Problem with upgraded WP-20 torch purchased through Everlast

I purchased a PowerTig 250ex with W300 cooler about a month ago. I chose to upgrade to the WP-20 flex head torch and superflex cables for a fair price. After having the welder sit for a couple weeks, I finally got a chance to wire in the required breaker and outlet and tested the welder functions.

I tested the welder on a scrap piece of aluminum and had some issues. It seemed as though I was not getting good gas flow. Tungsten was burning, scrap aluminum turned a bluish/grey color. I tried increasing and decreasing the gas flow on the regulator with no effect. I came to the conclusion i was not getting any argon through the torch. I was frustrated and didn't have much time to tinker with the torch so i left it alone for a while.

This weekend i had a little more free time and finally got around to figuring everything out.I filled the cooler with 2 gallons of distilled water and powered on the welder and cooler. Immediately, I had water pouring out of cup and backcap. I turned the cooler off and verified all water and gas lines were routed to the correct locations. No mistakes or mix-ups there.

After disconnecting the torch, removing the outer protective jacket, and unhooking the gas/water lines from the torch head, I found that the water-in copper tubing (shortest barbed. yellow arrow) on the torch head is internally connected to the gas outlet hole(cup and cap sides. yellow arrow) inside the torch head. The gas-in copper tubing (shortest threaded line. green arrow) is internally connected to the water-out copper tubing (longest barbed line. green arrow).

This explains why i was not getting gas flow when i originally tested the welder (unsuccessfully) on the scrap aluminum. Luckily, I was not using the water cooler at the time or this probably would have created some major safety related issues.

I'm assuming this torch mistakenly had the gas-in fitting and and water-in fitting soldered on the wrong copper tubes, essentially getting the two completely backwards.

I attached a picture showing arrows of how the gas and water lines on the torch head flow. Maybe this will make it easier to understand.

I put this up here with hopes that it may help someone else with a similar problem.

Hopefully an Everlast sales rep or someone in customer service will chime in here and get me routed to the appropriate individual who can help get this thing figured out and a new torch sent out.

http://i59.tinypic.com/szzqcx.jpg

The text in the picture illustrates how the water/gas should be routed in a properly functioning torch.

You are not the first person to hook up the torch wrong. I think they might need to update the instructions for those that are new to TIG welding. The fact that the quick connects for gas and water are the same size, doesn't help. The instructions do tell you to blow air through the hoses to positively ID which is which, but it seems not everyone sees that section. Any other ID method is iffy at best. Also you should NEVER run a water cooled torch without water. The power cable requires the water for cooling and can burn up in seconds.

BTW your picture annotation is wrong. The threaded connection is the water out and power in, the two barbs are for water in and gas in.

Ahh, Gotcha. I wasn't paying attention and was looking at the air-cooled torch instructions. I had a big huge gigantic brain fart. Thank you for clearing it up. Please feel free to delete my rambling and and close my worthless thread. :)

Props to the knowledgeable guys on this forum for helping sort out the uneducated assumptions made by newbies such as myself!

The information in the online manuals has been simplified. But the drawings themselves have always provided and should be clear. Here is the excerpt from the 250ex manual about the water lines:
THE ARGON GAS LINE SHOULD BE TAGGED AS

“

Ar
”.
IF NOT, TAKE DRY
COMPRESSED AIR AND GENTLY BLOW THROUGH THE LINES TO DISCOVER
WHICH LINE EXHAUSTS THROUGH THE TORCH OR THROUGH THE RETURN
LINE. ON OPTIONAL CK TORCHES, THE WATER LINES MAY BE COLOR CODED

What information is in the manual that is in the box? Maybe that is where some people are getting their info. It's seems very clear to me, but I have too much experience, so you need to ask a n00b as to what they get from it. In this case it's because he looked at the air cooled info, but it seems like a few people get the lines mixed up.

Most machine errors are operator induced.

When things fail to work/act properly "I" go back and read the correct instructions,usually works out for me.
If not I do just what joshtodd1984 did, seek knowledgeable advice.