Gas flow/ regulator question...

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Recently I started having a problem with the gas flow on my hobart handler 187. I used to have the gas flow at around 15 cfh, however  started to get some porosity problems, as if there was no shielding gas at all. Tank was full, gas was on, but when trigger was pulled no gas was being dispensed. I turned the regulator up to well past 30 cfh and it works like normal now... I can weld fine, I can hear gas being dispensed.anyone have any idea what is going on? Obviously the high cfh was just for me to finish the project I was working on, but it did throw me off.  So where do I look now? Is it a regulator problem or a problem somewhere in the welder? Time to upgrade to a flow meter? Any help is appreciated!!!
Reply:You should always run 25-27 cfh while the trigger is pulled, any less than that and you run a high risk of porosity. Which you saw.-DoogieMiller 350PMiller Trailblazer 325 EFI w/ Excel PowerLincoln LN25 suitcase welderXMT 304/22a feederMiller Syncrowave 350LXMiller EconotigHobart Handler 140(2) Uni-Hydro 42-14Hypertherm 65 plasmaWEBB Gap bed lathe
Reply:Interesting. I had always thought I was running lower but maybe I just bumped into the regulator and changed it or something happened. I do take my regulator off the bottle and welder pretty frequently as I dont have a shop and have to put the welder up when it is not in use. I will go and check it out again, but for some reason I thought I always ran a lot lower than that. Could a regulator give problems if it is gently dropped? It fell off my bench once and I think that was when I started noticing changes... There seems to be no damage to the exterior of the regulator, however I do not know what is inside that might have been rattled around. Thanks!!
Reply:If the guages all zero out when pressure is bled off, and if they come up properly when gas pressure is applied you likely are just fine. I've seen many guys hang their hoods on the handle of the bottle and wonder why the regulator presure always gets bumped....-DoogieMiller 350PMiller Trailblazer 325 EFI w/ Excel PowerLincoln LN25 suitcase welderXMT 304/22a feederMiller Syncrowave 350LXMiller EconotigHobart Handler 140(2) Uni-Hydro 42-14Hypertherm 65 plasmaWEBB Gap bed lathe
Reply:Originally Posted by derekpfeifferIf the guages all zero out when pressure is bled off, and if they come up properly when gas pressure is applied you likely are just fine. I've seen many guys hang their hoods on the handle of the bottle and wonder why the regulator presure always gets bumped....
Reply:You might check inside the welder to make sure that the lug on the end of the MIG gun is pushed firmly into its housing. I once had terrible gas flow problems that traced back to the gun being partways out. Now I always check that, only takes a second.metalmagpie
Reply:not necessarily... the gauges are often broken and it doesn't take much with a cheap set of gauges. The interior mechanism should be relatively fine if it wasn't you would be dealing with a lot more problems. it may have hit the inlet nipple when it dropped! the inlet nipple can have zero dents/nicks, otherwise it will leak. I think it depends on what mix you are using, i usually run on 15 CFH (or else i think it is)