Powertig 250 EX gas line leak down

[Steve]

I have a Powertig 250EX for almost two years and love it. I Have noticed that the gas line does not hold the gas as my other machines do. The argon leaks down in the line after closing the valve on the tank. Takes about 5 minutes to leak down to nothing. My Hobart Handler 210 mig machine holds the gas fine for almost ever.

Is it normal for the Powertig 250EX to leak down like that?

BTW...if you ever get a chance, open up your machine and look inside. (Make sure you unplug it first and ground it so any contact to electrical parts is not met with a zap!)

It is amazing the engineering that went into it. Lots of heavy duty parts. I did notice when I opened mine up that the electrical connection to the torch was really loose. Tightened it up and it runs a whole lot smoother.

[Brian Ski]

Soap all your connections... Not sure what pressure the Argon is set after the fixed regulator and goes through the flow meter but seems pretty high. (50-80 psi?? Guessing) I have found the screw clamps were not sealing the hoses really well to the barbed fittings. My 200dx was doing the same until I tightened them down a couple times.

[everlastsupport]

Always bleed down the gas in the lines when you are done welding, before turning off the machine. Also let the machine run a bit to cool as well. The pressure on the gauge/regulator diaphragm and unit/torch hoses puts extra wear on them and will shorten their life.

[Steve]

Always bleed down the gas in the lines when you are done welding, before turning off the machine. Also let the machine run a bit to cool as well. The pressure on the gauge/regulator diaphragm and unit/torch hoses puts extra wear on them and will shorten their life.

Well then maybe having a slight leak that gets rid of the pressure is good? It leaks down in about 5 minutes and is not really a problem it's just that I find it interesting that my Hobart does not leak down. I shut off all my gas when done welding anyways so it is not like I lose a lot of gas.