Where do you get your oxygen cylinders filled?

[Jimchris]

I picked up a couple "E" sized O2 cylinders yesterday off Craigslist and I am wondering where I might be able to get them filled. Will welding supply places fill medical cylinders? Do they balk if they have labels from a previous owner? Does the same 5 year cycle apply to hydro testing and does anyone check? What has your experience been?

Central welding will fill/exchange medical bottles. Hydro cycle does still apply. If you want USP, they need a prescription on file, otherwise they can fill them with ABO no questions asked. I go direct to the fill plant in Marysville.

 

[ScubaSquatch]

airgas, get aviators breathing oxygen

That's what I do, I have a 300cf bottle and a booster in my garage.

 

[Cthippo]

I'm using it for medical, to keep around both as part of my personal kit for dive emergencies and as part of my first aid kit. This is something that I will almost never use, so the cost of a home filling system really cannot be justified.

 

[Still Kicking]

Airgas. Any O2 is fine for personal use. (Hint: gas suppliers only have one source of oxygen. The certification standard is what varies for different grades.)

You need something like this for transfills: Oxygen Tank Cylinder Transfill Adapter CGA540 / CGA870 Gauge and Bleed Valve 670087630560 | eBay

 

[PR_SMITH]

Airgas. Any O2 is fine for personal use. (Hint: gas suppliers only have one source of oxygen. The certification standard is what varies for different grades.)

You need something like this for transfills: Oxygen Tank Cylinder Transfill Adapter CGA540 / CGA870 Gauge and Bleed Valve 670087630560 | eBay

Also, the only difference between welding grade and breathing grade is that the breathing o2 tanks are evacuated prior to filling. The o2 comes out of the same pipe.

 

[VsubT]

If you take them to a commercial gas supplier, make darned sure that they are customer owned. If they're waif rentals, they'll take them from you. I've had some nasty fights over welding tanks over the years. Most commercial gas/welding places don't want anything to do with walk-ins.

Could you clarify - are they assuming that the tanks were basically "stolen" from a place that provided them as rentals, then re-sold illegally? Just curious.

Lance

 

[Gone for diving]

Could you clarify - are they assuming that the tanks were basically "stolen" from a place that provided them as rentals, then re-sold illegally? Just curious.

Lance

I believe oxygen hackers has a few pages on this issue.

I have a bunch of tanks from a business going broke, I bought them from the guy cleaning it out... I bought them legally...

 

[runsongas]

@VsubT that is generally the issue, cylinder was sold during a liquidation or privately or whatever, but the cylinder is stamped Airgas/Matheson, etc.

@Gone for diving i would double check if they have markings for a gas supplier, that's pretty much the most common case for disputed ownership, is rental cylinders that got sold during some type of liquidation

 

[greeniguana]

Could you clarify - are they assuming that the tanks were basically "stolen" from a place that provided them as rentals, then re-sold illegally? Just curious.

Lance

I had to look up E size, that's pretty small. I doubt they rent those, so it's probably not an issue.

 

[Still Kicking]

I had to look up E size, that's pretty small. I doubt they rent those, so it's probably not an issue.

E cylinders are the most commonly used portable medical O2 bottles provided to patients. They go missing all the time. Depending on how strict the O2 vendor is, you might have trouble getting refills if the bottle has any kind of labeling from the original owner on it.