Argon bottles

[3rdgendslmech]

Getting ready to start doing some work to the bed of my super duty this weekend.
What's cheaper/more beneficial for argon gas. Buy your bottle and fill it or lease/rent bottles?
I was told by our local weld supply that in MD you can't own larger than 120 cu ft. I've got a 140 amp mig and usually I run flux core and for bigger jobs I have a Miller 250 engine driven machine. I was going to go with the 80 cu ft size and figure it'd probably be 4-5 years until I need a refill.
What do you guys prefer?

 

[rlitman]

Around here, they only rent cylinders larger than 120 cf-ft. 80 cu-ft cylinders are all owned. I've got one 120 cylinder of oxygen, and it's no fun to move around. Actually, I find that my 80 cylinders are no fun to move either. The 60 size is more to my liking.

 

[wretched73]

I have a tiny 20 on my mig and a 60 of argon on my tig. I like the 60, I had to buy both of them but that was fine with me

 

[56Safari]

I purchased both of my 120 bottles. I spent 240 for the 100% Argon filled from my LWS, and my 75/25 I bought locally from someone for 100 full. I like having the 120's, I find that I never run out of gas in the middle of a project now.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

I'm thinking I'm gonna buy a 80 cu bottle. Like I said I just do some light fabrication here and there. I don't want to pay rental fees every year if I'm not going through it enough.

 

[racer-john]

@56safari
What 's your location?

 

[BigMike782]

This is always such a hoot to read.
Airgas and Praxair sell 150 cf cylinders. If they tell you they won’t then they are making up company policy in their own.

 

[quadrcr87]

For reference: I purchased a 80CFM tank full of 75/25 mix yesterday for $200 out the door including tax. This was from my local Napa and they will refill on an exchange for ~$40 when I need it.

I checked at Tractor Supply and the same setup was $350 out the door.

 

[rlitman]

$200 for a filled 80CF tank isn't bad. $350 is crazy!

 

[BD1]

Check the price difference on a 80 and a 125. It will be More initially but you'll get more for your on refills.
Definitely buying is the best. Craigslist may have tanks but you would have to check suppliers policy on exchanges.

 

[kazlx]

I have a few 300ish cylinders that I've purchased. I have no problems getting them filled.

 

[bczygan]

I just bought a 330CF owner cylinder full of C25 for $225.

Your local non-chain gas supplier is the place to get it filled (Not swapped) as they can do so on the spot.

Bill

Buy the biggest tank they make if your going to have it in a fixed location. Cheapest way to buy the gas. Make sure there are no owner names cast into the neck ring.

Check the tank test info on the shoulder.

Make sure it has the right fitting on the top for the gas you will use.

Enjoy!

Bill

 

[matt_i]

Need also to manage the 10 year date stamp on the top collar. Around here its $25 if you turn in an expired tank, they give you another exchange right away, hopefully its got a few more years of life if you use them regularly. I' bought the first tanks around 25 years ago. It was a sad day to have to turn that first pristine bottle in for one that looked like it had been dredged up from a swamp (relatively speaking)

 

[Lelandwelds]

This is always such a hoot to read.
Airgas and Praxair sell 150 cf cylinders. If they tell you they won’t then they are making up company policy in their own.

A 2015psi 150 and a 2265 psi 125 with 10% overfill have so close to the same amount of gas it isn't worth discussing.

It depends on your local welding supply.

In some markets, many rental cylinders have been stolen and had their neck rings ground smooth . In some markets, the LWS just swaps whatever you bring in. But, in the US, anything larger than a 150 high pressure cylinder is most likely a rental. There are exceptions but you need a bill of sale from the company who owns the cylinder. (Not some guy who carried it home from work and owns a grinder)

It depends on your local welding supply.

 

[56Safari]

@56safari
What 's your location?

Nashville, TN

 

[BigMike782]

A 2015psi 150 and a 2265 psi 125 with 10% overfill have so close to the same amount of gas it isn't worth discussing.

It depends on your local welding supply.

In some markets, many rental cylinders have been stolen and had their neck rings ground smooth . In some markets, the LWS just swaps whatever you bring in. But, in the US, anything larger than a 150 high pressure cylinder is most likely a rental. There are exceptions but you need a bill of sale from the company who owns the cylinder. (Not some guy who carried it home from work and owns a grinder)

It depends on your local welding supply.

How many people are going to inquiry whether the suppliers fill to 2015 or 2265?
Do you really think they fill one cylinder at a time?. They are going to fill a pallet full at a time on a manifold to the lowest rated cylinder(most likely 2015)

If I see a ground neck ring it's scrap.

