Tank reg.

[bjyourk]

aside from the obligatory "should be installed by a professional", any suggestions about changing the tank reg. on a HPA. What little I can find on the subject just says to use Loctite and to torque to a specific amount. Doesn't sound to difficult, but there may be something I'm missing. Comments?

[rawbutter]

Installing a new tank reg is easy. I've done it a few times. (I'm not an air-smith, and I've never encountered problems with the regs that I've installed.) Just like you said... add some locktite and get it down nice and tight.

Now, getting regs off... that's a pain. :mad: You have to make sure the tank is completely empty first (that's easy), but getting a good grip on the reg and the tank can be very difficult if you don't have the right tools.

[bjyourk]

do you use a torque wrench or just hawse on it?

[Shane-O-Mac]

Use 2-3 drops of red loc-tite on the last 3 threads (the ones that go into the tank first) of the reg. Let that run around the threads until it fills the threads of the last 2-3 threads. Lightly dab up the excess loc-tite with a q-tip. you want there to be loc-tite just in the valleys of the threads. put a drop of oil on the o-ring that seats into the tank, and smear it around the o-ring only, Install on tank, lock the reg into a vice, and tighten the tank as hard as you can by hand. When you put the reg into a vice, use a piece of leather or thick rubber, and use the fill nipple to keep it from turning in the vice. The fill nipple should rest against the side of the vice that will keep the reg from turning.

[georgeyew]

Many manufacturers do not require the use of Loctite. When the tank is pressurized, there will be enough friction on the threads to keep it from screwing off. Besides, it is impossible for the reg to accidently screw off since it needs 10 full turns to come off the the bottle.

[Shane-O-Mac]

Many manufacturers do not require the use of Loctite. When the tank is pressurized, there will be enough friction on the threads to keep it from screwing off. Besides, it is impossible for the reg to accidently screw off since it needs 10 full turns to come off the the bottle.

The way I posted is the way we did it when I teched for Air America. The small amount of loc-tite used just helps it from coming apart, and does not make it harder to take off, when done properly. Its a bit of extra insurance. Your right, it isnt mandatory, but it is just a bit of insurance. With screw in regs, you can have the tank unscrew from the bottle, with as much as 1200 psi or more in the bottle. And many regs do not have that long of a shank that threads into the tank. Ever see how short the shank is on a PE screw-in reg? A dab of loc-tite is for peace of mind.......................

[georgeyew]

The way I posted is the way we did it when I teched for Air America. The small amount of loc-tite used just helps it from coming apart, and does not make it harder to take off, when done properly. Its a bit of extra insurance. Your right, it isnt mandatory, but it is just a bit of insurance. With screw in regs, you can have the tank unscrew from the bottle, with as much as 1200 psi or more in the bottle. And many regs do not have that long of a shank that threads into the tank. Ever see how short the shank is on a PE screw-in reg? A dab of loc-tite is for peace of mind.......................

Understood. I got my info from PE. They no longer us Loctite when they assemble regs to tanks. But I do agree that if you really want the extra insurance, Loctite would not hurt.