One of my guys laid a spare complete cutting torch set down in a corner of the shop. I guess it has laid there since about February when we finished a job that needed several extra torches. As I'm sure is the case for a few of you, the back corners of my shop are not real clean. My question is, how would you clean the high pressure side of this regulator to ensure there are no combustibles there? I have already had an oxygen regulator blowup in an employee's hand about 10 years ago, just from a bottle change. It gave him third degree burns in the palm of his hand, set my shop on fire, and stuck the regulator adjusting screw into a pole behind his head. Needless to say, I want to avoid this in the future, and may be just a bit gunshy of O2 regulators. Thanks, Mitch
Clean with soap and water. If in doubt, call your local fire department and ask them about the approved procedure. Same stuff ya use behind ur ears Mitch.... lol.
Mitch uses a shop rag soaked in gasoline behind his ears...
I took a old working set of Vickers gauges to my local gas supplier about 2 years ago and the bill was $35.00 for both oxygen and acetylene to clean and rebuild as needed.
i am really curious how this happened......been around oxygen/liquid oxy all my life with all kinds of combustable gasses .....never had a oxygen regulator blow up.....oxygen doesnt burn so im not sure how it set the shop on fire...etc.....i can certainly see how liquid oxygen would cold burn a hand.... do you know what actually happened in the situation? anyone else ever had something like this happen?
I have heard of it, anything that would normally burn, especially oil or grease, can combust or even explode in the presence of pure oxygen, especially at high pressure. Of course once released the oxygen can create a situation where wood, cloth, oils, etc. will combust with the slightest spark or flame, so I ain't doubting it can and does happen. Oxygen doesn't burn, no, but it's a hell of an accellerant if anything else around does.
I had it happen. My high pressure oxygen gauge broke. I pulled a used one from the drawer. Turned on the bottle and the face blew off. It almost blew off the regulator the threads were so stretched. I was lucky it hit my eye but no permanent damage. I now look away when ever turning on the tank. Everyone should.
i certainly agree oxygen is THE "accelerant " i was not aware that oil/grease would spontaneously combust in the pressense of pure oxygen ....gona hafta look that one up....pressure certainly could generate heat and vaporize oil/grease.... its my understanding one of the reasons gage sets are brass is to be spark free...... Edit: upon looking it up pure oxygen can react with oil and grease....thanks for the info so much for greasing the threads huh! http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse8.pdf
Weldingtipsandtricks.com, check out his video on tank safety, it's a real eye opener.
It's not so much a spontaneous combustion thing. In the case of an oxygen bottle and regulator, if there's any oil or combustible liquid inside the regulator, and you pop open that valve on the tank, what you get is rapid compression inside the regulator from the pressure in the tank. Rapid compression + oxygen + combustible liquid...you got yourself a miniature diesel engine and a helluva kaboom.
Willie, I never thought of it that way, but you are exactly right! Compression, heat, oxygen, and fuel and you do indeed have a diesel engine!
That's pretty much the short skinny of the physics. I agree with old-iron-habit, take the regulators to a welding shop and have them clean them up. Money well spent.
I was told in apprenticeship to slowly crack open the valve on bottles because the high pressure hitting the gauge could shot out the tee handle on the regulator.
Nice thing about when they do them the pressure gauges are checked and re calibrated also. I took mine to Airgas.