Using oxygen tank on its side

woodlandfarms · Feb 10, 2015

OK, I know its a major no no on Acet having it lay on its side, but what about Oxy? What about Propane? I assume on both the issue is liquid in the valve but I am really not the smartest when it comes to these issues.

Shield Arc · Feb 10, 2015

I don't know about a propane tank. Rig welders lay their oxygen bottle almost flat all the time.

PILOON · Feb 10, 2015

That's a no for propane as in tank it is liquid and you want to burn the vapors.

mfreund · Feb 10, 2015

Propane depends on how the tank is constructed. Look at the tanks on a fork truck.

Oxygen is fine, it is a compressed gas not a liquid. But you need to have it secure in the extremely rare possibility of the valve being broke off. Then it becomes a projectile.

hosspuller · Feb 10, 2015

mfreund said:
Propane depends on how the tank is constructed. Look at the tanks on a fork truck.

Forklift Propane tanks used on its side have a hole for a pin that locates the pickup in the liquid space. Therefore the tank only produces liquid not vapor

Gary Fowler · Feb 11, 2015

Many if not most propane fueled vehicles use liquid propane but it passes thru a vaporizer before going to the engine, so the tank is ok on its side. I ran a propane/gasoline fueled pickup truck for years and it fed from the liquid valve in the tank. It would run on vapor if the liquid ran out but had very little power. The vaporizer was heated by water from the radiator. A flip of a switch would put it back on gasoline but you needed to be moving at least 50 MPH to switch it over as it took several seconds for the engine to clear the propane and pick up the gasoline again.

MitchellB · Feb 11, 2015

mfreund said:
Oxygen is fine, it is a compressed gas not a liquid. But you need to have it secure in the extremely rare possibility of the valve being broke off. Then it becomes a projectile.

+1 on securing that Oxygen tank. Years ago the welding truck delivery guy knocked a full one over off the back of the gas truck at work once without the safety cap screwed on. The valve broke off on something when it landed on the concrete and it took off like a missile. The tank punched through a block wall and went across the office floor by the secretary's desk and lodged in the concrete wall behind her; almost going through it too. Luckily no one was in it's way.

CNC Dan · Feb 11, 2015

hosspuller said:
Forklift Propane tanks used on its side have a hole for a pin that locates the pickup in the liquid space. Therefore the tank only produces liquid not vapor

Yup. The carburetor on a propane powered forklift is heated and made to vaporize a liquid into a vapor.

Big Barn · Feb 11, 2015

I'm pretty sure I read on Welding Web a while back where MinnesotaDave changed fittings for fill and discharge on his forklift LPG tank so that he could use for cutting.
I think he worked for a propane company at the time so he knew what he was doing though.

Terry

MinnesotaDaveChalmers · Feb 11, 2015

Big Barn said:
I'm pretty sure I read on Welding Web a while back where MinnesotaDave changed fittings for fill and discharge on his forklift LPG tank so that he could use for cutting.
I think he worked for a propane company at the time so he knew what he was doing though.

Terry

Good memory - I added a fill valve on it so I could fill from the truck, but the vapor and liquid withdraw valves were both installed already from the factory (or I added the vapor one in the hole provided - can't remember).
The 80% blow-off valve for filling was already installed.

Interesting internals since the vapor has a loop of pipe that keeps it in the vapor when oriented correctly on it's side, or vertical.
The liquid tube goes to the bottom "corner" so it's in liquid vertical or horizontal (correctly oriented) as well.

Mine is the larger 43lb tanks and looks a lot like this.
(the liquid dip tube is like the second pic)