Help! My HH is going crazy

[hannahbeads]

I need some help figuring out what is going wrong. I have a HH with bulk propylene attached by 12 ft hose. I have been working for about a month with great results. Today, when I lit it, it sputtered, went out, and then sprayed liquid!! I disconnected it and tried to clean (but I really don't know the right way to do this). When I connected it again, it seemed back to normal but then started quickly accumulating black gunk inside the tip and dripping oily drops by the valve.

Any help on why this happens and what to do would be GREATLY appreciated

Shelly

[Judi_B]

You're getting an accumulation of "gunk" (scientific term :wink: ) in the hose. It happens frequently with a hothead on a bulk tank. Disconnect the hose from the tank and the torch and hang it outside to drain overnight. I don't know how to clean the torch, but I'm sure someone else will pop in to help you on that :-) To prevent the problem from happening again drain the hose once a week, or more frequently if necessary.

[*Naos*]

Shelly, buy another HotHead. I had this EXACT thing happen to me. They're cheap enough to just get a new one. Cleaning it is a hassle. You have something plugging the orifice, probably due to buildup in the hose. Just hang the hose from a nail on the wall and let it drip then reuse.

[Gelly]

Judi is right, gunk builds up in the hose and needs to be drained on a regular basis. I think the gunk/oily stuff is the odorant that is added to the fuel so you can smell if there is a leak.

You should also bleed your line each time you are done torching. This will help prevent gunk build up to begin with. To bleed your line, turn the gas off at the tank and let whatever is in the hose burn off before you turn off your torch.

[Gelly]

You may need to do like Amber said and purchase a new one.

I bought a new one when I had similar probs with mine. (I didn't have black stuff building up on my torch though) After I got my new one hooked up, I had the same probs... I finally figured out the hose was what needed replaced because I never drained the darn thing. So now I have a back up torch! :)

[hannahbeads]

Thanks for the input. If anyone knows how to clean the hothead, that would be great. I think I would go into severe withdrawal if I had to wait for a new one.

BTW Gelly, your beads give me the best pick-me-up. I love them!! You consistantly make me smile

[Gelly]

Thanks a bunch Shelly!! :grin:

Here is a link to clean it. http://www.cauldroncreations.com/hotheadinfo.html

[Dale M.]

IF you have old style HH with orifice you can easily clean it... IF you have newer model you will probably have to chuck it out and replace it (construction got so cheap its can't be fixed)...

Comprehensive information about what the "gunk" in hose is can be found here...

http://www.artglassanswers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=219

Dale

[elasia]

when i had that problem i ran it for a session on a canister and all was well.
...just another option.

i do want to buy another, but now i worry about the "non adjustable" issue..i can't work like that, yikes. so just ask around for an old one is only option?

can i ask also, i've heard the "hang the hose" so many times.
has anyone ever seen gunk or oily stuff come out?
i've never had gunk come out. and i also wonder, how it can come out. one end has a valve that needs to be pushed in, other a micro hole.

what i did waiting for my new hose is i took the ends off and used an air compressor to blow anything out.
still no gunk, but a lot of white "clouds"...which i suppose it gunk + air?

[hannahbeads]

I hung my hose for about 24 hours and about a 4-5 in diameter circle of oily gunk came out. I hooked it all up and torched this Sunday and it worked great. Thanks for all the input!! I brag about this forum all the time about how wonderfully helpful everyone is.

[Dale M.]

when i had that problem i ran it for a session on a canister and all was well.
...just another option.

i do want to buy another, but now i worry about the "non adjustable" issue..i can't work like that, yikes. so just ask around for an old one is only option?

can i ask also, i've heard the "hang the hose" so many times.
has anyone ever seen gunk or oily stuff come out?
i've never had gunk come out. and i also wonder, how it can come out. one end has a valve that needs to be pushed in, other a micro hole.

what i did waiting for my new hose is i took the ends off and used an air compressor to blow anything out.
still no gunk, but a lot of white "clouds"...which i suppose it gunk + air?


Hang with micro hole down, if there is gunk in hose it will drain...

Dale

[elasia]

^thanks, i figured since other end is a valve, was just curious since i never saw gunk.

but miss hannahbeads said there was with her, so i guess if there is it'll come out of that tiny hole!

~i know i have many questions, but i'm wondering about "new" HH and when they started.

i hear all the time the new HH you can't adjust the flame. mine is stamped "05". wouldn't that be new? i can adjust mine.

so when were the new ones made?
and if you can't adjust the flame is it just a huge honking flame always?

i'm suspecting mine's new since it's different than the set up (orifice) than in the link above. i just don't want to get one that you can't adjust. :(

[theglasszone]

Thanks so much for all the imput, everybody! I'm awaiting the arrival of my 12ft. hose and will have to run to the next city over to get the larger MAPP cannisters; still, I'm really glad these discussions are going on just to give us guidance and support! One small question, then a BIG ONE:

1) If using MAPP instead of Propylene, is the "draining" of the hose still necessary?

2) When using a HH, what type of flame am I actually using? I see posts elsewhere discussing Oxy/Fuel torching and referring to "reduction" flames, "oxy" flames, etc. Since we can't really adjust the mix on the HH w/MAPP or Propylene, then how does the standard HH flame rate in terms of flame type? Also, I've searched and searched, but can't find where - apparently - someone posted a "how to" on using Tin Foil to create a "collar" that can be slid (is that a word?) up the neck of the HH and over the holes to create an "oxy rich" (reduction?) flame? I'm also wondering what the risks and precations (besides the obvious!) are with working a torch in this fashion. Any "steering in the right direction" to a previous post or advice on this would be sincerely appreciated. I have lots of R4 glass that's just sitting there waiting for me to figure out how to work it!

Regards from CA,
DeAnne

[Bluebottle]

Hi if you guys keep the hose from the tank above the level of the tank all the way to the HH it should minimise this effect, what is happening is a syphoning effect on the gunge in the tank. The gunge should in fact be cleaned out of the tank by steaming by the filler/dealer on a regular basis and if it happens too often you could possibly have a claim against them on health and safety grounds but I'm not sure as the legal systems are different in our two countries.

Mike

[kabsconcepts]

I ran into this probem too. But rather then draining my hose all the time, what I did was bleed the line when I finished torching. What is happening is the gas that is still left in the hose when you turn your torch off is turning back into a liquid. So, when you are done torching, before you turn your torch off, close the valve on the tank. You'll see the flame start to get smaller on your torch. Then turn off the torch.

Once I started doing this, I never had to clean the hose or hang it again.

[hannahbeads]

I have no option other than having my tank outside and my torch lower in the basement. I had another episode yesterday, although I had bled the line after each session and had only used it for maybe 4-5 hours since I had bled it last. It did leak fluid after hanging it last night. I suppose that since my torch is lower than the tank, I will have to drain more than once a week.