well, they are not designed to leak. if it has a backseat, it needs to be backed off all the way open and snug for the back seat to seal. its just like the closing seat. I dont know, probably just me from working at plants. most gate valves with a backseat were normally all open. ergo, using the stem seal to prevent long term leaks while running. CO2 tank valves are probably ok anywhere you put them . if it worries you, just spray a little water on the stem base and see if it bubbles and how much. it may bubble a little which means your tank will just run down a little faster.
no bubbling and tank is open about halfway, what a nice compromise!!
If there are no leaks anywhere in the entire system, this tells me that maybe the welding shop you are going to isn’t filling the tank completely…That is, as long as the rest of the system is set up correctly, which I’d assume it is.
I think there is a good chance it was one of the connections on the tubing that carries the CO2 to the reactor or something just wasn’t tight enough. While it is possible we got a short fill I kind of doubt it coming from a large reputable company other reefers have used for years with out issue. Would be odd for a guy to go out of his way to talk with me about potential CO2 leaks and things I could be doing wrong and the proper way to do things for 5 minutes to cheat me out of what probably costs him less then a dollar. Possible, but not likely.
Anyways, what ever it is seems to be solved now and Paul’s calcium reactor is receiving CO2!