10 CF Acetylene Tank - Full Pressure

Just tried out my new small cutting setup and when I got the tank from the local supplier the pressure was way under 100 psi, maybe as low as 50, I don't remember the exact amount.

Usage was at best 20 minutes. I was cutting bolts and stuff, a couple of minutes of cutting up some sheet metal.

Looks like a #1 tip.

Did I get shorted by my filler?

Thanks. _________________________________________________________________ JG... Jeff Givens mailto: snipped-for-privacy@xemapsXX.comXX

"My hovercraft is full of eels."

Reply to
Jeff Givens
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Yes!

Reply to
RJ

Jeff,

Either you did, or your gauge is broken. A full acetylene cylinder should read 400psi. I had one that read 200psi on a cold day. My supplier told me this was normal so I took him at his word.

Vernon

Reply to
Vernon

I forgot to add that sometimes the valves on cylinders are defective and leak down. In any event they should replace your cylinder with a smile.

Vernon

Reply to
Vernon

"Vernon" wrote: (clip) In any event they should replace your cylinder with a smile. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ They ought to give you moe than a smile.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Yeah, I had leak tested and saw no bubbles. The regulator is new and with the usage time observed, and from the comments here, it sure seems I got a short cylinder. _________________________________________________________________ JG... Jeff Givens mailto: snipped-for-privacy@xemapsXX.comXX

"My hovercraft is full of eels."

Reply to
Jeff Givens

10 cubic feet is pretty small to use for cutting, but the pressure ought to have been higher than that. I would consider trading up to a bigger cylinder if you have room to store it. Much of the cost of refilling a tank is the handling, so a larger tank does not cost much more to refill. My very old McMaster Carr catalog says the cost of a 40 cf tank is $30 dollars more than a 10 cf tank. It also says tanks are filled to 250 psi.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

Dan,

For my very occasional use these sizes are sufficient.

I went back to the supplier and sure enough he stated he was having problems with the mega supplier in this are, many short 10 cf acetylene fills. He happily gave me another and it came in at 225 psi. We had a good chat about stuff, very nice guy. So yes indeed, it was replaced with a smile.

Now my O2 ran out lol! It was at 1800, no leaks. I used the tanks for 20 minutes of cutting, now today it was at 300 and after about 30 minutes of work ran out, regulated to 5 psi. Sheesh. _________________________________________________________________ JG... Jeff Givens mailto: snipped-for-privacy@xemapsXX.comXX

"My hovercraft is full of eels."

Reply to
Jeff Givens

Good news is that they usually give you a free replacement.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

Ive got an O2 bottle out in the shop that currently has such a slow leak, that it wont register with the Windex test. Ive used it about 2x and its now down to about 300lbs after swapping it out 8 months ago. Total cut time about 3 minutes.

Guys at the welding shop I frequent said bring it back and they will swap it out, no problem.

Gunner

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. Lazarus Long

Reply to
Gunner

I'm sure most already do this, but I just want to point it out that turning all valves off on a torch assembly does not fully eliminate gas from escaping.

Hose leak.

Regulators leak.

Tank valves leak.

Equipment in tip-top condition should leak as little as possible, but it will still leak a little - certainly not as bad as old, worn out equipment, though!

When putting away the torch assembly, remember to back off the regulator valve and turn off the bottle valve as well as turning off the gas valve on the torch. Basically, remember to turn all the valves off at the end of the day.

I've tried telling my dad to do this for years, but he still only turns off the valve on the torch itself. Bottles don't last him for very long!

Was this 10 CF bottle new from a torch kit? If so, it could have been sitting on the shelf for a very long time before someone bought it. As an analogy, think of the free batteries that come with a remote control: They are never very good, but they are free! :)

"Jeff Givens" wrote

Reply to
jp2express

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