Liquid Oxygen 180L 350 PSI...how long does yours usually last?

[FizZle]

So just wondering...those of you who use Liquid...what size tank you have? How many torches/what kind you running on it? How long do they usually last you? How much are you paying for the Fill and for Rent?
Just curious about this because i just got a fresh tank 15 days ago and it is bone dry...only running a phantom and a lynx off of it for maybe 5 hrs 12 of the days...only filled my 20lb propane 3 times...which would be equivilent to about 6Oxygen 300 tanks....they are claiming that there is 13/14 300 tanks in 1 liquid tank...how come i only got roughly 6/7 300 tanks out of this tank than? I am paying 148.50 for the fill, $1.67 per day rent, and $35.00 for delivery...Airgas plant manage is trying to tell me that these tanks Vent off 3% per day...seems fuckin bogus...

[kq9ak]

Did the tank leak gas at all from the vent on top of tank?

[BlueLilyStudio]

Some last longer than others... We pay roughly the same amount for our liquid tanks, but delivery is free because we are close to the supplier. My tanks last for upwards of 4 weeks and we run a Delta Elite and Phantom on it full time. If you received a tank from the supplier which had been sitting on the loading dock for a few days/week, and the temperature has been fluctuating between night and day, then the tank may have vented off some portion of its contents. The amount you save using a liquid tank is really the price per oxygen unit, so check and see if you would use less or more oxygen compared with the rent and delivery to see if you are still saving money. My bet is that you are, so if you get a tank that lasts less time than expected you should ask for a free delivery on the next one to counter the loss.
Has it been venting and do you know how to adjust the pressure builder to not build pressure? The liquid tank has a natural gas off pressure that is plenty for glassblowers to use, we don't need to pressurize the tank with Gaseous oxygen for glassblowing whereas cryogenic laboratories need to use pure liquid for their devices. Gas companies always set the liquid tanks to build pressure; very seldom have I received a tank that was not set to build pressure.
Turn on torches to full power, and set YOUR regulator pressure to normal, then turn on the Liquid Tank pressure builder, and note the pressure on the LOX gauge. If its above the 250 to 300 mark you are probably too high. Adjust the economizer screw by unscrewing it until you see a drop in pressure in YOUR regulator, and the torches begin to lose pressure, then slowly adjust the economizer screw tighter until your Regulator returns to normal.

[FizZle]

Did the tank leak gas at all from the vent on top of tank?

dont know which vent ur speaking of...might have...sounded like there was a small leak...only when i turned off the tank...

[hashmasta-kut]

i got one crappy continually venting tank lately lasted only 2 weeks or so, pretty meagre. most people get a month or more it seems. i usually get 4-6 weeks working by myself most every about day 6-10 hours, phantom running.

[nafglass]

I bet they gave you a tank that had been filled a while before you got it. I pay about the same and run my mag off of one for a month. I mainly use the mirage but probably put 10 hrs a month on the mag. I usually get ~120 hours off a tank. I could get more if I would rage on the weekends but when I leave for shows for 4 days it usually vents some but I still get about a month off of one tank.

[kq9ak]

The vent is pretty obvious when it is venting. it sounds like it was a less than full tank. In my experence dealing with liquid tanks the more u complain the better the tank will be. The gas companies have always played dumb with me until I shoiwed them I knew what I was talking about. Also each tank can act differently. They can be.a headache sometimes, but if u are working everyday they will save u money.

[FizZle]

thanks for all the input...KQ9ak i was confused didnt know if there was a second vent i was unaware of...it did vent only for like 15 min after a few hours of not working..or if i let it sit for a day or so...but it was being used pretty regularly...it seems like it was a short fill or something cause i have worked on Liquid tanks that lasted us about 6 weeks...when my mentor was running a Mirage and i ran a lynx...of course airgas says that it is normal...

[Dom]

1 month to 1 and a half I would say.

[stillaborofreak]

I have had alot of shitty dewers in the past, sometimes they build too much pressure and will blow off after I have been working all day. Sometimes I get a bad check valve on the vent and it will spill oxygen unless you smack it with a wrench. It really depends on the age and condition of the dewer and how well the seal between the liquid and the high pressure cylinder from what I heard. I pray for 6 weeks every fill and Am happy to get a month.

[J Howard]

i get about 100 hours out of mine. i blow alot of stemware and ornaments from points, so i use a larger flame most of the time. it doesn't seem to matter whether i use a mirage, delta, or my regular 65mm herbie, they all seem to use about the same amount of gas. kevin brown (kage) and i killed one in record time (for me) a couple weeks ago. we killed it in 5 days, but made one hell of a lot of work off that one

[FizZle]

thanks everyone who responded to this thread :) .... i explained to my sales people at airgas the situation...and they took 50% percent off my next fill...hope i get more than 15 days out of this one...thanks again!