Question about coolmate 3 cooler with Dynasty welder...

[garyput]

I just got my Dynasty 300DX (used) the other day. Last night I was welding some aluminum and noticed the torch got pretty warm. I looked at the cooler and the little blue flow wheel wasn't turning. I checked coolant level and thought it looked low and guessed that to be my problem. I filled the coolant as the instructions say and turned the machine back on and it worked fine. I welded again tonight and again the torch got hot, I unhooked the blue line going into the machine and opened the fill cap and pointed the blue hose into the fill neck and turned on the machine. Coolant was coming out of the hose so I know it is getting back to the machine. I hooked it back up and the wheel still barely turned. After a few minutes the flow wheel took off and was spinning like crazy and it worked fine the rest of the night. I also noticed when the torch was hot after some welding, the blue coolant line was jumping around on the floor (I have a zipper cover on order).

To make a long story short, what would cause the flow wheel to stop turning and how much pressure should the cooler be pumping. Has anyone else had this trouble?

[aphexafx]

I don't know if the blue line you’re talking about is the supply or return from the torch. A clog in the torch could cause the torch supply line to pressurize and move around. So, you might have a clogged torch. You may have blown it through since the wheel started spinning all of a sudden, but watch it closely. If you can hook your Coolmate's output right into its input and run it for awhile, you can see if the clogging (if that's what it is, sounds like it) is in the Coolmate itself. Otherwise, it's probably in (or was in) your torch head as that is where the most constriction happens.

[aphexafx]

Welcome, by the way!

[dyn88]

make sure also that you have the flow hooked up corectly i.e. out of cooler to torch via blue hose back from torch through thepower cable via red hose. You may also want to change your coolant in its not already new. As stated in an earlier thread, it only takes a little piece of anything to clog the tiny holes in the torch head. welcome to the board

[garyput]

I'll be welding again with it tonight and I'll post here later anymore info about what it is doing. So far I really like how the machine runs, although I don't really know crap about it. It already had an aluminum setup programed in the machine from the guy I got it from and it works very nice.

If it isn't a torch issue what else could it be?

Thanks for the help guys.

[aphexafx]

Well, if you're having coolant flow problems (indicated by the flow wheel) and symptoms (hot torch, hose thrashing) then something is restricting your coolant flow, intermittently it seems. So, the most likely cause is a particulate clog, and the most likely place is in the torch body. If that's not where it is, check the Coolmate's strainer to see if it's fully clogged for some reason. Then you might want to check your hoses. Also, pay attention to your Coolmate's motor and make sure it's running consistently. They do require maintenance (bearing oil), I'm pretty sure.

The first thing I would do, I think, is route the Coolmate's output directly into it's input and run it for a while, looking out for any changes in flow wheel speed or any straining noises that are not regular. If this shows a problem, it could be a blockage anywhere inside your Coolmate, including the heat exchanger, and you should have it serviced. Otherwise, it's got to be in the torch or in your coolant lines. (Look for kinks! )

I know that you can use Acetone to try and clean out the water side of your torch, if it comes to that.

[aphexafx]

I forgot to mention: that's great that you are enjoying your 300DX, man. I'm very jealous. I want to keep saving and sell my 200 and get a 300 when possible - I'll just have to keep it under 200A until I can afford a cooler and a water torch - but the power supply must come first!

[garyput]

Thanks for the ideas. I did some welding tonight but not enough to get the torch warm. I did look at the wheel periodicaly and it was spinning like crazy but if I remember from the other night I never had any trouble until I was welding some thicker material (.187 aluminum) and it was enough to get the torch hot. I'll do some of the things you mentioned this weekend.

Thanks for the help!!!