At Freshford we want to make sure you have the right information for your gas equipment while promoting our premium made to order British made Hi-Lo gas regulators specifically for laboratories and universities. We’ve produced a step by step guide to help the maintenance and setting up of regulator gas equipment. We have a step by step set up procedure for installation and operation to ensure your regulators are used in the correct way. All our Hi-Lo UK regulators are manufactured to current BS and ISO requirements and carefully assembled and tested by skilled personnel and to current SEP.
1. Ensure that the appropriate regulator is selected for the type of gas and the maximum inlet pressure of the cylinder to be used. Do not use a regulator for any other gas service.
2. Gas cylinders must be in an upright position and secure with the valve closed.
3. Check the cylinder is clean and free from oil or grease. Open cylinder valve briefly to clean any residual dirt or obstruction. Stand clear of the outlet and wear eye protection for this operation. Hydrogen cylinder must never be cleaned in this manner. Use dry compressed air for this purpose. Check cylinder valve threads and if there is any evidence of damage – do not use – return cylinder to supplier.
4. Inspect the regulator to ensure that it is clean and free of damage.
5. Connect the regulator to the cylinder and tighten with a correct size spanner only.
6. Connect any downstream equipment if required (flashback arrestor, hoses, etc) to the regulator outlet in readiness for use.
7. Check and turn Anti clockwise the regulator P.A (pressure adjusting) control knob. Make sure the outlet gauge shows zeros pressure, before opening the gas cylinder.
8. Open cylinder valve slowly to prevent pressure surge. For cylinders requiring a cylinder key, this should be left in place during operation.
9. Open any downstream valves and adjust the regulator to the required working pressure via the P.A control knob.
10. Once the working pressure as been set up. Close any downstream valves and then carry out a leak check procedure with an approved leak detection fluid.
11. Any leaks will show up as tiny bubbles, tighten and retest if safe to do so.
12. If leakage is evident and cannot be safely dealt with, turn off the gas supply, vent away any gas pressure left in the regulator or downstream pipe work. Unscrew P.A knob to release the pressure on the internal valve, and remove the regulator from the cylinder for further investigation. Mark the regulator or label – DO NOT USE
As well as installing and operating single or two-stage regulators users will need to close down the procedure as well.
1. Close cylinder valve
2. Open all downstream valves to release pressure system, if safe to do so.
3. Unscrew P.A knob to release the pressure on the internal valve so that it is closed, no gas flow. The regulator can now be removed or left in this state until next required.
Alongside these procedures we recommend ALL operators should be trained in the correct use of this equipment. Please let us know if you would like any further information on our full range of gas equipment or health and safety inspections.
Please get in touch for any further information on regulators and how we can help you with your gas equipment needs including regulators, gas mixers and other gas equipment.