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Re: CO2 reg meltdown
> Date: Mon, 02 Jun 1997 19:30:48 -0700
> From: Robin B <rbp at cruzio_com>
>
> As for connecting the tubing, if the tubing connects with a nut to the
> fitting, that is, if the tubing has a nut on it that is held on by
> either the tubing being flared or the presence of a brass sleeve
> (called a ferrel) on the tubing, then there is no need to put any
> sealant of any kind on the threads of the fitting as the flared tubing
> or ferrel is what makes the seal. It's a metal to metal seal.
None of the CO2 related pieces that I've worked with have flares or
sleeves -- they are simple threaded fittings. I've got plenty of
flares and sleeves on my GTO Tri-Power setup but none on my
aquariums. The connection to the CO2 bottle has either a flat washer
(which deforms over time) or an O-ring. Other connections (regulator,
solenoid, fine control valve) are usually 1/8" to 3/8" NPT threaded
fittings.
I use teflon pipe sealant paste on most of the joints since they are
permanent connections. I confess I still use teflon tape on the CO2
bottle fitting but have not had a clogging problem in the past 8 years
using 4 different CO2 bottles (what's that, 32 bottle-years of
experience? :-). I'm not saying that I won't have shredded teflon
tape clogging all my regulators tomorrow or that you should use teflon
tape. I'm just saying that I've never had a problem. Maybe I'm just
super extra careful when I remove the tape and add new tape each time
I change bottles. Maybe I don't even need the tape but someone at the
welding shop a long time ago said to use it. Maybe they were just
having fun with me.
George "Ignorant of the Laws of Pipe Fitting"