Cylinder Exchange

[bruceb]

I recently bought a new 80cf cylinder off of ebay. Is it common practice to not have your own cylinder filled and exchanged for a cylinder that is already filled?

[ZTFab]

Yes that is the most common and fastest way.

A simple exchange and your on your way.

You can have your own cylinder filled but it will take the plant a good couple of hours due to the fact that they have to slow fill the tank.

Just make sure the collar (The ring directly below the threads for the cap) doesn't have a particular companies name on it.

Request a "customer owned" bottle so the next time you exchange it there won't be an issue.

...and they may tell you that the bottle is out of date and needs to be re-certed...that'll cost you about 12 bucks.

- Paul

[bruceb]

Since I am just a hobby welder it is probably important to make sure to get a bottle that has some time left of the certification.

What is the time interval of recertification?

[ZTFab]

Look on the top of your bottle just below the collar.

There will be a bunch of numbers stamped on the bottle. Find the date code. It will look something like:

10 98 + *, or 06 2002 + *, etc...

As long as the bottle has the * (star) symbol after the date, the bottle is good for 10 years from that date.

I believe it is 5 years after the date if it has no star.

I think you'll be OK with whatever bottle the WS gives you unless your only going to weld about an inch a month!!

- Paul

[leeschaumberg]

The cylinder that I use was bought from the place that has the refills. Many other places simply ask ( is it ours ). So find a place where you want to get a refill and buy the cylinder from them!

[imagineer]

I bought 2 new 80cf cylinders on Ebay and immediately got my name and "DO NOT EXCHANGE" stenciled on them.

I did this at the recommedation of my LWS. They said that, being a hobby welder and getting my bottles filled only once or twice a quarter, I might exchange my bottles for one with an almost expired certification. If certification expired while I had it, I would have to pay ($38) for a re-cert when I tried to exchanged it.

Besides, it's good piece of mind knowing I have new up to date cylinders.

[ZTFab]

$38 to recert!!!

I think I paid $12 the last time I had to re-cert one of my bottles.

Holy crap.

[DDA52]

I have to pay 20 bucks.


The only problem I see with keeping the same cyls is eventually you will have to recert them and at a gauranteed higher price. It will also take a week or more before they will be returned. If they fail, it is your baby. You will have to get a new one. When I take my cyls in, as long as I am using their bottles, they will not look at the hydro or anything. It is all handled in house....with their bottles. If I was to bring in my own, they would be inspected every fill, good hydro or not. That and it would be a week before I could get them back. Longer if they are really busy. When you are using their bottles, they will almost always be in stock and ready to go. As to new, that isn't a big deal. I recently turned in a cyl that was made in the early 30's and it was a pretty good one. As long as the tests are good, I could care less whose it is.

Plus, if they are just randomly giving you bottles, most will allow you to get another one if the hydro doesn't have much time left. The two I use will do that at least.

[WHughes]

I have never run into a situation where they were checking for cert expiration. I good company will also let you bring tanks from another company to exchange. They will eventually exchange them with that company or just put them into their circulation. A tank for a tank. You will most likely not be in situation where a cert expires while you have the tank. Again, they probably will not check it during exchange anyways and re-testing tanks is just their cost of doing business.

Bill

[Sandy]

I swap mine at AirGas most of the time. There is a $1.00 recert fee on the invoice for every swap. If there wasn't a recert fee, you can bet the gas would be a dollar higher.

[ZTFab]

That's strange Sandy.

I exchange mine at AirGas everytime and there is never a $1 re-cert charge and they give me the best prices around.

- Paul

[bruceb]

OK...went and exchanged my cylinder for a full one.

83cf $31.14

energy fuel surcharge $0.50 per cyclinder.

There was a $4.75 hazardous material fee which was explained as a fee the state puts on anything that smokes! Not sure if it was for the argon or the 2lbs of TIG filler rod I bought. Of course anything is possible when you live in the Peoples Republic of California!

[Sandy]

That's strange Sandy.

I exchange mine at AirGas everytime and there is never a $1 re-cert charge and they give me the best prices around.

Not that I do so many that it's a big deal, but I just swapped an acetylene maybe last week, and there it was as a reminder. Seems like it's there every time any way. My C25 tank will be dead in a day or two so I'll see if it's on there again.

I'm not 100% loyal to this shop so could be that's a price I pay for that too. Or could be it's a shop by shop option and not a franchise policy. Of course you probably do a heck of a lot more business than I do by a long shot too.

[DDA52]

That is the PRK for you...Ahhnuld needs his cut.


I have noticed anytime I go to Airgas or another of my suppliers, they do have all these little charges they will tack on for almost no reason whatsoever. I mean, hazmat fees on freaking gloves?????

My preferred LWS does not have all these fees....just a small enviromental fee from the state. Airgas would have three to four different ones on the same bill.

[ZTFab]

Honestly, I'm surprised that all of you are getting charged with all of those B.S. fees.

Looking at my last bill from 2 days ago from AirGas in Pomona, CA ...I exchanged 3 Argon cylinders, 1 C25 Steel Mix, bought 10 #5 gas cups and 4 clear cover plates.

There is 1 Haz Mat fee of $5.50. No other charges.

Sandy is right, I do deal with them in fairly high volume and often but I have never been charged any of the extra fees you guys are talking about.

Maybe you should go in there and read them the riot act and see what they say about it.

I think that's crap if they're charging you for no reason.

- Paul

[Rich59]

I deal with Texas Welding Supply in Houston. I use 80 SCF argon tanks and they refill while you wait at their store on Hempstead Hwy. I was surprised that they didn't just swap out the tanks. I have been told that the Air Gas store up the street swaps the tanks.