BOC alternative for Argon in Brighton

[pmb5]

My Argon's just run out (pure shield) So i crossed my fingers and hoped the BOC guys locally might be open, they arn't so i expanded my search and no ones picked up the phone so i prob have to wait till the new year

This got me thinking (well annoyed), this bottle lasted me 2 years and i'm paying quite a premium in rental, prob more than the refill cost and I'm sure I also get charged some stupid fee for picking up the bottle too.

Seeing as i have to wait, I may as well see if there are alternatives now to BOC. I've seen some people talking about rent free options, is there anywhere in Brighton I can get this and what's it cost?

I think I have a Y sized bottle (which i'm sure is the smallest pureshield you can get) and would like to stick to this size.

cheers

 

[pmb5]

looks like adamsgas might be what i'm after, though the bottles are much smaller. They reckon to be 1.2 cubic meters, which at 10 cuft/min i work out should give me over 4 hrs of constant welding. Seems reasonable, though if i'd have guessed how long the Y sized BOC bottle would last i'd have only said 6 or so hours. I think the Y sized BOC bottle is about 4 times bigger? Anyone know the volume held by the BOC bottles when full?

 

[split999]

If you're not a heavy gas user, then go down the Adams route

I had a BOC account for 5 years on the same bottle. I paid way over the odds just because I wasn't welding that regularly.

With Adams, I think it's £40 deposit on the bottle (which you get back when you return the bottle), then roughly £25 each time you get a refill.

Can't remember the volume of the BOC, but it's much bigger. Then again the Adams bottles are much more easy to handle and move aroung, allowing you to do little welding jobs at differentr sites. not something you want to do when it means lugging the 5' bottle around.

Hope this helps.

 

[wyn]

l Seems reasonable, though if i'd have guessed how long the Y sized BOC bottle would last i'd have only said 6 or so hours. I think the Y sized BOC bottle is about 4 times bigger? Anyone know the volume held by the BOC bottles when full?

The "Y" bottles are about 5 cubic meters so they should give a bit over 8 hours at 10 lpm.

 

[hotrodder]

Click the 'gas price spreadsheet' link near the top of the page. As well as cylinder size watch out for fill pressures- most of the rent free alternatives are significantly less than the 230 bar BOC fill to

 

[pmb5]

Thanks everyone, that's all really helpful. I've paid my BOC rental up until june, and might be doing more welding than usual till then, plus i'm still learning to weld aluminium and learning takes up more gas. I'll stick with BOC until my rental renewal comes up, then switch to adams.

BTW, I dont think my last BOC bottle was 230bar.

 

[hotrodder]

Sorry, should have said BOC fill to a max pressure of 230 bar @ 15C. Hook up a reg to a fresh cylinder that's been sat outside/in an unheated workshop at this time of year and likely to be showing closer to 200 bar.

 

[Burf86]

Air Liquide are doing a rental free thing now. You buy (maybe a deposit, cant remember) the bottle and then just pay for refills thereafter.