I have an AHP 2016 TIG welder. I don't know what people's opinions are of this unit. Whatever forum I was using back then, I remember people being very excited about these when they initially came out (2014 I think) because they were affordable, good quality, and the company seem to be listening to feedback from the community.
Anyways, regardless.. My issue is that I was getting porosity and realized I wasn't hearing the gas come out of the cup at all.
I have a brand new bottle of 100% argon from a reputable source (big company, but mostly local to the northern part of my state.) I was easily able to confirm that the hose from the bottle is delivering gas to the unit.
So now I'm trying to find a way to figure out if there is a leak inside the machine, or if I have a hole in my torch somewhere, but I have no idea how to test this.
I saw someone on the internet somewhere submerge the torch in a bucket of water and they saw bubbles, but considering the electrical current also goes through the same line, this seems like a horrible idea to my novice brain.
I was hoping someone could tell me a safe method of figuring this out before I have to tear my machine apart.
Also, I'm not 100% sure how to select a new torch if I have to replace it. The torch is stamped with WP-17F, which is easy enough to find. The issue is, almost every torch I've seen pictured doesn't actually show the quick disconnect my machine has for the gas outlet (which could potentially be an issue as well, what do I know?)
I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the gas inlet connector. I could not get my phone to focus and my hands aren't that steady anymore. (Yes, I know. It makes me an ideal welder.)
TL;DR:
How can I safely find a leak in my torch, and how can I find a replacement if I need one.
probably not a leak if you have no gas flow at all.
i would check for blockages. easy enough to blow air through, see what part is stopping the gas flow. odds are the gas solenoid is not opening. but check the cheap stuff first.
i would check for blockages. easy enough to blow air through, see what part is stopping the gas flow. odds are the gas solenoid is not opening. but check the cheap stuff first.
tweak it until it breaks
There’s no danger in dropping your torch in a bucket, I’ve done it thousands of times when welding thick aluminum with an air-cooled torch. If there’s no path to ground, the torch will attempt an arc (futile) but will flow gas.
Open your machine carefully. Look where the gas hose connects internally and verify with a soapy spray bottle that you have no leaks (again, you might have to activate your torch). Just fully remove the ground clamp and don’t overdo the spraying. You can also check you torch hose this same way as it’s not at all uncommon to damage the gas line within after plenty of stepping on it.
Open your machine carefully. Look where the gas hose connects internally and verify with a soapy spray bottle that you have no leaks (again, you might have to activate your torch). Just fully remove the ground clamp and don’t overdo the spraying. You can also check you torch hose this same way as it’s not at all uncommon to damage the gas line within after plenty of stepping on it.
Your torch is a typical air-cooled type 17. The hose connection is styled for AHP. If you pull back the shroud of your torch, you’ll see where it is screwed to the hose so the torch itself can be replaced and not the hose (or vice-versa). You can order a new CK hose for your machine type.
https://www.ckworldwide.com/products/ck ... oled-torch
https://www.ckworldwide.com/products/ck ... oled-torch
Have you tested the Argon tank/bottle connection?
I find that unless I tighten the heck out of that connection, I get leaks.
Soap and water will tell the tale. Just spray it on around the connector and if there is a leak you'll get bubbles.
I find that unless I tighten the heck out of that connection, I get leaks.
Soap and water will tell the tale. Just spray it on around the connector and if there is a leak you'll get bubbles.
So, I took the air nozzle and blew air up through the hose where it connects to the machine and it blew clear out the torch head. So now I get to take the machine apart I guess. What a hoot that should be.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
I have an AHP AlphaTIG 200SX. I had a similar problem and thought I was losing my mind. After going through all the usual stuff, I noticed a slight disturbance of the braid covering on the torch lead right where it exited the the fitting at the front of the welder. Turns out I had unknowingly bumped it with something (welder is on the floor) and cut the ultra-flexible tube. It would deliver enough gas that I could feel the puff when I hit the pedal, but not enough to work properly.
