Another Cracked Regulator

[everlastsupport]

Mike, I'm surprised that you're only aware of "a couple" cracked Everlast flowmeters.

Over a year ago, I informally counted (and provided links to) six different forum members reporting cracked Everlast flowmeters in this related post:
http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...8076#post18076 {/quote]

I didn't mentioned, we did have a bad batch of them "at one time" awhile back, as that was a unique case. And we handled that, sometimes we do have an issue like other companies, but all in all there is no problem with the regulator. And as always we resolved any problems. It was something sort of beyond our control.

Either way, I still use mine, and mine are even older than Mark's.

Also, I hope everyone knows to be careful when you turn on the tank, as hoses can blow off as well. I always stand on the other side of the regulator and hose. Always use caution when cracking the valve, I turn it on slowly then open it up. Just a habit, nothing to do with our regulator, just a safer way to do it.

[redbeard]

Also, I hope everyone knows to be careful when you turn on the tank, as hoses can blow off as well. I always stand on the other side of the regulator and hose. Always use caution when cracking the valve, I turn it on slowly then open it up. Just a habit, nothing to do with our regulator, just a safer way to do it.

Good tip Mike, I always try to open it slowly, but never much thought about standing out of the line of fire. Just like standing to the side of your bench grinder when you hit the switch.

[jakeru]

Mark: I'm disappointed by the initial reply you posted here, which appears to downplay the severity of the safety problem reported by the original poster, by instead discussing how one flowmeter that you own has been in service for 4 years (which has nothing to do with the potential safety risk of the *cracked* flowmeter, intended to contain in excess of 2000 psi in normal use, as not only reported by the OP but similarly reported by apparently many other users.)

Have you actually tested *in a reliable way* the flowmeter you mentioned is in service to verify it's actually crack-free, and also otherwise safe? (e.g., has a properly functioning safety valve, and no main valve seal leaks?) The problem with these "hairline fractures" is that a simple visual inspection is insufficient to find them. Finding them reliably, IMO, requires using something like a leak-detection solution applied liberally while a flowmeter is under pressure, or submerging it under water while under pressure. Or at least verifying that the tank pressure gauge on the flowmeter registers full pressure long after the tank knob has been turned off, to hopefully provide some assurance that there are no cracks which are leaking.

If your flowmeter hasn't passed at least one of those tests, how do you know it doesn't actually have the same hairline fracture reported by many others? I can add some personal experience with a cracked regulator, that such crack is not something I'd expect someone to be able to easily find by naked eye.

FYI, I did some quick, unsuccessful searching on OSHA and the Web for examples of failed inert gas flowmeters/regulators, but the closest thing I can find were reports of some failed oxygen regulators (which generally are more severe, because the oxygen, unlike inert gas, can support violent combustion during a failure, releasing far more energy than just the pressurization of the gas inside the tank. The inert gas would be limited to only releasing the energy stored by the pressurization of the inert gas stored in the tank. However, common sense indicates that even without injury examples to cite, a crack on a device holding back > 2000 psi of considerable volume is a safety risk, as there is still probably a lot of stored energy that could be fairly quickly released. (So, I still wouldn't want to anywhere near the presense of a flowmeter with cracks that's holding back >2000 psi, myself.) (If anyone knows of an actual safety incident caused by a defective inert gas flowmeter like the ones being discussed here, please tell us.)

Oleg: I agree that a wide-reaching recall may be excessive (and very costly), and didn't mean to imply this is necessarily what Everlast should have done. I'm glad to hear the issue is at least on your radar (e.g., knowing the numbers of exchanged flowmeters), and also for your and Mike's informative, and responsive replies in this thread. The news about one batch of flowmeters being particularly prone to defects coming from Mike is also informative.

I think only Mike (and not Mark) gave the proper guidance coming from Everlast to the OP (and to anyone else who also may be reading this thread, who may encounter a similar situation) of removing the cracked flowmeter from service immediately for safety reasons. Everlast should consider making this guidance more readily visible to it's customers who may have the faulty flowmeter, such as by making a thread with such guidance a "sticky." And consider providing more info about the batch of flowmeters known to be unreliable (e.g., to help users identify flowmeters coming from this batch, if possible. E.g., when was the bad batch distributed? Are there serial numbers which can be used to identify?)

Unfortunately, reliably identifying these hairline fractures is probably not easy for most users to do. So I simply can't fault the advice given by the OP, here, to simply not chance it, and discard any flowmeter that have a similar visual appearance as those which are known to be flaky, if in doubt.

OK, I'll get off my stump now. I hope you guys understand my intention with these posts is to inform, with your best long-term interests (as well as your customers') in mind. Thanks for listening!

[performance]

For one, I have had background training in metallurgical failure in heavy/farm equipment. My flow meter holds pressure for days/weeks. And yes, I regularly "bubble" check my equipment. I have way more than one regulator, everlast or not. Last count was bout 9. The tone you use here treats me as if I am to be scolded like a little child. I've always respected your voice here, but tonight's post went beyond where it should have. The customer stated what his intentions were about not using it (pitching it), and nothing more needed to be said. It was a moot point. I was addressing his concern in the most expedient manner possible. His warning to all sufficed in my opinion. My regulators are fine as well as 10s of thousands of others. I've had many regulators from Everlast pass through my hands, and only one had any issue at all...and it was not in anyway a danger to operation. This issue has been addressed before on the forum multiple times. We've always replaced a problematic regulator if it is under warranty. Regulators new and old can be defective of all brands. Common sense dictates a cracked regulator under thousands of pounds of pressure should not be used...ever. I've seen some failures personally, of aforementioned brands. Stand to the opposite side of any regulator when turning it on. Don't stand in front of it.

[geezer]

Yep had one crack on me,,,worked fine for a while then one day heard a leaking sound and sure enough there was a crack on it,,,was it still covered by warrenty...couldn,t remember so I just sucked it up and bought a new one at the local bumper to bumper,,,shiit happens,,,why sweat it ,,,I probably cracked it opened too fast,,, can I complain,,,not really ....takes more effort to do that then it's worth..the rest of them that came with my Everlast outfits are holding up fine..is there an issue with certain producrion runs,,,maybe,,,bottom line I saved so much money with buying Everlast equipment,, I don't care if the odd regulator craps out..