propane outside and difficult to turn on

[firedinglass]

 i have recently moved and consequently haven't had a workspace for quite a few months.  Today i set everything up and am almost ready to start again....if i remember how!   But on my propane tank I have a saffire 25bar p4 regulator and it is so stiff i can hardly turn it. on to adjust it ...  the tank has been sat outside in all this rain, so my questions are     is it safe or do i need to get it checked or buy a new regulator?  and  Should i have some kind of cover over the tank/   I'm feeling quite nervous as don't want to blow myself up........

[firedinglass]

OK I've just gone all the way back through the posts and found the suggestion of a plastic dustbin or a barbecue cover type thing.  They seem like really good ideas!  Didn't like the sound of the hose perishing...........  But that still doesn't help me with the stiff regulator.  Would it be alright to spray something like WD40 on it or would thaat not be good to use.....does anybody have any advice please?

[Hotglass28]

I don't think I would spray WD on it.  Phone a gas supplier and ask their advice.

Keep in mind that propane bottles are stored outside all the time anyway, so dont worry about the bottle.  Nor would I worry bout the regs too much as they are brass?? 

Just worry about the hoses degrading too quickly from UV damage and get em covered. Ask a nice gas person about the stiff regs.  It may be that you need a bit more omph to open them too.

HTH

[firedinglass]

It's not that i can't turn the regulator....it's that it now squeaks and is very difficult.  Much more so than it used to be.   How much do the rest of you adjust it each time you turn it after opening the tank up.  Perhaps i've been adjusting it too much over the years......

[sarah t]

i dont touch my regulator at all ...once set i leave it alone and turn off/on at the valve on the bottle .......

[mazmeabead]

Me too sarah and I just said so on another thread too - dont really know if its good practice but thats what I thought best to save wear and tear on the regulator mechanism?

[turnedlight]

I've never moved mine since I got it..

[Dragonfire Glass]

I was going to say are you sure you mean the regulator?
I don't touch mine either.

[firedinglass]

Yes i do mean the regulator, that's how i was initially taught to do it.......... perhaps i've been doing it wrongly all this time!    If the rest of you just set the regulator when you first link up the tank and after that just turn on the open/close dial .........  I thought it was something to do with easing the pressure before you switched on/off at open/close dial.

[Ian R Pearson]

Glasslisa is correct as far as I and BOC are concerned. Check out their web site. Always relieve the regulator when not used. Deffinately unscrew regulator pressure control when changing cylinders.

Ian

[Margram]

I've never quite known what to do about the regulator - just turned it up a little and left it.  I looked
on the BOC site, Ian but can't find a reference to this: have you got a link for us please

[firedinglass]

Thanks for that Ian   In that case maybe the threads are just getting very worn......

[Ian Pearson]

Hopefully this works, fingers crossed and all that but to be honest my computer skills arent as good as my glassworking skills.

http://www.bocindustrial.co.uk/bocindustrial/safety/gas_safety/apparatus_safety/connecting_safely.asp


""Release the screw before fitting pressure regulator
Before fitting a pressure regulator on to a full cylinder always screw out the pressure adjusting screw so that there can be no flow through the regulator when the cylinder valve is opened.""

Ian