Hello, I am new here and have enjoyed learning from the experts. I am a hobbyist/tinkerer. I have been using a smith torch with the disposable oxygen tanks. I am finding I am going through them quite quickly and it is time to upgrade. I am looking at an R oxygen tank and regulator vs a used oxygen concentrator. I was hoping to get input as to the relative advantages and disadvantages. I am not sure which way to go.. Thank you in advance.
Mark
An oxygen tank can pose a danger and you need to carry it to & from the supplier for refills. If in a home your insurance company may take issue with it.
Oxygen concentrators free you from those issues.
I gave up on oxygen tanks in favor of a concentrator a long time ago and do not regret it.
Thank you. I have looked at the technical sheet on some of the concentrators. They list the oxygen concentration at 87-93%. Does that pose a problem with the flame temperature. Also are they maintenance heavy? What model to you have?
Buy what you can and use it to see how they behave with your torch. Better concentrators have an O2 sensor that will tell you if it is producing O2 at a specific level of purity. Mine is above 90%, but if your torch works for you on what you get, go for it. Like Neil, I ditched O2 tanks long ago for an O2 concentrator. My current O2 concentrator is my third. I am lucky to have a small company nearby that rebuilds O2 concentrators. I take mine there to be overhauled once in a while. There are times when I need more O2. This is typically when I am casting ingots. The concentrator will work, but it takes a lot of time. I keep a regulated O2 cylinder in a shed for those times when I need a little more. The current one has been there for 2 years. You will likely be able to find 5 lpm units and they work fine with most of the torches that we use (Little Torch, Meco). If you can find a 10 lpm unit, all the better. A concentrator does not need a regulator. You can run it with 1 lb. camp stove propane cylinders with non-adjustable regulators and they work fine for most of what we do. I get 4 - 6 months out of a 1lb. propane cylinder depending on the time of year. There is a lot in the archives about this subject. Go take a look…Rob