Mom and Pops used to sell any cylinder they had so through acquisition those cylinders have remained customer owned at larger suppliers either independent or not, so saying that I have a 330 without a title/bill of sale is pure unadulterated bull cookies. Do I have a bill of sale from Schrader Welding supply in Mishawaka Indiana? nope, they were bought out 30 plus yrs ago. So once Schrader sold out now I have a Mittler rental cylinder? Nope.

To the OP, don't believe in the generalities you read on the internet......go ask the supplier you would like to deal with.
Buying cylinders from individuals? Have them meet you at the suppliers and let the supplier determine if they will take it. If they will, buy the cylinder, swap or fill and your are golden.

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

For reference: I purchased a 80CFM tank full of 75/25 mix yesterday for $200 out the door including tax. This was from my local Napa and they will refill on an exchange for ~$40 when I need it.



I checked at Tractor Supply and the same setup was $350 out the door.

That’s pretty close price to my supplier here, $150 for the tank, 42 for the fill and taxes etc put me at like 205 out the door

They told me the same that any larger tank than 80 is leased

I wouldn’t want a larger tank in my garage than 80 since it would be too big


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rlitman]

How many people are going to inquiry whether the suppliers fill to 2015 or 2265?
Do you really think they fill one cylinder at a time?. They are going to fill a pallet full at a time on a manifold to the lowest rated cylinder(most likely 2015)...

So they're shorting a quarter of their customers? I don't think so.
I've had a lot of pressurized gas cylinders filled. They were always filled one at a time.

Now if you were talking acetylene cylinders, then yes, these are filled by the truckload, but that's a different process.

 

[IndyGarage]

I would rather own than lease. I bought one of them at the welding supply - the other two came with welders I purchased. I haven't had any problems swapping any of them - even if they come from another supplier.

Last time I went to swap one out, I had to pay for a pressure test on the old one, but they had no problem swapping another company's tank.

 

[fordkid88]

Praxair let me exchange my 80c.f. o2 bottle that was out of date for an 80c.f. argon. I paid 32 for a test and 74 for a fill. I supposedly still own this bottle but I doubt I could get it filled at airgas which 5 mins from work.

What I'm getting at is maybe your local supplier would let you do a trade up/in. The way my guy put it to me is that they want my business and the bottle is not where they do real business, a bottle is a bottle and it doesnt matter what's in it.

 

[snyder]

I bought an 80 bottle from my local roberts oxygen dealer. Think i paid like 250. I pay about 60 to exchange it when empty. It lasts about as long as 5 pounds of wire.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

Ended up buying a 80 for $220 out the door and refills for $55

 

[Lelandwelds]

How many people are going to inquiry whether the suppliers fill to 2015 or 2265?
Do you really think they fill one cylinder at a time?. They are going to fill a pallet full at a time on a manifold to the lowest rated cylinder(most likely 2015)

If I see a ground neck ring it's scrap.

Mom and Pops used to sell any cylinder they had so through acquisition those cylinders have remained customer owned at larger suppliers either independent or not, so saying that I have a 330 without a title/bill of sale is pure unadulterated bull cookies. Do I have a bill of sale from Schrader Welding supply in Mishawaka Indiana? nope, they wer8e bought out 30 plus yrs ago. So once Schrader sold out now I have a Mittler rental cylinder? Nope.

To the OP, don't believe in the generalities you read on the internet......go ask the supplier you would like to deal with.
Buying cylinders from individuals? Have them meet you at the suppliers and let the supplier determine if they will take it. If they will, buy the cylinder, swap or fill and your are golden.

"It depends on your local welding supply"

I assume most GJ readers can read a gauge and a thermometer. But the point I was making is a 150 and a 125 are essentially the same size.

Just co2 and propane are commonly filled one at a time. Some of the newish suppliers are palletized and have spiders set up for the palletized system they chose. The standard for the last half century has been a line of 25 or so with another 25 in a mirror image.

As part of the preinspection, the pumper separates lower pressure tanks to another fill or groups them together to be shut off and the rest of the line is pumped to fill. To fill only to the lowest tank is sloppy. What do you do if your line has 1800, 2015, 2265, 2400, and 2950?

Most mom and popshe did not sell 200 or 300 with their name on the shoulder. They sold generic no names. If you want to prove ownership beyond a doubt, you need a bill of sale from the mom and pop or the company that bought their assets. Asking a random supplier if he is willing to fill a tank with less than positive provenance is not the same thing.

Below is a photo of a cylinder with the neck ring ground smooth.

