Vintage DIY.

[Ghost95]

This reg was in great shape when I got it. There are a few chips in the chrome but yeah, I lucked out on eBay.

 

[herman]

I will echo what others have said on the nozzle gasket. The white nylon one does not take too much torque and too much will def deform it. On the other hand the brown phenolic one requires more torque but at the same time you MUST get it in straight or it will crack in 2.....I have done both.

The HPR is turned in hand tight (bottomed but no wrench) and backed out to the first larger hole is pointing down the horn OR when the spring tension is where you like/want it, again with 1 of the larger holes pointing down the horn.

 

[GJC]

I never saw any torque specs for the DAAM in the repair manual. Knowing that most parts are similar to the Conshelf XIV, I looked at the torque specs for that. Most of the torque specs are in inch pounds except for the first stage spring retainer which shows to be 20 foot pounds in the text and 25 foot pounds in the torque spec table in the reference section.

I have seen Conshelf XIV first stage diaphragms that have been crushed and deformed from too much torque and some that leak from not enough torque, so I use 25 foot pounds for my DAAM first stage spring retainer.

Anyone ever see written torque specs for that spring retainer on the DAAM or Royal Aquamaster?

 

[AfterDark]

Afternoon all. Hope you all are staying wet.

I am currently rebuilding a DAAM. I have everything cleaned, new HPR, hoses, diaphragms, ect, ready to go back together. My question is are there any torque specs for this regulator? I know it's somewhere between 1 ft/lb and dog crap, but where? Is just snugging it up good enough? The regulator came apart pretty easy so it didn't seem anything was torqued too tight but the repair manual didn't say anything about torque.

Any info from the Vintage DIY gods would be appreciated.

Thanks. Have a good day.

All threaded fasteners have general torque valves that are governed by the Dia. of the bolt and the type of thread used. I know there are charts for this, having seen one while working in a machine shop. These general values were used when no torque was specified on the drawing.

I've never used anything but feel, however in full disclosure I just had to re-tighten the 1st stage to on my dbl. hose after rebuilding it last year. I sometimes turn the can when it's pressurized which I think was the cause.

 

[Ghost95]

Ok all...update. I have a leak. ****.

It looks like i have a leak from the first stage nozzle gasket. Bubbles between the base of the yoke and the can. I didn't torque it to tight originally, I can still tighten it by holding the can, so i could get it way tighter in Herman's fixture. Not really sure how tight to go with that part.

I am using the VDH rebuild kit so whatever translucent gasket that comes with that is what I used.

Any suggestions?

 

[GJC]

I would try tightening it a little at a time so you don't destroy the gasket, testing for leaks in between. That gasket, however, is sealing high pressure gas, so it needs to be somewhat tight.

If it still leaks, take it apart and look for nick's or corrosion on the sealing surfaces.

 

[herman]

Another common problem is the gasket not being located properly during assembly. Both the nylon and phenolic ones are prone to this and if tightened too much before this is corrected will damage them. Depending on how you assemble the parts, this can be easy to do and miss. I do not like placing the gasket into the body then installing the nozzle, this has caused me a lot of problems with damaged gaskets.

Here is how I assemble the nozzle to the body.

Assemble the HP parts into the nozzle (springs,seat, filter, ect)
Place the nozzle into the yoke.
Holding the nozzle/yoke with the outlet pointing up, install the gasket on the end of the nozzle.
Continue holding the nozzle/yoke/gasket up while carefully screwing on the main body until you have it finger tight
At this point you can place the assembly in way you want to finish tightening the nozzle

 

[Ghost95]

Thanks for the tips. Of course I put the gasket in place just the opposite of the way you said. I'll see if it's salvageable.

It will be a couple days as we were working on pilling repair today and now two of my neighbors don't have power... Been that kind of day so probably not a good time to work on a regulator.

 

[Luis H]

Another common problem is the gasket not being located properly during assembly. Both the nylon and phenolic ones are prone to this and if tightened too much before this is corrected will damage them. Depending on how you assemble the parts, this can be easy to do and miss. I do not like placing the gasket into the body then installing the nozzle, this has caused me a lot of problems with damaged gaskets.

Here is how I assemble the nozzle to the body.

Assemble the HP parts into the nozzle (springs,seat, filter, ect)
Place the nozzle into the yoke.
Holding the nozzle/yoke with the outlet pointing up, install the gasket on the end of the nozzle.
Continue holding the nozzle/yoke/gasket up while carefully screwing on the main body until you have it finger tight
At this point you can place the assembly in way you want to finish tightening the nozzle

What Herman described is what I would call the recommended procedure. If you place the gasket in the body, there is enough room in under-cut below the threads for the gasket to be off center when you screw down the first stage body.


The only thing to watch for when following the procedure described by Herman, is that some of the gaskets have a slight interference the the inside diameter of the female threads in the body. You have to carefully play with it to get it in. Don't force it.

You can tell if the gasket stayed in place all the way in because you should be able to screw the first stage body all the way in (finger tight) without the resistance increasing toward the end. If the resistance starts to increase before it is bottomed-out, it can be a sign that the gasket moved during the assembly and it is getting pinched.

I hope it is clear what I am trying to explain.

Good luck

 

[Ghost95]

Ok. I took it apart and the gasket is pinched. So I need a new gasket and VDH is out of stock of both kinds unless I buy the whole service kit.

Is there anywhere else to buy these gaskets before I buy a service kit for a $3
part?

Thanks.