co2 regulator broke?

So I ran co2 the whole last flower run with no issues... last night hooked it back up after a while of no running, same way as I always have as far as I know... except it started freezing up as soon as the controller turned it on... so I turned it off, gave it a bit, let it thaw and tried again... still freezing... so I let it sit overnight and tried again this morning... didn't freeze up instantly so left the room... came back 15-30 min later and the whole thing was frozen over completely. WTF? Is it just completely fucked now and I need a new one? What causes this? I remember seeing in their guidelines 'not responsible if it freezes over' and thinking to avoid that (of course it didn't say how that would happen). At least the regulator is one of the cheapest parts to replace

full tank of gas ? recently filled ? good gas ?

when you took the regulator off, the little washer fell out, your not sealed and the leaking c02 is freezing.

chuck estevez said:

when you took the regulator off, the little washer fell out, your not sealed and the leaking c02 is freezing.

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I had this happen to me once too. Chuck is right on the money. Also might want to check the cap where the ball is, that will also come loose and leak.

chuck estevez said:

when you took the regulator off, the little washer fell out, your not sealed and the leaking c02 is freezing.

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I don't think so I actually put a fresh washer in and while I was putting it in I noticed the one that's part of the regulator was still there. I tightened it the same as usual. Brand new tank from the same place I always get it.

The regulator was in storage for a little bit I'm wondering if maybe I damaged the regulator somehow and maybe just wasn't paying attention.

The whole fixture was frozen over this morning -- do you think it's efucked and I need a new one? I'll take it off and recheck the washers when it's lights up but doesn't seem the likely cause.

FYI I actually saw it freeze up last night and the freezing starts inside where the ball is it makes a little ice cylinder under the ball then the rest freezes - if that helps.

spray some soapy water on the fitting to see if it bubbles. If so the washer may not be seated correctly.

Edit: so you put another washer on top of the old one?

No, there's only one washer that is ever added in there. I'm saying it looks like there's also something washer-like built into the regulator attachment - just saying this did not come out in case he meant that. like i said will double check in a couple of hours when it's lights on again

Well either way spray soapy water on all connections to make sure they aren't leaking.

could be a crack in the plastic cap, or it could be loose. Freezing is caused from a slow leak, so that is a givin

Like the other guys said, the freezing is caused by a leak or too much flow. Spray the whole thing down with soapy water, connections and all. Maybe cover the electrical solenoid with something first.

It's how we check our regulators at work. No bubbles no troubles.

When we have to do a lot of production welding our flow meters turn to blocks of ice. The guts must be bigger though cause they don't clog up.