Air pressure regulator + single stage regulator = 2 stage regulator?

[Oreo]

Sorry for bringing a thread back from the dead...

The answer is YES, this will work... IF your inline / secondary regulator is designed for the pressure ranges you intend to work with, both inlet and delivery. This isn't hard since most single stage CO2 regulators will deliver pressure in the normal air-compressor range (0-150psi) that these inexpensive regulators are designed for. You would have problems if for example your primary regulator suddenly delivered 250psi, or if you wanted the secondary regulator to deliver a very low (1-2psi). The other downside is that these inexpensive regulators will not be as long-term reliable as the super-premium Victor / Concoa / Matheson / Harris / etc. regulators we're finding on ebay for cheap, and at current prices they aren't saving you any money either.

An example from my own experience... To run a steady tap-water drip into my aquarium I bought a cheap ($20) regulator for an air compressor at Home Depot. Plumbed it in-line and it did reduce the water pressure which varied between 60-120psi but the delivery pressure was all over the map and not consistent enough for a steady drip. So I just bought another of the same cheap regulator and ran the outlet of the first to the inlet of the second. Presto! I've got a two-stage regulator that holds my drip water delivery pressure steady as a rock around 20psi which is perfect for the metering valve to handle.

[nipat]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

The other downside is that these inexpensive regulators will not be as long-term reliable as the super-premium Victor / Concoa / Matheson / Harris / etc. regulators we're finding on ebay for cheap, and at current prices they aren't saving you any money either.

There are some good quality air-regulators (SMC brand) that should last long.
Someone here in Thailand has been using it. But unfortunately the one I bought
was wrong model which I found out later that it always released some gas to atmosphere.

Yes, that's true that those 2-stage regulators are very interesting. But shipping cost from USA to Asia
has killed all the deals. Anyway, I can't blame them in this case, since they are very heavy.