Welding CO/Argon tank question

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Kllrbee

Kllrbee

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Off topic question for you professional (or hobby) welders.
I have just a little experience Mig welding. Have borrowed from various friends when needed and always done fluxcore (I think thats what its called). So never used gas. The projects didnt call for "roll of dimes" look, so it was good enough.
Anyways, my uncle is passing down his Miller 211 to me with his tank and all accessories. Very nice setup and Im looking forward to getting plenty of use out of it.
He hasnt used it in over 10 years though. Do the tanks expire or go bad? Does the gas? I imagine the CO and Argon might just separate. Would rolling the cylinder properly mix it? Its got a date stamp of 2015.
I apologize if these are idiotic questions, but storing gas for over 10 years makes me nervous even though It says non flammable.
He did say his regulator might be broke so is there a way I can tell if the tank is empty? I usually weigh my propane tanks and compare them with the weight stamp on the cylinder. Can I do that with these types?
Thanks guys
 
Years ago i didnt weld much so a bottle lasted a very long time. It doesent expire. As far as the bottle itself, when you exchange it, the gas supplier re-certifies the bottle.
Nice welder, btw. And you can switch it to gasless/flux core.
 
There should be a date stamp on the bottle itself around the screw top. I know the CO2 bottles fall out after 5 years or if it has a star stamped after the last date its 10 years after the year code. So if the tank has a 14 stamped on it with nothing higherm its good until 2019 or until it has been used. If it has a + after it , it has been tested +10% and a star means its a 10 year certification. you cant get it filled if its past 5 or 10 years past the last date stamp but it can be hydrostatically tested and recertified for about $20. if it has a UT, it was ultrasonically tested. Homebrew places can recertify bottles and you can always turn in unexpired bottles for new filled ones at a gas vendor.
 
Thanks for the explanation. Honestly, my concern is more about safety. Want to make sure I dont blow myself up. Looks like thats not really an issue I guess.
So can I still exchange this at the Airgas until the end of year? Or will it need to be recertified?


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Crack the valve open. That'll let you know if there is any gas in it. You should do that before hooking up a regulator anyway. It blows any debris out and never get any oil around the fitting. High pressure and petroleum can cause spontaneous combustion.
 
Here in good ole Illinois, you will have to buy a contract, it is good for 5 years. When you bring the tank in for an exchange and you do not have a contract do not worry the store will sign you up. Price depends on the size of your tank......you will not get the gas if you do not have contract The money you pay for the contract goes to make sure the tank is serviceable. Now that the service fee out of the way you still have to pay for the gas......big ouch.
 
Tooljunkie said:
Years ago i didnt weld much so a bottle lasted a very long time. It doesent expire. As far as the bottle itself, when you exchange it, the gas supplier re-certifies the bottle.
Nice welder, btw. And you can switch it to gasless/flux core.
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Sometimes. I bought a tank from Summit years ago that was so out of date, my local welding shop wouldn't touch it to fill, or give me credit for it. I called Summit and they actually sent a call tag for it and took it back when I read the date code on it. I almost fell out when they refunded me.
 
Kllrbee said:
Thanks for the explanation. Honestly, my concern is more about safety. Want to make sure I dont blow myself up. Looks like thats not really an issue I guess.
So can I still exchange this at the Airgas until the end of year? Or will it need to be recertified?


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You cannot do that, as argon nor Co2 is flammable or combustible. Although, I guess you could cause a high pressure explosion if you knocked the valve off the tank. lol
 
I had an acetylene bottle for 40 years with gas in it. I just used it until it was out, brought it to the gas supplier when empty, and he gave me another one in exchange. Should be no issues........It wouldn't bother me to just use it.
 
Kllrbee said:
Thanks for the explanation. Honestly, my concern is more about safety. Want to make sure I dont blow myself up. Looks like thats not really an issue I guess.
So can I still exchange this at the Airgas until the end of year? Or will it need to be recertified?


View attachment 1715820771
Click to expand...
The gas mixture is inert, that's why it is used for mig welding.
 
Here, air liquide is the distributor. Bottles are exchanged. I had an acetelyne given to me. 15 years ago. I exchanged it without issue. Bought a filled oxygen outright. Was expensive, but i have torches now.
 
I bought my bottles. All that means is I own them if I never go back. Not rentals with a bill every month.
When I take them back they just exchange them like with a rental. They don't refill what I bring in.
Costs more up front but no monthly rent fees. Or an initial deposit.
 
Very good. Thanks gentlemen.
I did crack the valve and theres gas in there. So Ill use it. Then bring it over to Airgas and see if theyll exchange it.
As I said, never used gas so just wanted to play it safe by asking.
Thanks again
 
Old man ray said:
I bought my bottles. All that means is I own them if I never go back. Not rentals with a bill every month.
When I take them back they just exchange them like with a rental. They don't refill what I bring in.
Costs more up front but no monthly rent fees. Or an initial deposit.
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Yup. My latest one, I own, but I exchanged another one I had that was dated good. All I paid for was the gas. As long as they're dated good and you exchange for the same size, all you pay for is gas.....least that's how it is here.
 
MIG= metal inert gas. In case we were wondering.
TIG= tungsten inert gas.
 
Tooljunkie said:
Here, air liquide is the distributor. Bottles are exchanged. I had an acetelyne given to me. 15 years ago. I exchanged it without issue. Bought a filled oxygen outright. Was expensive, but i have torches now.
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This seems to be a fairly recent change--last 10 years?. I deal with "Ox arc" here. I took my bottles in--not fully empty, as I was concerned about the cert date and did not want to get stuck with the high cost of pressure cert. They told me they don't hang that on the customer anymore, with "owner" bottles. I've forgotten what all is "owner" the tiny 20/40 O2, the 80 O2 and what we used to call a 60 acet. Around here I either 122 or 150 bottles were or could be owner. Some used to be "lease" and some used to be "rent." Way back in the 70's there were PISSED customers who had had what they thought were 99 year leases on bottles, and "I guess" a merger/ buyout resulted in them becoming "20" year leases----and many were "up." We lost a few customers, over that deal.
 
Kllrbee said:
Thanks for the explanation. Honestly, my concern is more about safety. Want to make sure I dont blow myself up. Looks like thats not really an issue I guess.
So can I still exchange this at the Airgas until the end of year? Or will it need to be recertified?


View attachment 1715820771
Click to expand...
The 11 + * is the date that cylinder was made. The plus means 10% over fill and the star is good for ten years before retest. The gas is fine, use it till you run out. Most retailers don't charge for retest any more. Worked in the industrial gas side for 36 years hauling cryogenic liquids to fill plants that filled those.
 
Old man ray said:
I bought my bottles. All that means is I own them if I never go back. Not rentals with a bill every month.
When I take them back they just exchange them like with a rental. They don't refill what I bring in.
Costs more up front but no monthly rent fees. Or an initial deposit.
Click to expand...

That's what I did also on My Argon for my mig and both bottles on my torch. I even had Titles for them/
 
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