250 ex arc wont start

[johnson697]

i have a 250 ex and when i recieved it the points were bent ..talked to mike and he talked me thourgh resetting them..now i am haveing a problem with starting a arc,i have to scratch start the arc and after i weld a bead it will not restart.

[Rodsmachineshop]

what do you have your preflow set at and what did you set the points at and are you use straight argon or argon and helium mix .

[performance]

Johnson,
Contact Mike again. There may be a wire cut or damaged when you replaced the cabinet. There is also another possibility.

[johnson697]

mike had me set the points at .060 and i am using straight argon no preflow..and i did not replace the cabinet so i know i did not cut a wire

[johnson697]

i am also using lanthanated tungsten and thoriated ,i have both .also another problem i am having is when i finish a weld the arc stays on for a about 3 or 4 seconds after i let up on pedal .when i did reset points to .060 it starts better but i still have to scratch or touch start.

[johnson697]

on a positive note when the arc does start...it welds perfect welds,very happy with the way it does weld when the arc starts.

[performance]

The pedal is tied to the downslope. Again, contact Mike and he will go over stuff to authorize a return if its warranted.

[johnson697]

have tried to get ahold of him all week...what else should i do ?i am losing money on this machine right now.

[everlastsupport]

First, I did talk to a fellow today that told me what you just posted. Not sure if that was you. But either way.

I told him what to do, also told him order a welder (or any tool) in advance of a project, so if there's an issue it can get resolved and one is not in a pickle. No mater what company or tool. This fellow did not plan, not saying it was you, and I understood his situation.

Second, there is no one that has called "me" or anyone in Tech support that waited a week for a return call unless.

1) They did not leave a return number, as Tech support doesn't have customer phone numbers. If you call and state this is Joe call me back. We have no way to know which Joe or the number. If we miss a call, our voicemail does not give us your number.

2) We called and there's a busy signal or no machine to leave a message.

3) If you called from a bad area, from a cell or cordless phone (or in the wind) and a digit was missing in the message/number, see note 1.

I am shocked at the people that do not repeat their phone number when leaving a message. If we can not make out the number we can not call you back.

That said

If you would e-mail your phone number to support@everlastwelders.com someone will call you back.

I forgot note 4, it is very rare, but bad language or a major tone will not speed up a callback.

[johnson697]

ok reset points again..as instructed and changed foot pedal.it is welding just fine now.yes i am the same person you talked to on phone.just wanted to get machine up and running had a lot of smalll issues with this machine,mostly from shipping.dont mean to run any one away from buying 1 of these machines,I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND BUYING THIS MACINE FOR THE MONEY.

[everlastsupport]

Todd,

What did you finally end up with at the gap as the first attempt did not solve it.

[Stelfabulous]

I'm a forum newb. I'm going to start buy saying nothing is cheap about this machine so dont let a low price fool you. It is the heaviest portable TIG I have ever used, and I think thats a good thing. Usually good electronics are heavy, I dunno... When I set up my machine the points were sketchy too, one was longer then the other. I had to push one tab back on a bit of an angle and parallelld the other. I also cleaned the contacts, and gapped by eye. Its awesome! If you cant afford a cooler, get out and buy a fountain pump for $25, put it in a pail and make the necessary connections. I also added a different switch to my torch, I'm constantly moving my button for different positions.
Good Job Everlast!
Hey Mike its Jay from Canada, You rock buddy. You make service with Everlast a breeze!

[everlastsupport]

Hey Jay,

Thanks for the good words. We aim to please. Yell if you need us.

[johnson697]

started at .035 then to .060 then to .069 and the 1 that did it was .020,arc starts great.dont know if it was causing the arc to stay on but upslope was turned up , i thought it wouldnt work with the pedal plugged in,turned it down,didnt get a chance to weld very long ran out of time but arc starts a lot better like it should.

[everlastsupport]

So everyone knows, the point issue is rare and mostly are on the 250EX as they are in an open area inside the unit and the final assembly tech can bump them while finishing the units front panel. The factory has been told to be careful, but sometimes one will get through.

The points can also be viewed through the front left vent/bezel with a flashlight for people that order new units and want to check them before they start welding. They stick out downward from the board and are on the edge closest to the front panel.

[johnson697]

what about the machine running after i let up on pedal ,would it do that even when the pedal is plugged in?

[everlastsupport]

what about the machine running after i let up on pedal ,would it do that even when the pedal is plugged in?

Depends on the down slope and post gas.

[performance]

Yes,
The post flow/ down slope is connected to the pedal.

[Den]

Thanks for the tip on locating the points on the 250EX. I've heard about adjusting points, but I didn't know where they were or what they were for. Can someone explain the function of the points? I was also a little confused about what the gap should be set at. Is 60 thousands of an inch the optimal setting for all 250EX's or does it vary from one machine to another? Thanks a lot.
-Dennis