 

[laser3kw]

So they're shorting a quarter of their customers? I don't think so.
I've had a lot of pressurized gas cylinders filled. They were always filled one at a time.

May be a privater may do some that way or maybe transfill that way. Or the CO2 as others stated. But they ain't make'n money if they fill all product that way.
I started on a fill island in 1981. We filled 20 at a time, 10 on one side, 10 on the other. Fast forward to 1992, when Airgas built their new facility in the suburbs of Chicago, the fill island was set to fill 40, 20 x 20 and another 40 in que to transfer to. They had 4 islands like that, one for each product group.

 

[Lelandwelds]

Pumping 25 at a time was too slow. Can you imagine stopping a pump 25 times as often? You would spend more time on maintenance than filling! They must cascade the oddball walkins.( And shortfill. No one sticks a thermometer on a transfill. No one vacuums.)

 

[BD1]

Since my supplier is a bit of a drive, I have them put a gauge on to check pressure. Just don't want to get home and find a half full cylinder. Never had a problem doing that.
They even have owner no name on neck Tanks too. I only have one so I call before going to confirm.

 

[Ericgst]

Praxair let me exchange my 80c.f. o2 bottle that was out of date for an 80c.f. argon. I paid 32 for a test and 74 for a fill. I supposedly still own this bottle but I doubt I could get it filled at airgas which 5 mins from work.

What I'm getting at is maybe your local supplier would let you do a trade up/in. The way my guy put it to me is that they want my business and the bottle is not where they do real business, a bottle is a bottle and it doesnt matter what's in it.

“let me exchange”

Looks like they raped you, I pay $20 for a 80cf exchange regardless if it is expired or not.

125cf are $25 and 330cf are $40. You may want to look elsewhere and when they quote some crazy price ask for a discount or to setup a cash account.

 

[fordkid88]

“let me exchange”

Looks like they raped you, I pay $20 for a 80cf exchange regardless if it is expired or not.

125cf are $25 and 330cf are $40. You may want to look elsewhere and when they quote some crazy price ask for a discount or to setup a cash account.

Well the 32 was for the hydro test that I was going to pay regardless. But are you paying $20 to bring in an empty 80c.f. and leave with a full bottle because then I am being raped with some loose gravel thrown in for good measure.

 

[Ericgst]

Well the 32 was for the hydro test that I was going to pay regardless. But are you paying $20 to bring in an empty 80c.f. and leave with a full bottle because then I am being raped with some loose gravel thrown in for good measure.

Yes, I bring in an empty and expired cylinder and walk out with a full current dated cylinder for $20. I have also done swaps for different sizes, one 330 for two 125s, Oxy for Argon, with no charge. Walk in with an empty cylinder and walk out with two smaller full ones with no money changing hands. My local shop is fair, the value of the 330 cylinder is high enough to justify it to them.

I buy cylinders I may not need cheaply on Craigslist and swap them for something useful.

 

[BigMike782]

Obviously the entire gas industry runs the way it's done at some half azzed place in Texas so all of us better pay attention.

 

[fordkid88]

Well considered yourself lucky Eric because I have two praxair and one airgas in 45 mile radius and praxair is 75ish and airgas is 90 on the fill price. And looking around the state for other options seems to be in that range for an 80cf .

 

[sqznby]

My last exchange, I refilled a 40 and swapped an 80 for a 150 for $40
I own my tanks.

To the OP, buy the biggest tank you can get.

 

[Will S.]

Around here, the biggest bottle they will sell is the 82 cu ft. Anything larger is lease only, and they will not fill or exchange anything they don't lease.

A full tank of argon, 82 cu ft cost $199 to buy, and then they exchange empties for fulls for $42.

 

[trusso1234]

tractor supply will sell you a 125 C.F. bottle for 299. then when it runs out you just go exchange it for i think around 55 dollars and they give you another. they are the only ones i could find in Md that would do over a 80

 

[Retlaw 66]

Airgas distributor:
80 cf Argon= $260, includes free 1st fill.
O2 refill= $30.51
Ar/CO2 refill = $63
$32 pressure test.

Welding supply:
80cf Argon= $207, includes free 1st fill.
Argon refill= $27
O2 refill= $18.59
Ar/CO2 refill= $32
Pressure test= $20, takes 1.5 weeks.

So I went to the welding supply to buy the 80cf, but they sold it before I got there.
Settled for a 125 cf for $233 which included a free first fill. Refills were something like $34. That's a pretty decent savings over the costs of an 80cf.

I was surprised of the cost difference between the two stores, it's significant.

I'm in Eastern Pa. Stores are in Telford and Hatfield.