Welding Gas Bottle Policy? Airgas and others?

[Superburban]

Thanks, I had been wondering about oxygen concentrators for welding, I suppose you could gang them together for increased output.

You can gain more volume of oxygen concentrated air, but cannot increase the oxygen content. Unless maybe if you could run them in series. IIRc, the two a scarfed up over the summer, are rated for 85 to 85 percent O2, and up to 5 liters per minute volume. The measured pressure is only 8 PSI. Its been so long since I had my OA tanks out, I do not remember if that is enough pressure.

They have a self test feature when turned on, I'm thinking it measures teh O2%. I over paid when I picked up three last spring, for free. They all have lots of time on them, but two still passed the startup test. The third, I disected to see the insides.

One of the companies has a compressor, so you can fill small lunch box size O2 tanks.

 

[MrWhoopee]

My LWS is an Airgas store. When I bought my TIG welder, I called them to find out about bottle policy. They told me as long as it isn't stamped "Rental" on the neck ring I could get it refilled. I found an 80 cu. ft. argon tank on CL for $100. I recently took it in for a refill, they just swapped bottles. Of course, the refill was $90, so they can afford to be accommodating.

 

[erikmannie]

My LWS is an Airgas store. When I bought my TIG welder, I called them to find out about bottle policy. They told me as long as it isn't stamped "Rental" on the neck ring I could get it refilled. I found an 80 cu. ft. argon tank on CL for $100. I recently took it in for a refill, they just swapped bottles. Of course, the refill was $90, so they can afford to be accommodating.

$90 for 80 cu, ft. of Argon is an astronomical price! I pay $33-40 for that here in Santa Rosa, CA.

I bought two 80 cu. ft. Argon cylinders from Praxair. When I moved to the other side of town, I bought two C25 cylinders and two oxygen cylinders from Matheson, all of which were 80 cu. ft. I also bought a 120 cu. ft. cylinder of acetylene. I chose to buy all of my cylinders in order to avoid recurring costs.

Matheson is great about filling the aforementioned Q size cylinders that I bought from Praxair.

Praxair did not have 100% Argon about half the time, but so far Matheson has always had what I needed.

I agree about always having a spare, full cylinder on hand. When my first one becomes empty, I switch to the backup and make it a priority to get the other one filled.

I do not own a pickup truck so I have to borrow one when I refill my acetylene. They won’t allow acteylene to travel in my minivan.

Finally, Matheson stipulates that anything larger than 80 cu. ft. (of any gas) must be transported in a pickup truck.