Saw your post and revisited this. I don't have a way to make a tight seal between my compressor and the torch set, but when I put my air hose directly against the inlet port at the bottom of the torch you can sortof hear the difference when you've got air going directly through the torch. I don't know what I was seeing when I originally tested this and replied above, but now I'm not getting any sort of air out of the top of the torch. I laid it on the ground and placed a piece of paper on it and I'm getting zero disturbance from the paper.mrwhoopee wrote: ↑Fri Oct 03, 2025 1:44 pm I have an AHP AlphaTIG 200SX. I had a similar problem and thought I was losing my mind. After going through all the usual stuff, I noticed a slight disturbance of the braid covering on the torch lead right where it exited the the fitting at the front of the welder. Turns out I had unknowingly bumped it with something (welder is on the floor) and cut the ultra-flexible tube. It would deliver enough gas that I could feel the puff when I hit the pedal, but not enough to work properly.
I'm very tempted at this point to try the bucket of water approach, but if I'm not getting air out of the torch, what else could it be, but a leak somewhere? If it was a blockage, it would push the air hose back.
So supposing I need a new torch, and since I don't see them for sale on AHP's site, that means I need to buy a standard type 17 torch, which means I still have to take the machine apart and put a new fitting on it, no? Since AHP uses a quick connect that isn't on a standard torch?
Or am I still missing something?
i would go get one of the gas flow testers so you can check the flow rate out of the torch. that saves a lot of guessing with other means.
also i would not be surprised if it was a failing gas regulator. had one at work the other week, the output kept changing.
otherwise bucket of water or soapy spray around the areas.
also i would not be surprised if it was a failing gas regulator. had one at work the other week, the output kept changing.
otherwise bucket of water or soapy spray around the areas.
tweak it until it breaks
Ok, so it was a bad hose on the torch, as suggested by the person above. (mrwhoopie)
I had to get a CK Worldwide QDGAP Quick Connect 5/8" Adapter Plug, a CK Worldwide SL2-35 Gas Cooled Safe Loc 50mm Dinse, and went with the CK17-12-RSF RG Super Flex torch.
The whole setup cost me about $200 and was pretty straight forward. I found a youtube video that went over the process, but really I just needed the item numbers.
The only disappointment is the length of the gas hose on the dinse is about 1 1/2' longer than I need, so I just wrapped it around the torch for now. I saw some review posts saying some people had found a way to shorten it, but it looked like the end was crimped on or something and I have no experience with that.
I also bought a cover for the hose in case that was part of my issue, although that is about 6" too short as well since it's a 12.5' torch and a 12' sleeve, but the exposed part is just what's hanging off the machine, so it should be fine. I should probably throw some zip ties on it to keep it from moving too much.
Tested it on some mild steel 16ga coupons I cut at work and it welded great with no filler despite me lazily just sharpening the end of a botched tungsten instead of cutting the bad part off. I really don't like my tungsten sharpener, but I'm getting better at using it and it was cheap.
I haven't tested it on any aluminum yet, which was an issue I was having before getting a new bottle that led to my discovery that it wasn't working in the first place.
Thanks for everyone's help.
I had to get a CK Worldwide QDGAP Quick Connect 5/8" Adapter Plug, a CK Worldwide SL2-35 Gas Cooled Safe Loc 50mm Dinse, and went with the CK17-12-RSF RG Super Flex torch.
The whole setup cost me about $200 and was pretty straight forward. I found a youtube video that went over the process, but really I just needed the item numbers.
The only disappointment is the length of the gas hose on the dinse is about 1 1/2' longer than I need, so I just wrapped it around the torch for now. I saw some review posts saying some people had found a way to shorten it, but it looked like the end was crimped on or something and I have no experience with that.
I also bought a cover for the hose in case that was part of my issue, although that is about 6" too short as well since it's a 12.5' torch and a 12' sleeve, but the exposed part is just what's hanging off the machine, so it should be fine. I should probably throw some zip ties on it to keep it from moving too much.
Tested it on some mild steel 16ga coupons I cut at work and it welded great with no filler despite me lazily just sharpening the end of a botched tungsten instead of cutting the bad part off. I really don't like my tungsten sharpener, but I'm getting better at using it and it was cheap.
I haven't tested it on any aluminum yet, which was an issue I was having before getting a new bottle that led to my discovery that it wasn't working in the first place.
Thanks for everyone's help.