench.

I had exactly the same problem with the regulator that came with my kegerator from Pinnacle wholesalers. It was the right type of thread (type 30), etc., but the threads had been machined poorly, and it was impossible to tighten it beyond a certain point. I sent it back, they sent a replacement, and the replacement was even worse than the original. I ended up buying a new regulator from CraftBrewer.

I'd bet yours came off the same crappy manufacturing line as mine. If you trust the regulator itself, perhaps you can replace just that part of it; on my regs, those fittings can be removed. It would probably cost far less than even one wasted tank of CO2.

 

[Cronessa]

Cheers and good point about the quality of threads being different.

I guess I'm more concerned about stuffing the thread on the new bottle (so it can't be refilled) rather than it leaking. Once the nut is tightened it seems to keep an air tight seal so not as concerned about that.

Because it's a second hand regulator it's an unknown - guess I was just curious as to the experiences of others eg whether the majority can be hand tightened like LPG regulators.

The nut is tightening on the bottle, it's just that I couldn't do it by hand -having said that it doesn't feel like I'm using too much force when using a wrench - like I'm not forcing it with all of my strength or anything (if that makes sense)

Perhaps I'm just being paranoid

 

[schrodinger]

Both leaking and stuffing the tank threads are very expensive problems, so I don't think you're being paranoid. If you need a wrench to tighten it more than a quarter turn or so, then something is wrong with the threads -- at least in my experience (which is 20 years of using gas tanks on a daily basis in my research, albeit only with US CGA fittings).

 

[Cronessa]

Looks like a new regulator may be in order at least I'll know what I'm getting

Now I just hope the damage hasn't been already done...

 

[MHB]

The thread on a Soda Stream bottle is not the same as that on an Australian Standard CO2 bottle (Type 30) it is the same as that used on US bottles.
If you change the nut it will in all probability be fine, you can get a new type 30 nut from BOC and no doubt from lots of other places.
You will need a washer and a spanner as we are dealing with much higher pressures than found in a LPG bottle.
Mark

 

[Cronessa]

My mistake - the soda stream bottle doesn't fit either - beyond about 1 turn - thanks again for the advice, I may just see whether a new regulator fits better as the regulator I have is pretty old and I'm not entirely sure of it's history - might just be safest to replace it