Just burned through a $40 propane tank in one afternoon trying to forge weld

My regulator was set way too high and I didn't realize it until the tank was empty. Anyone know a good way to check your flow rate before you start a big project?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_casey11d ago

My old Harris regulator has a flow gauge next to the pressure gauge. You can watch the needle jump when you open the torch valve. If you don't have that, just time how long it takes to fill a five gallon bucket with water using your gas. That gives you a real number to check against next time. It's a basic test but it works. Setting your pressure by sound or feel is a good way to burn through cash.

jordanc3211d ago

Saw a guy on YouTube do the bucket test with a stopwatch app. He was checking for leaks but it works for flow rate too. Pretty smart way to get a baseline without extra gear. Makes you wonder why more people don't talk about simple checks like that.

daniel_lane3023h ago

Man, that takes me back. I used to help my neighbor time his well pump recovery with a stopwatch and a five gallon bucket. We'd do it every spring. He'd swear he could just "tell" if the flow was off, but the numbers never lied. Simple tools can really cut through the guesswork.