Argon Cylinder Question

[cdldoug]

I picked up a full argon cylinder at a yard sale,On the tank ring it says OTELLI
Stockton Ca. Is this a customer owned cylinder?
Thanks
cdldoug

[Hotfoot]

Take it to where you will get it filled, and they will look at it to determine if they will fill it. It might be out of certification, besides an ownership issue. If they refuse it, try another place, if they refuse it...there may be a Gong in your future!!:p

[dda52]

Use it up before you do anything like that. Would hate to see it confiscated before empty.:(

[84ZMike]

what size is it ?.... use it up take it to your LWS see what they say....don't let them get there hands on it until they ok it....if it's still in your truck they can't keep it...once you place it on the loading doc done deal

[MAC702]

I didn't see anything substantial on the first page of a Google search. It's likely an old owner cylinder from a substantial company, but even more likely from an old defunct supplier. Either, and you'll probably be fine.

[dda52]

One thing to remember....cylinder rules are very area specific. What works here, won't necessarily work there. It might, but then it might not. Here, if you have a cyl from a defunct company that "was" a rental size, no one will touch it. I have a neighbor that has two BOC cyls and no one will even take them off her hands for disposal. BOC moved out of here 10-12 years ago, IIRC, leaving a lot of useless cyls floating around. Even the guys that will take the questionable stuff won't touch them.:confused:


So, use it up and then see what you can do. A phone call would be best for first contact. I have had several run-ins with overzealous company employees trying to take cyls off my truck. Knowing the cyl size would be extremely helpful. If you would take some measurements, we can tell you what you have most likely...pics are helpful, too.

[cdldoug]

Its a 122 Cf cylinder. I paid $30.00 for it. I will try to post some pics later today.

[greywynd]

I have a neighbor that has two BOC cyls and no one will even take them off her hands for disposal. BOC moved out of here 10-12 years ago, IIRC, leaving a lot of useless cyls floating around. Even the guys that will take the questionable stuff won't touch them.:confused:

Send them up! BOC is one of the closest suppliers here, about 10 minute drive. :D

[dda52]

That is usually a good size for an owner cyl. When ready, call around and see what they will do for you. Here, the 125cf cyls are ALL owner bottles. No troubles at all taking them anywhere for a swap. Do you know what the hydro date is? That may be the only issue you could potentially have. But it isn't a biggie, either. Usually they want a small fee and that is it. I pay either 20 or 25 clams depending on where I go.

[wlbrown]

HELLO TO ALL,
i have a 125 cu ft argon cylinder, with a 99 year lease.
i thought this was stupid, because i am old, but they did
not offer a shorter lease. this was from a company that
was later bought out by another company. i tried to exchange
it on friday, but they did not have any, and the man said they
would not have a delevery until a week from monday. i called
the company, and got on their case, and they said they would
drop one off this monday. i will find out if their word is good on
monday. i don't want to be stuck in this situation again, so i
need a backup cylinder. i do not want to use this same company.
should i buy a cylinder? this if for a TIG machine.
wlbrown

[whateg0]

That's kind of an open ended question. There are some who will only lease bottles, and there are some that will only buy bottles. Some of those do so (lease or buy) because that's the only option for that bottle size/company/etc.

Leasing isn't a big deal, but is generally more expensive in the end. Upside is that as long as that company is around, you'll have a place to fill them. Downsides are you are renewing that lease every 10 years or whatever and you can only fill them at that company.

Owning is nice in many places because you can just take the bottle to whoever is cheapest on gas. You only buy the bottle once, and as long as you are willing to swap bottles, you never have to pay for recert. Downside is you may have trouble finding anybody in your area who will fill or swap owner bottles. If you do own your own bottle and will only use that bottle, you may have a tougher time in some locations finding a place to fill it because they'd have to keep track of it and return it to you. Most often, even owner bottles are just swapped with a full one.

So, it's really up to you. Which way do you prefer? What's available in your area? Are the LWS in your area willing to fill/swap owner bottles? (If you buy the bottle from the LWS, then it's a pretty safe bet that they'll work with them. :rolleyes: ) It kind of varies by region, it seems.

Dave

[wlbrown]

HELLO TO ALL,
i picked up the filled tank on monday. the man
at the station said the driver was unloading a
C25 mix tank, so he stopped him, and he did have
an argon tank on the truck. i said i called that company
three times, and each time i said ARGON. i guess the
message was lost when it was passed on to the driver.
good luck to all.
wlbrown

[hankj]

Doug,

Where I live (northern Sacramento valley) that jug woulld be no problem as long as the hydro date is still good. They just swap 'em for full ones over here, anyway. You don't keep your cylinder.

If it's out of date on the hydro, you'll have to pay for a test, but they should still swap the bottle.

I don't know if Woody's is still in business over there on the coast, but they had some gases there, as I recall, but it's been a long time.

I know there's an Airgas in Santa Rosa, but that's a long way...

Hank