Start With the Symptom

Porosity is small holes or bubbles in the weld. It usually means gas, contamination, or setup is letting air or dirt into the weld puddle.

Birdnesting is when wire piles up at the feeder instead of traveling smoothly through the gun. Start with the liner, drive roll, contact tip, and gun cable path.

Burnback happens when the wire melts back into the contact tip. The first checks are contact tip size/condition, liner drag, drive roll setup, and wire speed.

Wire feed problems are usually friction or setup problems. Follow the wire path from the spool, through the drive rolls, liner, contact tip, and out the gun.

An unstable arc can feel like popping, surging, cutting out, or wandering. Check the electrical path, consumables, gas, and setup before replacing expensive parts.

Tungsten contamination means the electrode picked up weld metal or dirt. The arc can wander, spit, or become hard to control until the tungsten is cleaned or re-ground.

Bad plasma cut quality usually shows as dross, bevel, rough edges, or poor arc starts. Check consumables and air quality before blaming the machine.

Helmet flickering means the lens is not staying dark consistently. Check cover lens condition, sensors, batteries, and settings before replacing the full helmet.

A regulator can freeze when gas expands quickly and chills the regulator body. Treat freezing as a gas-supply and safety issue, not just an annoyance.

Torch overheating usually means the torch is being asked to carry too much heat or the front-end parts are not controlling heat and gas correctly.