How Can I Tell if my Water Cooler is Functioning?

[erikmannie]

I just burned up a 250A-rated CK Worldwide TIG torch. The torch was 3 years old. The manner in which it failed was that the red hose was burnt, shrunken, and thus obstructed.

The red hose (that has the welding cable in it) had gotten very hot the last time that I used it (which was 12 months ago). What I remember from the last time that I used it was that I was using 210A. My machine is a Dynasty 210DX, and I have never had it shut off due to overworking it. That is, I have never come up against the duty cycle.

At some point, I am going to need to determine if my Miller CoolMate 1.3 is functioning. Has anybody ever been in this position?

I would hate to buy a brand new TIG torch, and have it burn up because the water cooler is not circulating.

To recap, when I took the TIG torch out of storage, the red hose was burnt and shrunken. If it is the case that my water cooler is fine, the water would have not been able to pass through this damaged red hose.

 

[erikmannie]

While this TIG torch was not in use, it was hanging on the machine. I did a *huge* amount of stick welding with that machine. Hence, it is possible that the red hose was damaged by stick welding spatter.

 

[matthewsx]

I don’t know anything about this particular tool but if I know how you are about tools you’re already looking at the upgraded replacement.

 

[erikmannie]

I found this online, but I am just wondering if anyone else has had the same issue. There is a light in the front of the water cooler. I wonder if that is supposed to come on while it is functioning properly.

 

[erikmannie]

I am always so crazy busy with work hours. I will have to make time to follow the circuit to see if there are any blown fuses or if the water cooler got unplugged or turned off somehow.

Like I said, I have used the welding machine a whole lot for that 12 month period, but it was *all* stick welding. I don’t imagine that would cause the water cooler to stop functioning.

This water cooler lives under the Dynasty on a cart (this is how the cart & both machines are meant to be housed). All of this has been exposed to spatter, smoke, & grinding sparks.

 

[General Zod]

Disconnect the hose that takes water back into the cooler. point it into an empty water bottle. turn on cooler. empty 1L water bottle should fill in 1min or less. (hopefully at this point you should realize you need to turn off the water cooler to avoid spilling/losing coolant ). Oh and replace the power hose if it is compromised in anyway. It's only about $50 by itself.

 

[Flyinfool]

If it sat for a year unused is there a chance that the coolant had things growing in it that plugged up the hose and/or filter and/or pump?

I once did not drain and clean the fresh water tank on the RV at the end of season and just over winter it grew enough algae to plug up everything.

 

[erikmannie]

Disconnect the hose that takes water back into the cooler. point it into an empty water bottle. turn on cooler. empty 1L water bottle should fill in 1min or less. (hopefully at this point you should realize you need to turn off the water cooler to avoid spilling/losing coolant ). Oh and replace the power hose if it is compromised in anyway. It's only about $50 by itself.

I threw away the entire old TIG torch. It was done. It had lived a difficult life.

When you say disconnect the hose that takes the water back into the cooler, I would guess that would be the red hose. I do not yet understand how I would disconnect that, although I would guess it would be at the Dinse connector. I won’t have a chance to do this yet because I do not have a TIG torch (or money for a TIG torch) at this time.

I believe that you have answered my question. I want to somehow test the flow, and see the coolant circulating, without running out of coolant of course.

 

[erikmannie]

I did some Googling, and I read a lot about how old (CK Worldwide?) super flex hoses break down and clog fittings in the torch head & torch hose fittings (e.g. where the coolant returns to the water cooler right at torch end of the Dinse connector fitting).

Apparently there is some sort of fine particles that come off of old super flex hoses and cause blockage downstream.

 

[erikmannie]

When I bought the Coolmate 1.3 four years ago, it was $615. Now they cost $1,076. That is an 18.7% annual increase in cost!