Shrink Wrap On The Valves?

[Stick-man]

Originally Posted by zapster

Yup.
The bosses dad that started the shop told me this story of a shop that had left the compressor on and everyone went home.
Air hose sprung a leak and the compressor ran all night until it caught fire and burned the shop down..

Don't know if it was true but that is a viable excuse.

...zap!

As I posted many times, I had an IR comp from Home Depot and the switch failed. It ran all weekend and had oil down the side of the tank. The switch was in the off position. Now I have a Champion and use heavy duty throw switch disconnect's on everything big.

[Mick120]

All full bottles over here come with a plastic bung in the valve....crack 'n blow to go....

[shovelon]

Originally Posted by Mick120

All full bottles over here come with a plastic bung in the valve....crack 'n blow to go....

Say what?

[WookieWelding]

prax and airgas here come with the shrink rap on the valves

[YoungBlood]

Originally Posted by farmall

Most of mine come like that from my local Airgas.

Given the enormous number of "dirt dauber" wasps in SC, I like the idea very much.

Our local Airgas has been doing it for some time now. I Agree, I live in S.C. too and in the summer if you have a tank sitting for a few weeks in our shops w/o the wrap its almost guarnteed to have a dirt dobber nest in either the valve or the cap. Makes for a good surprise when you take the cap off. For some reason the Oxygen Bottles never come with the Shrink on the though.

[Xtreme Fabrication]

Originally Posted by zapster

Yup.
The bosses dad that started the shop told me this story of a shop that had left the compressor on and everyone went home.
Air hose sprung a leak and the compressor ran all night until it caught fire and burned the shop down..

Don't know if it was true but that is a viable excuse.

...zap!

That happened to a machinist buddy of mine. They made bottle cap machine for small bottling companies. Went to lunch, came back and the compressor was on fire. The flames just started coming across the ceiling of the shop. Fire dept was 10 miles away. The father tried to fight the flames off with a hose while the sons used their forklift trying to drag machine shop tools out with a chain until the smoke and flames got to bad. All they where able to save was two bridgeports and their snap on tool box. Lost all the CNC equipment, 3 lathes, bandsaws, welders, etc.

[usmcruz]

Airgas in jax, does that to all their high grade helium bottles, but no other bottles.

[SRO1911]

I guess westair must be cheap, I get them with blue painters tape on the safety cap. sometimes it even covers the vents, BONUS.

[Welder Rich]

My Airgas in Cleveland never had or has that plastic wrapping on the valve.

[Mick120]

Originally Posted by Xtreme Fabrication

That happened to a machinist buddy of mine. They made bottle cap machine for small bottling companies. Went to lunch, came back and the compressor was on fire. The flames just started coming across the ceiling of the shop. Fire dept was 10 miles away. The father tried to fight the flames off with a hose while the sons used their forklift trying to drag machine shop tools out with a chain until the smoke and flames got to bad. All they where able to save was two bridgeports and their snap on tool box. Lost all the CNC equipment, 3 lathes, bandsaws, welders, etc.

The tossers next to me leave theirs on day and night.
Lots of expensive vehicles parked in there too....
Woudn't surprise me to come in on a Monday and find the place burned to the ground....maybe then, they'd stop blocking my friggin driveway....

[Dualie]

Its hit or miss with the airass around here. They always have the little plastic plug in the threads but sometimes they will have the shrink wrap and the plug.


Personally i like the shrink wrap as its proof positive that its a fresh filled cylinder.

[rabidchimp]

Haven't seen any bottles up in the NW with the shrink wrap on the valves.
-Aaron

[MadMax31]

We get the blue plastic thread savers, crack valve and they dissappear!

[jakeru]

Apparently, the bottle shrink-wrapping practice is becoming more common.

I just got the first bottle I've encountered with a shrink-wrapped valve, in Washington state.

It was just a welding-grade, pure Argon, 155cf customer-owned exchange bottle.

[mb_welder]

Only been welding since 2004, but that's a first!

(is that absolutely necessary? I guess it'll keep crap out of the valve at least!)

Just wait...in another five years OSHA and WCB will make it a requirement.

Rule 627.5 sub conjigation F section 5.2 on the left just under 5.1 but above 6...all valves not connected to a regulator are to be shrink wrapped and then capped. The shrinkwrap shall have at least 1" of shrink and be double wrapped. Removal of said wrap shall be conducted by a fully trained individual with a knife specified to be incapable of damaging the regulator (see sec. 87b, par. 102. {Sec 87b, par 102: A butterknife shall be used as a control upon which all knives shall be tested upon, regarding the removal of plastic from the regulator. If a knife is found unsuitable, it is to be dulled on a belt sander by a specialist and then be re-tested by a trained Quality Control technician with a "b" certification, documented under sub section X, (see page 2256). If a belt sander is not available, the knife is to be discarded immediately and a knife meeting these requirements must be used.}) The inspection of the shrink wrap, as well as the process, shall be done by a qualified technician with an engineering degree in seals and gaskets with a strong bias towards shrinkage.

...As has been said, propane bottles have a teathered plastic valve cover! Instead of...*snicker* shrink wrap...just use those! Even easy to attach to the bottles. Make a cap on a tether that will zap strap around the neck of the valve! No need to modify existing bottles and you won't have to hire a guy to sit there with a hot air gun!

[farmall]

Went to lunch, came back and the compressor was on fire. The flames just started coming across the ceiling of the shop.

Good argument for putting the compressor outside the shop. Much quieter that way too.

[Xtreme Fabrication]

Originally Posted by farmall

Good argument for putting the compressor outside the shop. Much quieter that way too.

Mine is outside in its own little building.

[wildeyedandbuckwild]

what is does is keeps trash out, mud dobbers, etc out of valves

[mechanic416]

Went to my LWS and exchanged 3 empty argon tanks for full ones. When I got back to the shop and took the caps off they all had shrink wrap on them.

[Gerry1964]

Here in the UK we have Plastic Caps, which seal the opening to the valve. I guess its to stop any debris or anything falling into the threads and breaking the seal between the regulator and bottle.

They come like that for as long as i can remember so its not a new thing

[xavier23]

Picked up an oxy tank from the LWS today with shrink wrap over the valve. I'd rather have shrink wrap, than dirt in the valve, yet the safety cap should prevent this from happening anyway.