Oxy acetylene storage at home?

[JEZGUZ]

I asked my insurers about the cost "if" I was to obtain oxy kit and they said they would class it as commercial premises so lots of beer tokens, told them I wouldn't bother

 

[brightspark]

I asked my insurers about the cost "if" I was to obtain oxy kit and they said they would class it as commercial premises so lots of beer tokens, told them I wouldn't bother

and all calls are recorded

 

[Jackimus]

"Hello Mr Insurance, I'd like to have a pressurised container of the third hottest burning natural chemical in the world, and a pressurised container of oxygen that will probably live right next it, on my property please" is not going to do brilliant things for your premium, despite how safe it actually is.

 

[Barking Mat]

I've had oxy - acetlyne for years, no worries.

However the local tractor place up the road, had a bottle start burning, the fire services locked down the entire area for 36 or 48 hours, just burnt, didn't explode.

https://www.ouest-france.fr/faits-divers/incendie/risque-dexplosion-dune-bouteille-dacetylene-a-malestroit-un-perimetre-de-securite-mis-en-place-0accfe22-03d6-11f0-b3ef-21814a7dd0ea

 

[Shedendman]

I am concerned that if I get oxy acetylene and store it at home, I run the risk of it exploding somehow and blowing up my house and possibly my neighbours. How likely is this? Is there a safe way to store the bottles? Thanks.

You've more chance with the sky falling on your head
Common sense fella,dont cut corners,follow the advice

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

I am concerned that if I get oxy acetylene and store it at home, I run the risk of it exploding somehow and blowing up my house and possibly my neighbours. How likely is this? Is there a safe way to store the bottles? Thanks.

If you follow safe practice, and store them it won't be an issue.

But in case the worst happens, you should definitely make sure your insurance covers it.

I had to shop around and try about 3 brokers before I got an underwriter who would cover it, was about £3 more than the best quote I got overall, so it's not costly to declare.

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

Long gone but when I had bottles I kept them outside - without hoses etc attached

Mine are chained up outside in a cylinder rack, the regs stay attached but they get purged every time then covered to keep the weather out.

 

[Matchless]

I’ve only seen one in my lifetime

Probably true for most people especially the guy sitting next to it!

 

[zeppelin builder]

the rental is the scariest bit
i dont think its made in uk anymore i bought small bottles from albee
gone are the days when you took your empty
bottle you" bought from the classifieds " to the local blacksmith to exchange

 

[Melvyn Best]

Probably true for most people especially the guy sitting next to it!

It came from a commercial vehicle workshop maybe 1/2 mile from my house as the crow flies, I remember the fire. The acetylene bottle was displayed for years at Fowlmere Engineering who had supplied the gas bottle to the workshop

 

[northwest]

and all calls are recorded

Only when it suits though. It will have been "recorded over" if it's in your favour.

 

[Stueeee]

and all calls are recorded

Only when it suits though. It will have been "recorded over" if it's in your favour.

In any case if I was in dispute with an insurance or other company, I would ask to hear the voice recording. I used to be in charge of all the 'plumbing' for a bunch of IP based call centres, the voice recording was by far the least reliable component on the network, and at the time, the only way to be sure that it was actually working was to make test calls and then retrieve (or not) the subsequent recording; this was done several times a day.

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

i dont think its made in uk anymore

BOC manufactures it near Immingham.

When they had a shutdown a couple of years ago they had to import from Linde in Germany and it caused a national shortage.

The other providers all import from the Netherlands, France, or Germany.

 

[finyuk2005]

You should consider Propylene instead, its somewhere between propane and acetylene heat wise, but slightly safer than acetylene,
But the biggest advantage is you can get it in rent free bottles, along with the oxy, I get mine from SGS gas, pick it up from my local motor factors

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

You should consider Propylene instead, its somewhere between propane and acetylene heat wise, but slightly safer than acetylene,
But the biggest advantage is you can get it in rent free bottles, along with the oxy, I get mine from SGS gas, pick it up from my local motor factors

Can't weld with propylene, and it's still way more expensive than propane.

Given it's rarely if ever ultimate flame temperature that's the issue, if I didn't need acetylene for welding, I would stick to oxy-propane.

A bigger nozzle and a little more propane when needed is much cheaper than using an expensive gas.

 

[finyuk2005]

Can't weld with propylene, and it's still way more expensive than propane.

Given it's rarely if ever ultimate flame temperature that's the issue, if I didn't need acetylene for welding, I would stick to oxy-propane.

A bigger nozzle and a little more propane when needed is much cheaper than using an expensive gas.

Ah ok, I have only been welding lead with it so far, havent really looked at welding or brazing with it
we have oxy propane for cutting and heating on the farm too, it works great, and like you say, is a lot cheaper!

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

Ah ok, I have only been welding lead with it so far, havent really looked at welding or brazing with it
we have oxy propane for cutting and heating on the farm too, it works great, and like you say, is a lot cheaper!

For lead welding, I can see the advantage of propylene, the big fat propane flame profile would a tremendous mess.

It will kinda weld steel (it's hot enough), but produces incredibly brittle welds (hydrogen embrittlement).

For Brazing it's meant to be fine, if you're doing stuff that needs a focused flame rather than heating the whole part... That presumably means you could weld hard-pitch copper with it too, if you had the desire to do so.

 

[Seadog]

It will kinda weld steel (it's hot enough), but produces incredibly brittle welds (hydrogen embrittlement

So really, it doesn't.
An acetylene flame actually produces an inert area within the flame that acts rather like gas shielding on mig/tig.
Or so I read somewhere.

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

So really, it doesn't.
An acetylene flame actually produces an inert area within the flame that acts rather like gas shielding on mig/tig.
Or so I read somewhere.

Exactly, you will produce a "weld-like-joint" that snaps or fractures easily.

I think it's down to the fact that the classic "slightly reducing acetylene flame" contains a 2:1 excess of Carbon Monoxide, which makes the conditions unfavourable for hydrogen to enter solution in the weld pool, then the CO burns when it gets extra oxygen at the edge of the flame, releasing extra heat.

No other commercially available fuel can do that, because of the molecular structure. People theorised, Buta-1,3-diyne or other polyynes could burn hotter or produce an even more reducing atmosphere...

But when finally synthesised in a lab, it explodes on contact with light and is incredibly difficult to handle because it's determined to stop existing as quickly as possible, so acetylene really is the only one.

 

[dutch2u2]

Keep your best running shoes by the quickest exit !!!