I need to transport my oxy/acetylene setup. I am going to use my pickup. I am going to lay the bottles down, because the bedsides are not that tall, so the tanks wouldn't be stable if stood upright. My question is, how long should I let the acetylene tank stand upright before using it?
Not doubting you and I've heard the same thing before, but would like to know why. I've carried them on their sides for years and wait a day after putting them back upright, which is what I was told was OK to do, 40+ years ago. What is the danger of laying 'em down, other than they could become potential guided missles if the hook-up broke off ??
You should have no problem laying the bottles down as long as you have the caps on. Also make sure you place the bottles in such a way that if you get into an eccident they have somewhere to go and do not get compressed. As TagMan said, wait a day (or at least a couple hours) for the acyt to settle before lighting up.
they should not be layed down. but.. I was told by a chief engineer that as a rule of thumb, to let them stand at least as long as they were laying down before cracking the valve. it is conceivable that a bottle may not remain upright throughout it's entire lifetime in the rare occasion that one does become horizontal, you shouldn't have to throw it away.
Acetylene is stored dissolved in Acetone which is, in turn, absorbed in a solid filler material. This is the minimum risk scenario. If you turn the cylinder on its side, the Acetone can come out of the filler, and the Acetylene can come out of the Acetone. Undissolved Acetylene can be bad juju during transport as well as use. Realize that Acetylene can explosively decompose without Oxygen present. Do it like the experts say. Doing otherwise increases the risk of a problem. We have a saying in the petrochemical industry....safety rules are written in blood; it's not an exaggeration.
I have no way to transport bottles in the upright position. I have talked to the people that I buy the bottles from and they say to make sure the acet. bottle stands up for as long or longer than it was laying down. I have never had a problem doing it this way.
OK, how do you guys transport your acetylene bottles? This is just a 15min drive across town. Tank is 31" tall. Tie down in the Toyota is 10" off of the bed floor. I guess could leave it in the cart and tie the cart upright, but that seems kinda sketchy.
you have a welder,you could always weld some brackets to your truck bed for tie-downs or chains. don't get blown up because "some guy said it was OK" that is BULLSHIT! it's YOUR life,you only get one.
so I'd get things thrown at me if I suggested putting the acetylene bottle in the passenger seat with the shoulder belt on? (ducks) laying down the oxy bottle should not be a problem. Caps on them both, of course.
I was always taught that if you must lay one down temporarally that you should block it so the top end is a couple inches higher than the bottom so the juice doesnt run out and tie it down so it doesnt roll around. I agree though that they should always be stored and used in an upright position. Bob
I asked the people that work at AGA gas products. They said as long as the caps are on and you carrie them out in the open, not inside a car or trunk of a car. A truck bed is OK.
everybody should already know the answer to this question upright, chained or bolted solid and not inside the passenger compartment like George says, just because so and so said... or well my grandpa used to... doesn't make it any safer.
The gas didn't leak out and settle on the floor around my chop saw and kersplode when I was making all those sparks cutting all that steel...how's it gonna leak out into the car? sheesh.... still, I agree that upright, capped, bolted in place in the cargo compartment, is where bottles should be transported.
I'm dying here.......i didn't expect to see my grandpa's old pic.......hahaha ..... When I asked him about this, "it always worked just fine, no one ever told me not to......" here are some notes I took from my welding class a few months back... -properly installed safety caps -store in an oil-free environment -becomes unstable after 15 psi (flowing through hose) -there is a honeycomb arrangement inside of the tank, acetone absorbs the acetylene so when valve is opened only acetylene gas comes out -open your acetylene valve about 1/4 to 1/2 turn (he called it one running step so if in an emergency you could easily shut off the fuel gas VERY quickly and run) -open oxy valve completely because it's a double seat valve and is much higher pressure from my book (one of them thar book readers, huh) -never drop or handle roughly -always install caps during storage, when not in use and transportation -never lift via the cap -"Acetylene cylinders that have been lying on their sides must stand upright for four hours or more before they are used. The acetylene is absorbed in acetone and the acetone is absorbed in a filler. The filler does not allow the liquid to settle back away from the valve very quickly. If the cylinder has been in a horizontal position, using it too soon after it is placed in a vertical position may draw acetone out of the cylinder. Acetone lowers the flame temperature and can damage regulator or torch valve settings." That's all it says...nothing about being more volatile... don't use an oily glove when turning on your oxygen bottle.....can spontaneously combust!!! there was one about a month ago on here, i think
in welding school we watched a video where a oxy/ace. setup was set at a little more than a 45 degree angle and BOOM the thing blew sky high, biggest piece was about the size of a credit card...SO what I am saying is try everything you can to hold them bottles upright and if need be no more at a 45 degree!!! Thats for your own safety and whoever is around
I'm the luckiest bastard alive. I should have been killed years ago. Stay away from me...I'm way over due.
Thanks to all for info provided ! Looks like I've been close to dying dozens of times without knowing it ! Ignorance is bliss ??? 302
Dumb things we do when we,re young and uneducated................. Back when I was in my early 20,s I had an oxy-acetelene rig in my workshop and I needed re-fills. Over here in England you have to have an account with BOC and you pay rent on the bottles, pay for the gas, pay for paperwork etc etc and it works out expensive. Well, I,d recently gotten myself a job with a company making solid fuel fires and guess what? They had gas! So I ask if it,s possible to trade my empties for full bottles, obviously I,ll pay for the gas....Yep, no problem, result. Now I have to get my bottles to work and the only transport I have for the 40 mile daily drive is my girlfriends Austin Mini. A quick measure up and if I take the passenger seat out, both bottles will just go in, Cool! I can remember laying the bottles in the little Mini whilst a few guys took the piss a bit and muttered something about me being a mad bastard...... Mobile bomb anyone?
Ive been transporting large and small tanks horizontally for as long as I can remember and have had the gas supplier help load them inside the car. The oxy goes on the floor and the acetylene on the seat strapped down with the seat belts. The only caveat besides letting them stand up awhile is to not let them bang together! Laws have changed down in MA but not in NH as far as I know. Had a plumbers size mini tank filled Monday and it was on the back seat with their knowledge. Ive also been in many junkyards where the tanks are always horizontal in the back of a station wagon or hatchback yard vehicle. No explosions Ive ever heard of.
Because it was pay day I had to read a OSHA/Union safety paper to get my check. Never guess what the subject was? 60's Style is dead on. Love that pic of Grampa's hotrod.
i was diggin around on a welding projects site and saw this info...down at the bottom of the page is some safety tips.... http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/weld/weld.html
Hey, I don't know about out where you still trade chickens and beads for goods, but out in California, if the Highway Patrol catches ya hawlin pressurized gas in a passenger car you are lookin at a BIG TICKET! Truckers can't even get away with it without plackards on the back of their rigs. Strap the bottel in the shot gun seat,stick a feed store ball cap on the top,a pair of cheap sun glasses taped on it, a chore coat wraped around it, and ya gotta date for the trip home- Swankey Devils C.C.
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