Charlie99
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It sounds like you learned that lesson in "the school of hard knocks!"Leadking:
How tight do you put valve on tank?
- Thread starter DavidHickey
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boogeywoogey
Contributor
Oh god...smacking valves with anything...rubber mallets or not is BAD. A nice sharp hand turn at the end is good for people with rubber mallets.
The crstallube advice is good...that's very friendly for your high concentrates.
All the best.
boogey
The crstallube advice is good...that's very friendly for your high concentrates.
All the best.
boogey
Leadking
Contributor
Charlie99:It sounds like you learned that lesson in "the school of hard knocks!"
We distribute Thermo Valves. We see them beat with a hammer and the they want us to warrent them. Normal useage does not include being hit with a hammer.
Lee
www.seapearls.com
pescador775
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Dave,
Covci and Leadking provided the right info. I use a chain vise to secure tanks. That way, I can use enough torque to seat the valve. When seating a valve and metal hits metal, the seal will never leak. That means about 30-40 pound feet of torque, but up to 60 is acceptable. Since your tank is small it will fit into a regular vise jaws but use a sheet of rubber, or wood shims, to protect the tank from scratches. Use a large wrench to snug up the valve. Although various monkey shines like knocking with a mallet will probably seal the valve I don't recommend it. Use a wrench and secure the tank firmly.
I have seen valves freeze in aluminum tanks. This is due to galvanic corrosion and, although rare, it might be advisable to use a small amount of lube on the threads. When lubing the O ring, only a trace is needed.
Covci and Leadking provided the right info. I use a chain vise to secure tanks. That way, I can use enough torque to seat the valve. When seating a valve and metal hits metal, the seal will never leak. That means about 30-40 pound feet of torque, but up to 60 is acceptable. Since your tank is small it will fit into a regular vise jaws but use a sheet of rubber, or wood shims, to protect the tank from scratches. Use a large wrench to snug up the valve. Although various monkey shines like knocking with a mallet will probably seal the valve I don't recommend it. Use a wrench and secure the tank firmly.
I have seen valves freeze in aluminum tanks. This is due to galvanic corrosion and, although rare, it might be advisable to use a small amount of lube on the threads. When lubing the O ring, only a trace is needed.
Leadking, I realize what you are saying but please understand that I am not "beating" the valve. Just lightly tapping it to get a good seal. If a hammer seems to primitive, then the heal your palm might do the same thing. Think of it as a lovetap.
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
I agree about the "Don't hit the handle with ANYTHING" advice. Pull a valve apart and see WHAT you are beating against!
BTW, I USED to abuse valves like this all the time. In fact, I think I may have shown Spectre the trick back at the first Wreck Mania. Since then I have become less inclined to do so and the ONLY hammering I do is on the back end of a large adjustable wrench that is attached to the flats on the valve.
BTW, I USED to abuse valves like this all the time. In fact, I think I may have shown Spectre the trick back at the first Wreck Mania. Since then I have become less inclined to do so and the ONLY hammering I do is on the back end of a large adjustable wrench that is attached to the flats on the valve.
Leadking
Contributor
diverryan:
Some individuals take everything literally and use no discretion "I gave it a couple of wacks with a hammer and now the valve leaks"
That's why we give the torque, it removes the intepretation element.
Lee
www.seapearls.com
Some of the posts in this thread are a little scary.
100 foot pounds is way too much torque, especially in an aluminum tank where 35 foots pounds is more than enough to do the job. 100 ft pounds and no lube can add up to damaged tank threads when you go to remove the valve a year later and that means you have a very nice wind chime.
Realistically, hand tight with a light smack with the heel of your palm is tight enough and will damage neither the threads nor the valve. Using your hand guarentees you are not going to wind up and hit it too hard as can happen with a rubber mallet. The o-ring does the sealing not the tightness of the valve and all you need is enough torque to keep the valve from coming loose in normal operation at very low tank pressures (which could lead to o-ring extrusion. At anything over 100 psi, even a snug but less than hand tight valve is not going to come undone.
If you just have to have it tighter for some unknown reason, use a torque wrench and suitably sized crow's foot rather than guessing or getting out the hammer. In my experience, most people badly over torque when they start guessing.
O-ring lubrication is essential as the o-ring needs to be able to slide into position and conform to the mating surfaces on the valve and tank. For scuba purposes, lube is best applied by placing a small amount on your forefinger and then rubbing it into the o-ring between your thumb and forefinger. When you are done you should not see any lube on the o-ring which should otherwise have only a even shine to it.
If you don't lube the o-ring, it gets badly abused getting forced into position. That, and dirty mating surfaces are the biggest reasons for o-ring failures and leaks.
If you are looking at using partial pressure blended nitrox, keeping things O2 clean is a key consideration and lubing the threads and o-ring with an O2 compatible lube like Cristolube is the way to go rather than using a silicone grease, which is petroleum based.
100 foot pounds is way too much torque, especially in an aluminum tank where 35 foots pounds is more than enough to do the job. 100 ft pounds and no lube can add up to damaged tank threads when you go to remove the valve a year later and that means you have a very nice wind chime.
Realistically, hand tight with a light smack with the heel of your palm is tight enough and will damage neither the threads nor the valve. Using your hand guarentees you are not going to wind up and hit it too hard as can happen with a rubber mallet. The o-ring does the sealing not the tightness of the valve and all you need is enough torque to keep the valve from coming loose in normal operation at very low tank pressures (which could lead to o-ring extrusion. At anything over 100 psi, even a snug but less than hand tight valve is not going to come undone.
If you just have to have it tighter for some unknown reason, use a torque wrench and suitably sized crow's foot rather than guessing or getting out the hammer. In my experience, most people badly over torque when they start guessing.
O-ring lubrication is essential as the o-ring needs to be able to slide into position and conform to the mating surfaces on the valve and tank. For scuba purposes, lube is best applied by placing a small amount on your forefinger and then rubbing it into the o-ring between your thumb and forefinger. When you are done you should not see any lube on the o-ring which should otherwise have only a even shine to it.
If you don't lube the o-ring, it gets badly abused getting forced into position. That, and dirty mating surfaces are the biggest reasons for o-ring failures and leaks.
If you are looking at using partial pressure blended nitrox, keeping things O2 clean is a key consideration and lubing the threads and o-ring with an O2 compatible lube like Cristolube is the way to go rather than using a silicone grease, which is petroleum based.
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