Watch your acetylene tanks

[jklingel]

I've been welding on and off for 45 yrs, mostly as a DIY'r but a few years at a shop, and never have I had this happen. It woke MY **** right up! I had my loader in my garage, so room was a bit tight. I inadvertently left my oxy-acet cart near my bench grinder, and forgot about it whist grinding. A couple of seconds after I shut the grinder off and walked away, I heard a distinct, low "pop". Sensing it was flame, I turned around and looked right at my acet tank. Sure nuff, there was a flame coming out of the bottle-regulator connection. Chit! I quickly shut off the tank and opened the valve on the torch to let the pressure off. ****. No more flame. It was a tad spooky for a second there. Yeah, I re-torqued the regulator into the bottle, too. (This broadcast has been your daily reminder.)

 

[tdkkart]

That's why I was taught to only open bottles 1/4 turn. Even if there is a flame there, with gloves on you can reach in and turn off the valve in a hurry.

NOT recommended proceedure, but in times of need sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

[kursplat]

any time i finish using a tank i let the fuel burn off after closing the tank valve

 

[SHELLFISH]

Sure was a wake up call!
Glad things worked OK for you!

While we are on the subject of oxy-acetyl tanks:
My personal peeve about Oxy-actyl tanks is the return.
I bought a new oxygen tank when I was first setting up.
When I returned it for a re fill all was well. They gave me a used tank and I didn't think anything of it.
When I went for the next refill they said the tank was out of date!
Ihad to pay for a pressure check on the old tank!
Piss me off!
When you get a refill tank check the exp date on that tank!

 

[G_P]

That's why I was taught to only open bottles 1/4 turn. Even if there is a flame there, with gloves on you can reach in and turn off the valve in a hurry.

NOT recommended proceedure, but in times of need sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do.

I do the same thing A burned hand is better than a blown apart shop and possible injury/death.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

....When I went for the next refill they said the tank was out of date!
Ihad to pay for a pressure check on the old tank!
Piss me off!
When you get a refill tank check the exp date on that tank!

Check with your supplier on this situation - a lot depends on owning versus renting the bottle (I'm still confused on all of that).
I had bottle from company "x" that was out of date on return to "y" for refill, BUT the owner of "y" was there and basicly bribed me into doing business with only him by not charging anything for having to get the bottle recertified. He is the only guy in my area open most of the day Saturday ("x" closed at noon and I was desperate to finish a weekend jobwhen the bottle ran out at 2pm) - so it worked - I'll continue to go back to him.

 

[jsmith6752]

glad it worked out...a learning experience can be a good thing Chit! made me lol

 

[jklingel]

That's why I was taught to only open bottles 1/4 ....

I don't recall where/who/when, but I learned to open the O2 bottle all the way, back-seating it. Otherwise, they leak.

 

[jdcompman]

O2 you always open all the way. Acetylene tanks you only open 1/4 turn.

 

[wishihadatalon]

I don't recall where/who/when, but I learned to open the O2 bottle all the way, back-seating it. Otherwise, they leak.

Correct, high pressure cylinders like your oxygen cylinders have double seat valves and you are supposed to open them all the way to avoid leaking. Acetylene cylinders are low pressure cylinders and do not have a double seat valve and I was taught to only open those cylinders 1/4 turn as well.

 

[hetkind]

We have a triple error here, grinding sparks near tanks, valve left open while not in use and leaking tank/regulator seal. If that was in one of my shops, you would have got a lecture...

Howard

 

[Oilfield Sr. Mechanic]

I just sent off my regulators to be rebuilt just to make sure. One another note when I was picking up my regulators I remembered what we have to do at work. All of our regulators and torch barrels have to have a set of flame arrestors installed on them. So I figured what the hell and bought a set to put on my set up. After reading this post I think it was 50 dollars well spent!

 

[e-tek]

Good to have reminders on the proper procedures. I was told a mnemonic by my Dad that I still recall:

"02 all the way, acet just a bit"