Welding Tips and Tricks

New to the forum (hello) and searched for any advice for positioning my cylinders and came up empty handed. I'm wanting to lay my cylinders down horizontally on the back side underneath my table vs having them stick up above the top. I'm assuming it wouldn't matter since it's compressed gas but every photo of welding carts/tables I've seen have them positioned upright. Am I missing something? Thx

Tanks are designed to use in an upright position it's one thing to lay them down for transport but another for use. If it's an acetylene tank then laying on its side for use can be deadly! Some tanks may be ok depending on what's in them but be vary carefull. There is also the safety issue of what happens if a valve were to break.

I had my ar/co2 horizontal for many years without any issues.

Acetylene is a big nono, as already said.

Blind Pig wrote:I'm wanting to lay my cylinders down horizontally on the back side underneath my table vs having them stick up above the top.

To my mind, underneath the table could be the real issue. Will they be protected from sparks? Slag? Dropped steel from cutting operations? Could they be hit by (insert name of something big and heavy here) if you drop it while working on it? Breaking a gauge off a regulator, or breaking the cylinder valve itself, would make for an eventful day.

The big problem laying cylinders down is liquid is being fed into the regulator instead of gas from the top of the vertical cylinder for contents containing liquified gas. And of acetylene cylinders where you would also be feeding acetone. Boom.

They use co2 tanks to freeze pipe. You just use one with a dip tube or lay a regular one down to get liquid.

Blind Pig,
Biggest concern should be with something being dropped on a valve and it being sheared off. They should never be uncapped while laid down, it's just plain safer and smarter to stand them up out of harms way. They're not likely to end up in your neighbor's back yard if the valve gets sheared off while they're standing, chained to a welding cart or wall. There's no other reason necessary, it's safer, end of story.

Len

Blind Pig,

Here's the skinny...

Never lay an Acetylene or Butylene bottle on it's side. These are dissolved gases, and you'll present the solvent to the regulator. That's a bad day in anyone's book. Propane and Butane bottles should also be stored and used upright, because of the point in the bottle the fuel is tapped from.

Compressed gasses, like Oxygen, Argon, 75/25, or Tri-mix (examples of many) "can" be stored and used horizontally. Two things to consider are, as suggested, securing the bottle against loss of the valve, as they can become deadly missiles, and DOT regulations that apply regardless of how your bottle is stored...

In transport, all bottles must be capped. Simple as that. Never drive around with a regulator attached to your bottle. Disconnect it, and put the cap on, or you are liable for a very hefty fine if caught. (It seems rare that this is noticed, as I see bottles with regulators in the backs of truck all the time, but please don't be that idiot.) This includes your friggin' propane bottle for your BBQ... The completely useless plastic "cap" must be in place when transporting it.

Here's a subtle hint about how serious this can be... If you refill a 16 OZ propane bottle, and transport it in a vehicle, the fine can be as much as $500,000. I have a 16 OZ bottle of "zero air", pure atmosphere for calibration purposes, that has this refill warning on it. A half-million, for refilling a bottle with air? Yep, that's what it says.

Steve S

Thanks for everyone's input. This will be more of a cart than a working table so welding/cutting over the top of an exposed regulator/valve wasn't my plan. Although the emphasis seemed to be more on the safety and protection of the valve than the function. I will go the extra mile to protect the valve and will give the bottle as much angle as I can. Thanks for the education on acetylene too.

As long as we're talking exploding cylinders... have you seen this, from a Russian dash cam? The acetylene bottles are the most dramatic.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/FG1LGKieTxY?wmode=opaque

Artie F. Emm wrote:As long as we're talking exploding cylinders... have you seen this, from a Russian dash cam? The acetylene bottles are the most dramatic.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/FG1LGKieTxY?wmode=opaque

Fun to watch, wasn't there a welding supply in Texas several years back that went up? If I remember that place burned for hours.

Artie F. Emm wrote:As long as we're talking exploding cylinders... have you seen this, from a Russian dash cam? The acetylene bottles are the most dramatic.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/FG1LGKieTxY?wmode=opaque

Yes they are. This happened in my area two years ago, which resulted in the death of one man. The acetylene tank was in the back of the SUV when it grenaded. I never found out if it was an RBO that caused it or a flashback.

The Destin Log — 'Keep him in their prayers': Illinois doctor still in critical condition after Saturday explosion

I have experienced it when an acetylene tank was real cold and you can get some acetone carry over that causes your torch to start dripping and spitting some green fire balls. If your lucky you remember to turn off the tank and not the torch. Same thing if it's laying on its side or tips over after you have it lit.