Troubleshooting
Gun Not Lifting
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- Test by triggering the gun while holding the gun in the air
- Gun does not lift. Ensure the stud welder is turned on
- If all the troubleshooting lights are flashing on the welder when you turn on the welder, make sure your gun(s) chuck is not making contact with the decking or weld base material. You can also disconnect the ground cable which will break continuity. If the flashing lights go off, your gun or a cut in your cable is making contact with the deck/work surface.
- Lights will stop flashing and the gun should lift once it is not making contact.
- Only Burns Flux Ball
- Hold Gun in the Air and Trigger Gun
- If the Gun does not Lift, remove the gun from the lead and connect the control cable to the next lead closer to your power supply. Repeat air trigger and check for lift.
- Repeat until the gun lifts. Once you have lift, it means the last cable you removed the gun from needs to be repaired or replaced
- Repeat until the gun lifts. Once you have lift, it means the last cable you removed the gun from needs to be repaired or replaced
- If the Gun does not Lift, remove the gun from the lead and connect the control cable to the next lead closer to your power supply. Repeat air trigger and check for lift.
- Hold Gun in the Air and Trigger Gun
- Gun does not lift. Ensure the stud welder is turned on
- Test by triggering the gun while holding the gun in the air
Gun is lifting, but there are no signs of an arc at all at base of stud
- With stud placed in gun chuck, touch stud to deck while someone is watching the welder. The contact light should illuminate.
- Contact light not illuminated
- Check the ground connection (remove paint if present at ground point)
- Ensure you are not grounded to the opposite side of an expansion joint
- Ensure all lead and ground cables are connected properly
- Contact light not illuminated
Inconsistent Weld Results
- Porosity in weld at weld base of stud after it fails inspection
- Painted Beams
- If gray primer, increase weld time in small increments (0.050) until you achieve consistent welds
- If red primer, which is usually thicker, increase weld time. Test stud. If failure occurs, increase weld time by (0.050), then shoot and test studs. If poor results, increase amperage by 30 (for example, 1780 to 1810). Both should be increased in small increments individually (don’t increase time and amps at the same time). Repeat until you find the best results. (Red primer is a difficult application and you may have to perform a 100% inspection of your work
- Moisture
- Dry work surface completely and for thru-deck applications, use a high-powered backpack blower. Pay particular attention to deck butts, seams and anywhere water can seep under the decking onto the beams
- Painted Beams
Lift Adjustment
- Ensure lift is properly set to 1/8” and no more than 3/16”. The Lift is essential to getting the proper arc. If you’ve ever gapped a spark plug, it’s basically the same concept.
Set the correct plunge
- ¼” thru ½” diameter studs should have 1/8” of the stud protruding past the ferrule (plunge). 5/8” thru 7/8” diameter studs should have 3/16” of plunge. For ¾” thru-deck applications you should have 3/8” of plunge which is the thickness of the head of a ¾” diameter stud.
High Decking
- Ensure the deck is tight to the beam. If it isn’t, the weld material will escape.
Gun Binding
- Clean Gun – If you air trigger the gun then push the chuck in simulating lift, you should not feel a bind or a “crunchy” feel. If you do, disassemble the gun and clean the lift shaft and lift module. DO NOT apply lubricant!
If this troubleshooting guide doesn’t help, feel free to call us at (615) 443-0779.