Question Valve Question

[rjack321]

This is not quite right, the air bleeds past the threads of the seat, not the thrust washer. If that were the case, certain Z-Valves would empty slowly over time.

The space between the backside (outside) of the seat plug and the bonnet nut sealing surface/stem oring is what I was referring to. It bleeds off eventually and the stem doesn't stay pressurized.

Retail, a bag of thermo crush washers is much more expensive than a bag of 015 orings from Mcmaster

 

[Angelo Farina]

I believe the majority of DIN valves should accept an insert, and have a dimple at the back, which lets them be used as yoke-valves, and those inserts are cheap. There are a couple exceptions, like some older Genesis valves I have. IMO, there's almost zero reason to have a yoke valve, even if you have yoke-regulators.

232 bars DIN valves accept the insert and are consequently yoke-compatible.
300 bars DIN valves can only be used with 300-bars DIN regs. No yoke insert...

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

232 bars DIN valves accept the insert and are consequently yoke-compatible.
300 bars DIN valves can only be used with 300-bars DIN regs. No yoke insert...

Correct - the 300 bar DIN fittings are a couple threads longer (on purpose to discourage converters), and most yoke stirrups will not fit over them to clamp down if there were an insert for them. Note that 300 bar DIN regs will work with the 200/232 DIN valve, but you see a few exposed threads that will not screw in.

But we've drifted WAY outside the scope of the question.

I like the copper crush washer valves over the o-ring valves and go that route every time I have a choice. To me, simpler, and more standardized. But I've a few XS that I've rebuilt and used.

 

[Tanks A Lot]

It bleeds off eventually and the stem doesn't stay pressurized.

In theory these will stay under pressure when you turn the valve off but in practice that tiny space eventually returns to ambient as you grip the knob/stem

I have to disagree here. In theory it does not stay pressurized and it doesn't eventually equalize, but in a matter of seconds. If you have a real dirty valve with tons of gunk on the threads of the seat, things may look a bit different.
This isn't true for all valves though, hence my mentioning of certain Z-Valves which will always stay pressurized in that area.

Gripping the knob has virtually nothing to do with. The space between the seat and back of the packing nut is pretty much equalized in a matter of seconds on most K-Valves as the excess air bleeds past the threads of seat. As mentioned before, the seat threads are not sealing and not ought to seal.

Yes, yanking on the Knob can create a leak between the spindle and packing nut, but as the air bleeds out very very quickly on it's own, this is mostly irrelevant.

To me, simpler, and more standardized.

That also depends on where you are I guess. In Europe for example, O-Rings are much more common. On top of my head I can only think of SoS and a handful of Coltri Sub valves which are widely used in Europe that use copper gaskets. And Coltri had some of their valves manufactured by SoS I believe.

 

[happy-diver]

Really if you can afford to be choosy about rubber or copper you mustn't have enough tanks where you can't

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

That also depends on where you are I guess. In Europe for example, O-Rings are much more common. On top of my head I can only think of SoS and a handful of Coltri Sub valves which are widely used in Europe that use copper gaskets. And Coltri had some of their valves manufactured by SoS I believe.

Yeah - we got different valves here. Different neck threads and more. Most seen here are the Thermos by XS, Blue Steel (SoS), Sherwood, Genesis....

Except for three XS, all of mine are Thermo and Blue Steel. Most all of the bottles I've seen in the Caribbean have been majority Thermo and lesser Blue Steel.

I started out driving a German car that didn't even use an oil filter. IIRC, it had 6 copper washers and a big copper crush washer that required swapping out at every oil change... (which was frequent as there was no filter). Continental aircraft engines too. Come to think of it, there was a lot in common between those two beasts.

Nothing wrong wit the o-ring solution, but outside minor cost, I don't see it as better or worse. When you're herding 40ish bottles, swapping it out every five years, I can absorb that. I spend less that that on beer I lug to the lake on any given summer weekend.