Oxygen/Acetyline Tanks Question

[tbob]

Hello Guys, I love this site. I veiw it everyday. I have a set of O/A tanks that I bought around 1980 along with a victor welding/cutting set. Since that time I have probably only used it around 5 times. Just chained up and taking up space. Last night I noticed that the rubber lines to the torch were brittle from lack of use. I've decided to sell this unit and I have some questions. What about the bottles? does the gas go bad after a period of time?I've heard about "papers" for them. From what I remember, I just went to my welding supply co. and bought them. Are there new Regulations on selling now? Also are my regulaters still good or would they have to be rebuilt? What would be a fair asking price? Any discussion would be appreciated.

Thanks Terry

 

[W-Cummins]

Hello Guys, I love this site. I veiw it everyday. I have a set of O/A tanks that I bought around 1980 along with a victor welding/cutting set. Since that time I have probably only used it around 5 times. Just chained up and taking up space. Last night I noticed that the rubber lines to the torch were brittle from lack of use. I've decided to sell this unit and I have some questions. What about the bottles? does the gas go bad after a period of time?I've heard about "papers" for them. From what I remember, I just went to my welding supply co. and bought them. Are there new Regulations on selling now? Also are my regulaters still good or would they have to be rebuilt? What would be a fair asking price? Any discussion would be appreciated.

Thanks Terry

The regulators and gas should be fine. I would tell the buyer to replace the hoses. As long as you own the tanks ( no 99 year lease deals etc... ) you can do with them as you please. As for price it will depend on the size of the tanks, model of torch set, phase of the moon, etc... Last set I purchased I gave $100 for, but I got a good deal, ymmv

William...

 

[mike944]

They don't go bad, but the oxygen cylinder needs to be "hydro-tested" every 10 years to ensure it's still safe. Acetylene cylinders i think only need to be inspected, as they're relatively low-pressure

If you've only used them a few times, you've probably never had them refilled, which means they're out of date. I don't think it's terribly expensive to have done, but it does reduce the sale value of a cylinder if it's out-of-date. The date they were last tested is stamped into the tank near the neck.

The regulator diaphrams may be dry-rotted just like the hoses. Fortunately, the victor is a good set, and parts should still be available.

As to price, well, in my opinion, worst case, both cylinders out-of-date, bad hoses, and both regulators dry-rotted, maybe $50. If the cylinders are up-to-date, and the regulators are good, depending on the size of the cylinders, up to maybe $200 or even a little more.