Argon-Co2 Mix Gas in the Winter?

Nov 03, 2005 1 Replies

Can I leave my MIG sheilding gas cylinder outside in my garage for the winter months? It's not insulated or heated.. And I live in Ontario, where -30 celcius is not unheard of. Thanks,


Storage won't hurt it, but don't count on using it for welding without warming it up quite a bit.

I think there is a possibility that the CO2 may separate from the argon and be a liquid (under pressure) at that temp (-30ºC/-34ºF) And if you open the valve the CO2 that comes out may instantly turn to a soild (dry ice snow flakes). Can't be good for your regulator. IIRC Argon has its solid and liquid phases somewhere below -185ºC/-300ºF so any phase change due to temperature/pressure should not be a problem, as it doesn't get that cold even in Ontario.

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