PowerTig LX225 gas flow issue brand new unit, help!

[MR2 Josh]

Hi guys,
I bought this unit on February 22nd And received it very quickly on the 28th. Had definite shipping damage right as I opened (regulator broken, foot pedal bent) and upon trying to use the unit it at first would not even make a dent on 16ga aluminum piping. After an hour on the phone with MIke trouble shooting we found that the spark gap had been effected from shipping and I closed it up per his advice. After that it worked pretty good but still had a weird intermittent hiccup where current would be lost. After being roughly 10 minutes off the phone with Mike the gas flow to the gun stopped. Checked the bottle, regulator and lines to the machine and there was sufficient flow. I could hear the relay clicking to initiate the solenoid to open and close but still nothing. This was still using the setting that Mike had me set it to when we were trouble shooting.

I took the air hose and shot air through it to see if the solenoid wasn't opening at all or of it were possibly partially opening, and when I would press the pedal and the relay clicked air would pass through but no where near sufficient amount as this was 65psi that we were applying in short bursts and when welding we run 25-30.

Alex has been more than helpful with this as well as everyone that answers emails. Sent the machine in for warranty repair and Eric said the solenoid is probably jammed but will replace it. I received it back last week on Wednesday and say the repair info and they wrote that gas flow is fine and worked properly and that they fixed spark gap and tightened the loose electrical connections. The fact that the main reason I sent it in was because gas flow issues and nothing was addressed had me worried. I tested it this past Saturday and the gas flow worked great for about 5-10 seconds and then it stopped again just like it had before. I then tried calling alex and lest a message and emailed as well but haven't heard anything yet but of course it's the weekend so I wasn't expecting immediate reply.

Anyway, have any of you experienced this and know of a remedy? I'm going to try and contact alex again but I'm not looking forward to having to send it back in and wait 2 weeks. I have projects piling up and time is running out. It seems that the solenoid is jamming however I think it is not due to debris but an actual mechanical issue with the solenoid. The green led inside the machine for the solenoid turns on and off when power is applied so that tells me it's seeing power and the solenoid is opening and closing but it seems it's only opening a fraction and jamming as verified by the tests we did.

So again, any suggestions? Hopefully I'll get to speak with Alex later today.

Also, so it's known, I'm not bashing everlas or anyone affiliated, the service I have received has been pretty good I'm just frustrated because I spent a good amount of money on something and it's been a month now and haven't gotten to enjoy it.

Thanks guys and sorry if there are grammatical errors, typed this from my phone. Heh

[Wrenchtamer]

Sorry to hear abou tthe issue you are having. I'm just going to chime in here although I am not particularly up on the ins and outs of that unit. Pictures are worth a thousand words. You said the unit would not make a dent in 16g aluminum. If there were a total lack of shielding you would be seeing a piece of burned up blackened scrap. Also, your tungsten would be spitting and showering off. Run a test bead and take a pic. This will help us help you. What kind of regulator are you using? Were you using shop air to isolate the gas problem? Have you checked your torch? I might remove the barbed connector from the torch gas line and just stick it in the quick connect. then check the gas flow. There was a batch of water cooled torches a while back that had the gas fittings (or water fittings) in the wrong place. I usually dont get into technical issues, Mark and Mike are both top notch troubleshooters. If you sent the unit off, and the flow was good, I would consider what the variables were.

[MR2 Josh]

Sorry I should have stated that the initial lack of current that the unit had was due to the spark gap for the capacitors. Mike diagnosed this over the phone with me and I corrected it and the lack of power issue was solved however there was still an intermittent hiccup when trying to weld where current would momentarily stop and then come back. Aside from that it welded great once the spark gap was closed up and the amount of current needed reflected that of the miller tig's we have used which I was very happy to see. (shows that it's a quality machine to have comparable current)

The main issue here is gas flow across the machine and it was unfortunate that it happened literally ten minutes after I got off the phone with Mike. I sent the machine in and they found a few connections I guess loose and tightened them which makes sense of the inconsistency (hiccup). The gas flow apparently corrected itself in transit to Eric so I'm guessing the multiple bangs it received in shipping unstuck the solenoid by the time it arrivedto the repair center.

Now with the machine back gas flow worked properly for 5-10 seconds and then again stopped. It seems the solenoid is jamming. When I tested with the shop air I shot air through without pressing the foot pedal to see if there was flow and there wasn't like there shouldn't be. Then I pressed the pedal to activate the relay/solenoid and there was flow like the solenoid opened however it was no where near the proper amount. It's like the solenoid is opening just a fraction of what it should and jamming for whatever reason.

[performance]

Its more likely to jam open than shut. Can you hear the solenoid? There isn't much to jam.

[MR2 Josh]

I hear a click when I press the pedal and then another click after I let off. I was assuming this was the relay but is that actually the solenoid?

Is there a way I could free the jam if it really is some form of debris in the solenoid like Eric had said initially? I don't want to do anything that could potentially void my warranty however. Hah

[everlastsupport]

I hear a click when I press the pedal and then another click after I let off. I was assuming this was the relay but is that actually the solenoid?

Is there a way I could free the jam if it really is some form of debris in the solenoid like Eric had said initially? I don't want to do anything that could potentially void my warranty however. Hah

When you say there is not enough air (when you had the compressor one it). Leave the units power off and see if you hear any air leaking in the machine (ears to the vents). Keep the air down to 50PSI or so, as we do not want to blow a hose off to add a problem.

Have you tired the above test with the gas hose disconnected from the front of the unit (you will have to detached the quick connect and leave it in the female on the front)? Could be a twist or kink in the gas lead; leave the remote connected and try that if you have not.

Last, the solenoid can be opened and checked, but I would recommend a call to tech support for that. You need to power down the unit, wait 15 minutes, pop the cover (comes apart from the rear bezel), locate and pull the solenoid at the back of the unit, remove 4 screws and inspect a spring and piston inside. Like I said, better to call tech support for this.

If you do this without calling, kill the power and wait at least 15 minutes (if you have done the points you know this drill). Also, you can stretch the small spring just a little to push harder on the piston if you have it open. Or you can call Alex and see if they can send one out to you.