Bottle valves ..... ( Wot's it all about )

[uncleasko]

This is not realy a whinge , but .... well it probably sounds like one

I recently bought 2 new 15L cylinders on line !!!!! ( good deal )
The valves that came on them are din convertable designed in a sort of off set styleee ....... No probs so far ...
On one bottle I removed the adapter plug to use with my posiedon kit ( DIN )
On the other I left it as it was to use with my sons kit and my spare stuff,
( all A clamp ) this is where the problems start ..... some of the A clamps won't fit over the rather boulbus valve top in order to seat correctly .
" WHY DO THEY DO STUFF LIKE THIS "

Has anyone had this same experience ......
Whats the best way round it .......... new valve perhaps



Whinge over

[nigelH]

Originally Posted by uncleasko

WHY DO THEY DO STUFF LIKE THIS

Well A-clamp isn't actually a standard so it always is a bit pot luck.

The bigger problems are where the inner ring protrudes too much and they pinch but don't actually tighten on the o-ring so it always extrudes (POP!) after about an hour or so. I've seen that once and it took us a long time to work out what was happening.

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by uncleasko

Has anyone had this same experience ......
Whats the best way round it .......... new valve perhaps

Yep it's surprisingly common and happens a lot when on holiday and using
hire cylinders. One of the worse offenders is actually the old Apex
(Tx40/50 etc.).

No point in worrying about it, just convert to Din and take an A-clamp
adapter with a large yoke. If it's got a plug go din, if it hasnt use the
adaptor.

T.

[machiavelli]

We've got a couple of fat A-clamp pillar valve cylinders around our club and there's a couple of regs which won't fit easily. Don't be tempted to take a file to the pillar valve though. Sure brass is soft and you'll make it fit, but it'll then be condemned at its next test for unauthorised modification.

[Rookie]

Looking at our club kit, all the old regs have very narrow clamps, and the new ones have nice big a-clamps. I guess it stems from the gradual increase in common cylinder pressures (207 to 232 etc), and the conversion to DIN convertable valves. Most of our club tanks are old, and we have just run into the problem where the the service kits are not available for the valves, so we have new ones fitted...............bugger............regs don't fit. Looks like we'll be trying to get hold of some new A-clamps then!

Rookie

[EdHornby]

another DIN vote for me too - get your a-clamp regs swapped over when they are next serviced

great thing about DIN is that you aren't relying on the Oring in someone elses cylinder, you are using yours in your reg

[Woz]

It's because the A clamp regs were originally designed for the old fashioned unbalanced valves with the teeny T bar on the top, not the 5/8" BSP DIN thread.

[uncleasko]

Cheers guys

I think it's clear to me what I need to do next !!!!!

............Stu.