Old tanks

   / Old tanks #1  
C

Capricious

Platinum Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
692
Location
Eastern Missouri
Tractor
Mitsubishi MT160D
My father-in-law passed away about 4 years ago. He had in his garage an oxy/acet. torch set-up that he had not used for probably 10 years prior to his passing. He owned the tanks outright. It is all still sitting there.

How safe is it to have this stuff laying around, considering how long it has been sitting?

The hoses are probably rotten but with new hoses would it be safe to use the rig? Should the regulators be checked? I do not know the brand but the F.I.L was a machinest and only used good tools, so i am sure it was a quality set.

I am sure a refill would require a recertification- would it even be worth it? If it's not worth trying to revive this stuff, how does one dispose of it?
 
   / Old tanks #2  
I say get new hoses, have your local welding store check out your regulators condition and fire it up :)

Tanks are expensive to buy, and re certification is not very much money, I'd keep them and use them.
 
   / Old tanks
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Would it be safe to use gas that has been siting in the cylinders for 15+ years?
 
   / Old tanks #6  
Nah, I think you should dispose of all of that rig... Since I live in Missouri too.. I will come over and collect it and dispose of all of it for you, just as a neighborly thing to do!:)
 
   / Old tanks #7  
Actually, if it was stored in a shop and didn't draw tons of moisture and dry rot all the rubber bits, here's what I'd do... I'd put the regulators on the tanks, put the hoses on the regulators, put the torch on the hoses. Keep the torch turned off. Turn pressure on the tanks, turn the regulators up to pressurize the hoses, turn the tanks off, then let it set for 24 hours. With the small amount of gasses stored in the hose, there's not much danger of some major explosion if it leaks off. If there is still pressure stored in the lines after setting for 24 hours, the torch, hoses, and regulators are perfectly leak free and I'd not have any issue using them 10 hours a day.

Gas and oxygen doesn't go bad. As long as the tanks are mostly rust free, they can be recertified even if a new valve needs installed. Wait until they are empty to do this.

I have a 50' hose set that is about 35 years old and still flawless. When not in use, I have a small 4'x2'x2' plastic truck toolbox the hoses, gauges/regulators, and torch all go into. In the bottom of that box is about 5 dozen or so large silica gel desiccant packs.

Also, any time other than when doing the test for leaks, you should always back the regulators off as leaving them screwed in will mess with the diaphragm inside and cause them to read improperly and fail prematurely.
 
   / Old tanks #8  
I own my own tanks. I've probably only filled them 4 times in 20 years. And by "fill" I mean I take them in, they put them on the dock, look them over, and give me a different set of tanks and off I go. Don't know if things have changed, but I don't recall anything about re-certifying tanks. They just exchange them. They don't refill mine and give them back to me. Maybe I've just been lucky in that my tanks are always in good condition, or maybe I exchange them often enough (every 5 years or so) that I slip in under any point of no exchange without certification.

So, my question is, how's that work? I recall date of manufacture on my tanks, I think. Is there some sort of time limit between certifications, and if I bring in "old" tanks, what happens? thanks in advance to any answers. :thumbsup:
 
   / Old tanks #9  
MossRoad said:
I own my own tanks. I've probably only filled them 4 times in 20 years. And by "fill" I mean I take them in, they put them on the dock, look them over, and give me a different set of tanks and off I go. Don't know if things have changed, but I don't recall anything about re-certifying tanks. They just exchange them. They don't refill mine and give them back to me. Maybe I've just been lucky in that my tanks are always in good condition, or maybe I exchange them often enough (every 5 years or so) that I slip in under any point of no exchange without certification.

So, my question is, how's that work? I recall date of manufacture on my tanks, I think. Is there some sort of time limit between certifications, and if I bring in "old" tanks, what happens? thanks in advance to any answers. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Same with me. At my local welding supply they don't ever look at my bottles. Majority of the time I unload them out of my truck, go inside tell the guys at the counter what I need, sign the form, go outside by myself, put my empties in the proper place, and grab full ones. Simple as that.
 
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