PSA: Check your regulator gauge before every shift

Last Wednesday I was on a tube job at a refinery in Baton Rouge. I slapped my 12 gauge needle scaler on an old header and it barely chattered. I spent 20 minutes checking the compressor, hoses, and fittings before I realized my regulator gauge was stuck at 90 psi but the actual output was maybe 50. I swapped the regulator out for one I keep in my truck and the scaler worked like a champ the rest of the day. That little hiccup cost me almost an hour of billable time. How often do you guys actually check your gauges against a second reading?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.riley6d ago

Nah, I've never had that issue in 20 years.

matthewking6d ago

You ever have one of those things where you finally decide to get something and it breaks right away? @torres.riley I had a similar thing happen with a pair of boots last year. Everyone told me they'd last forever, but I got a bad stitch on the first hike and the sole started coming off. Lucky for some, I guess.

williams.luna6d ago

Ha @torres.riley, I guess my luck ran out before I even bought the thing