David,
Thank you for the best post I have seen on this
topic. As a person who owns tanks, this has been
extremely informative.
thanks again,
old dirtbeard
los angeles
'72 BSA B50SS
'74 Triumph TR6
'01 HD XL883
'03 GMC Cargo Van
>
>> I agree with David. I had a small set and was always frustrated with
>> the lack of capacity. The problem with the larger tanks, at least in my
>> area (Wash. D.C.) is that many welding supply shops have strict rules
>> about refills. In my case, the original supplier went out of business,
>> and when I took the tanks to another place they would not refill them as
>> I hadn't made my original purchase there. I finally found a shop that
>> would refill them, but it was a hassle. I also was told to be careful
>> with the dates on the tanks that you own as the tank that's given to you
>> refilled in exchange for yours can have a date that has expired and so
>> you cannot have that tank refilled next time and may be forced to buy a
>> new tank. Always have the tanks you own refilled, not swapped with
>> others.
>>
>> I'd love to hear more about this date business on the tanks--anyone.
>>
>
> All DOT-spec tanks are required to be requalified periodically. (For most
>bottles, it's a visual inspection and a hydrostatic pressure test, though
>ultrasonic testing is becoming more common.) How often depends on the tank
>type, and what's stored in it. For DOT 3AA bottles (which is what the vast
>majority of welding O2, Ar, and He cylinders are) it's every five years -- but
>most welding bottles qualify for a special 10 year interval, if they're
>removed from a gang, rack or vehicle and are hit with a hammer (really!)
>before each refilling. DOT 3 cylinders (acetylene tanks, mostly) are every
>five years. The month and year of the last test is stamped on the bottle. For
>3AA cylinders, there's almost always two additional markings as part of the
>date stamp. A + sign, indicating that the bottle can be overfilled by 10% (I
> ve never seen a bottle without one of these); and a five pointed star, which
>indicates that the bottle gets the 10 year retest interval.
>
> Tanks past the re-qualification interval can't be refilled or offered for
>transportation. If they were filled before the expiration of the interval,
>they can be offered for transportation. The rules on tank ownership vary from
>state to state. Some states title bottles, and you can't get them refilled
>without showing the title. Some states don't. Around here, most suppliers
>will take a bottle with anyones ownership ring on it, and give you a filled
>one with theirs on it. I don't know if they trade the bottles they get with
>the suppliers they belong to, or if they just swap the rings. In some areas,
>suppliers won't touch a bottle that doesn't have their neck ring on it.
>
> David
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