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Author Topic: How to separate double pressure regulator  (Read 1310 times)

Offline Redbeard325

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How to separate double pressure regulator
« on: August 08, 2019, 04:22:53 pm »
Hello,

I'm trying to take apart a double pressure regulator so that I can use one solo, and add the other one to my existing kegerator double regulators to have a third serving pressure option.

However, the threaded joints are very tight, and there's no place to put a wrench on the regulator body.  I've loosened the joint between the 2 regulators 2 rotations already by holding the connecting spool piece with a wrench, and turning the regulator by yanking on the pressure gauge, but there has to be a better way.  >:(

It's a CO2PO regulator from Midwest Supplies: https://www.midwestsupplies.com/co2po-double-body-regulator

Does anyone have a idea of a better way to separate them? Anyone know how they're assembled in the first place?

Thanks!

Offline goose

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Re: How to separate double pressure regulator
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2019, 07:32:19 am »
Hello,

I'm trying to take apart a double pressure regulator so that I can use one solo, and add the other one to my existing kegerator double regulators to have a third serving pressure option.

However, the threaded joints are very tight, and there's no place to put a wrench on the regulator body.  I've loosened the joint between the 2 regulators 2 rotations already by holding the connecting spool piece with a wrench, and turning the regulator by yanking on the pressure gauge, but there has to be a better way.  >:(

It's a CO2PO regulator from Midwest Supplies: https://www.midwestsupplies.com/co2po-double-body-regulator

Does anyone have a idea of a better way to separate them? Anyone know how they're assembled in the first place?

Thanks!

Not sure which regulator you are trying to remove, the gauge or separating the whole assembly.  If you are trying to separate the whole assembly, one ting to keep in mind is that the straight through line that has the high pressure gauge on the end is left hand thread to prevent putting a low pressure gauge on a high pressure line.  This is designed as a safety precaution for your protection.  The low pressure side of the regulator (i.e the gas outlet) is right hand thread.  I recently added a second low pressure gauge to one of my CO2 tanks to allow me to purge kegs with CO2 at around 20 lbs before filling them and the second regulator is used for low pressure transfers ~2-3 PSI.  I added the second regulator on the 20 PSI outlet because that portion of the regulator was right hand thread.

If all your regulators are from the same manufacturer you should be able to just break the high pressure connection apart and move the whole second regulator assembly to your other tank.  Just make sure you are threading RH-RH and LH-LH.
Goose Steingass
Wooster, OH
Society of Akron Area Zymurgists (SAAZ)
Wayne County Brew Club
Mansfield Brew Club
BJCP Certified

Offline Redbeard325

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Re: How to separate double pressure regulator
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2019, 12:25:16 pm »
Goose, thank you! 
All my high pressure fittings are LH threaded, and I never even looked.  I got everything taken apart and reassembled no problem. Now I can serve low pressure beer (stout/porter), high pressure beer (lager/pale ale), and seltzer water all at once!

Offline Richard

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Re: How to separate double pressure regulator
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2019, 03:10:41 pm »
Virtually all the fittings we regularly encounter are right-hand threads, but for safety reasons some are made with left-hand threads so they don't get mixed up with the others. Oxygen cylinders have left-hand threads so that they aren't confused with nitrogen, CO2,  Argon or any other inert gas. I remember hearing about a physics lab in Florida that regularly purchased compressed gases and their vendor didn't pay much attention to the threads, so the lab had a supply of thread converters (hard to find because they are so dangerous). One day they received oxygen instead of nitrogen and somebody didn't really pay attention, put the converter on and proceeded to pressurize their Van de Graaff accelerator (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator ) with oxygen. The pressurized nitrogen was supposed to suppress arcs when the accelerator was charged to  millions of Volts. The oxygen blew the whole thing to bits when there was a spark. Fortunately, nobody was killed or seriously injured but the lab was ruined.

I used that story to impress graduate students with the importance of standards like threading, and the danger of workarounds.
Original Gravity - that would be Newton's

Offline tippyc

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Re: How to separate double pressure regulator
« Reply #4 on: October 15, 2019, 11:06:19 pm »
I took out the end plug from my secondary regulator to install another stopcock for purging kegs and pressure transferring carboys.  I'm not sure if they superglued the thing in or what, but I struggled to get a good enough hold on the regulator body to crack it loose.  I also didnt want to just crank on the gauge.

After a couple hours of head-scratching, I finally found that a cheapo rubber strap wrench could wrap around the regulator body and get enough grip without damaging anything.  Just make sure you use teflon tape on the new connections or you'll leak gas.