Dry Nitrogen setup?

[ps2cho]

I have always thought about owning a nitrogen tank for pressure testing, but I have no idea where to even start.

Where’s the best place to buy a nitrogen tank and regulator? Where do I fill it up at?

Anybody have experience that could give me a direction?

Something small for basic mini split and automotive use to make sure fittings are leak free before charging.

 

[cvairwerks]

Local welding supply for the bottle and regulator. Online for the hoses and fitting adapters. All nitrogen you can get these days is already pretty dry...as in better than 99%. Near 100% is lab grade testing gas and it's not needed, nor do you want to pay the cost to get it.

 

[danski0224]

HVAC supply house will have bottle and refill. You will have to pay for the bottle and then just pay for refills. Refill is typically an exchange.

You will need a set of gauges to read pressure.

Western makes a regulator with dedicated purge, braze and a fixed test pressure settings. This is the ideal setup. I know they offer at least 250 and 500 psi test regulators.

 

[bonneyman]

I used dry N2 for awhile then converted over to CO2 and was much happier. You get alot more gas out of a CO2 cylinder compared to N2 (22 cubic feet vs. 9 cubic feet), so I could use CO2 for alot more tasks (blowing out condensate drains and coils, chilling my cans of soda, etc) and it was inexpensive. I called a helpline for HVAC and asked about using CO2 before buying it, and the guy told me what I was intending was fine just don't leave the gas in a system overnight for leak checking

I also bought a small 2.5 pound aluminum cylinder that I filled from my big tank for carrying on the roof more easily. The REVAC system was great!

 

[fitter30]

Co2 is wet for hvac pressure testing. Purchase a 500 # regulator not a 250#.

 

[Firebrick43]

HVAC supply house will have bottle and refill. You will have to pay for the bottle and then just pay for refills. Refill is typically an exchange.

You will need a set of gauges to read pressure.

Western makes a regulator with dedicated purge, braze and a fixed test pressure settings. This is the ideal setup. I know they offer at least 250 and 500 psi test regulators.

Going to have to have a license however to have access to the HVAC supply house.

 

[danski0224]

Going to have to have a license however to have access to the HVAC supply house.

Depends on location. Some States do not have HVAC contractor licensing requirements (I am in one of those).

If the person isn't buying refrigerant or equipment containing refrigerant, that's no problem either.

COD account wouldn't be an issue otherwise.

 

[Firebrick43]

Our state doesn't have licensing requirements either (except EPA for refrigerant obviously) but no HVAC supply house I know will sell to the general public. They normally want to see an EPA license to "See" that you are in the trade.

 

[pcmeiners]

"Where’s the best place to buy a nitrogen tank and regulator?"

Ebay for the regulator, around $40, make sure it is rated for approx 500psi, normal regulators self destruct (diaphragm rupture) at about 150-200 psi.

 

[karoc]

If it was me, I would buy from welding supply house for all your components. Knowledgeable person will sale you proper sized regulator and hoses that is rated properly. Keep in mind that just because it go up to say 500psi doesn’t mean you need to test at 500psi. I had small tank that I carry up on roofs to repair package units then test make sure my welds were good. It really doesn’t take that much psi to test

 

[dcg9381]

Going to have to have a license however to have access to the HVAC supply house.

Can't you get nitrogen at the welding supply house? I know you can get mixes.

I see guys in the 4x4 world carrying nitrogen tanks for tires sometimes.

I've seen quite a few setups for sale on FB - I've got a C02 setup, but use nitrogen so infrequently that I've never bought one.

 

[Firebrick43]

Can't you get nitrogen at the welding supply house? I know you can get mixes.

I see guys in the 4x4 world carrying nitrogen tanks for tires sometimes.

I've seen quite a few setups for sale on FB - I've got a C02 setup, but use nitrogen so infrequently that I've never bought one.

Yes, most welding shops have nitrogen. We had bottles of high purity delivered for a laser welder last place I worked.

When I was a teenager my father repaired aluminum gasoline tankers. I helped sometimes to ventilate them, we got the large dewar of liquid nitrogen to purge them as we made the cuts to prevent explosions