Newb welding tank question
 

Im tired of my fluxcore piece of ---- so I bought the gas kit for it. But now I need a tank.

My regulator shows a 4000psi max, but what should I be looking for in a tank? Im too cheap to buy brand new from the gas supply places. What max pressure ratings should I be looking for? What are the tanks usually filled to?

I have a line on an 80lb'er for $50 cdn so Im leaning that way, but I want to make sure it can hold what I need it to first. The more info the better.

Re: Newb welding tank question
 

normally tanks are filled to some where near 3000psi but im not really sure what your asking

Re: Newb welding tank question
 

80 is a good size, possibly a bit on the large side to have for occasional home use as far as mobility is concerned.

Re: Newb welding tank question
 

Well basically this guy I know has a bunch of tanks laying around. He works in compressed gases everyday but knows jack about welding (pretty much the same as me, haha).

He uses the tanks in his lab and only has like 40psi of oxygen in them so he isnt sure the max rating. Im assuming it will say on the tanks, I was just curious what the tank would need to be rated to. Im pretty sure it would be the same thing regardless of its intended purpose just for safety reasons, but ya never know. So I guess as long as its rated above 3000 psi Im good to go. $50 well spent.

80 is a huge friggin tank. Almost 5 feet tall. But it saves me from having to refill the bastard every month. Space isnt a concern really.

Re: Newb welding tank question
 

If he's just had em lyin around for a while, make sure you check the inspection date. Gas places won't fill them if the inspection is expired. I have no clue what pressure rated should be though.

Re: Newb welding tank question
 

depends on how much you're welding. A few hours of solid welding can get rid of an 80 at like 19cfm's

Re: Newb welding tank question
 

Try like 3' tall.... you are thinking of a 120 or something. My 80 isn't even as tall as my bench.

Re: Newb welding tank question
 

Yeah its bigger than an 80. Roughly 4.5 feet tall.

Now the problem is it has reverse threads on the tank. My regulator has normal threads (even with the adapter that came with it).

Im just gonna try taking the thing to get filled up. Usually they just take your old tank and give you a pre-filled one around here anyway. Then they do their thing on the old tank and give it to someone else.

Thanks for the info.

Re: Newb welding tank question
 

Yes, you might want to check on filling first. Around here places will only fill tanks that come from them. You can either "buy" a tank or lease one, either way when you bring in an empty they just roll you out a different tank. Mine are rented, cost was like $100 for a 7 year lease.

Re: Newb welding tank question
 

80ft^2 is small. Only 4-5 hours welding time tops. I have one & I wnt rid of the thing bigtime. The only really good plus-side is it's very mobile for the 4-5 hors you get. They're easily tossed onto a shoulder.
The tanks are rated to 2100psi, but the pressure seen is generally 2900-3100psi. That's becuase the tanks are rated to hold that pressure at a much lower temperature than you see. When the bottle is warm & the gas expands, they read abit high.





It varries everyhwere, but because of both airgas & linde gas rules have changed. (The two biggest suppliers AFAIK) Back in the day you'd only get a fill, or exchange (99% of places exchange) if you had a bill-of-sale for the tank. Tanks are very common thieft items & the gas industry said we aint gunna do it.
Today... If you say you own the tank. THey have no reason to believe you stole the tank. Your tank will be exchanged no question asked, PROVIDED that it is within current testing dates. (5 years, or 10 years depending on how & when it was last tested in the US).
You also must have the correct gas valve on the tank, tho alot of places just don't check.





The majority of the time, you talk to the guy at a counter, shoot the ---- a min. Pay & then you go to the back of the place & give the tank to some other guy who's just told nothing more than, he's exchanges an XXX size tank. Give him XXX tank with YYY gas in it.
End of story.