When I screw my reg into the vertical adapter, how do I get it to point the line and/or gauge in the direction that I want it to? I've heard this question asked many times and there's a couple simple ways to resove this concern. Hence the inspiration for this short article.

Adding A Regulator When adding a regulator you'll find that when you screw the reg into the vertical adapter, at times the orientation of the 90* elbow on the reg isn't exactly where you want it when completely screwed in. When making these parts, the threads for both the neck of the reg and internal threads of the VA are not going to start at the same point with each and every part produced. Matter of fact, it's very doubtful that any 2 that you find will have even a remotely  consistent starting point. Wherever the tap or dye catches the part in the machining process, will be the starting point of the thread. Once gassed up, as long as the o-ring on the reg neck is sealed to the flat upper most portion of the VA, there really shouldn't be any leaks even if the reg is not completely tightened into the VA. The pressure should keep the reg relatively stable with little movement. For those that wish to have no movement at all gassed or ungassed, read on.........

Tricks For The Tight Orientation You Desire There are a couple of tricks to use to keep the reg solid in position when you tighten it into the vertical adapter. The first I will mention is the o-ring trick. The o-ring trick is to simply drop an o-ring into the VA then tighten the reg down on top of it. You are basically using the o-ring as a spacer. You can use o-rings of different thicknesses to achieve the orientation you desire. Just make sure the o-ring does not block off the through pressure hole into the marker. I would suggest using some paintball oil on the o-ring or Dow33 which is what I use. This will prevent any binding of the part or o-ring once tightened together. It will also create a better seal between the two. The second trick is another type of o-ring trick. It's the one I always use on my vertically mounted regs. Rather than dropping the o-ring in the VA, you install it on the neck of the regulator just below the threads as shown in the photograph to the left. Just as the other o-ring trick, you can use o-rings of various thicknesses to achieve the orientation you desire. If needed, you can even use a combination of 2 o-rings of different thicknesses to achieve the orientation you desire. Adding the o-ring between both parts creates a secondary seal between the top portion of the reg and the bottom portion of the VA where both meet as an added bonus. Use paintball oil or Dow33 on this o-ring as well to prevent any binding. I suggest spreading a drop of oil on any and all o-rings of your marker not to exclude the o-ring on the propellant bottle that you use.

Technical Information