Buy or lease torch tanks?

[lostone]

Never had a problem here with used tanks. When I was ready to buy my first set of tanks 25 years ago I heard about having to watch out for stolen tanks etc.

I went to airgas and several other local supplies and was told the same thing, they have no idea if the tanks are rented or owned. US Welding told me I could have walked around the end of the building and grabbed two of their tanks and told them they where mine and they would have just exchanged them with filled tanks. I kept exchanging those tanks for probably 15 years before I sold them to a friend who still has and exchanges them without ever having to prove that I owned them or whoever owned them before I bought them.

I have heard that they wont exchange personal owned tanks and that you have to have them re-cert. They always just exchanged them with tanks they had in the back and I never had to have a tank re-cert done. I still have my small carry set from when I did service work and still the same process, I take them in and just exchange them when I need a full set.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

You all have odd rules.

Here you just do a tank exchange for up to 200? Cu/ft (whatever size is about 5ft tall, 10" around). IE, normal non industrial sized.

I've never been fussed. I brought in an acetylene tank that was probably 60 years old and had been sitting outside for who knows how long half buried in dirt. I brought back a good full tank, they didn't hesitate.

 

[ironman_gq]

Tank recert is $10-20 and tank lifespan is considered to be around 100yrs but can be extended by recert. It's pretty common to still come across old WWII tanks that have swastikas on them, most have been boxed out by now so the swastika looks like a square with a + in the middle but date stamps going back to the 30's. Only reason to scrap a tank is if it's dented, overly rusted, pitted, leaking, or the acetylene medium has degraded.

 

[Huskybill]

All gas just went up on my lease cost. I need to do something, my fabrication comes in spurts. Once I’m busy im good I’m down as a high end user. Lots of work.
Getting prostate cancer the past six years it’s in remission and my strength is coming back. Time to dust of the Hobart welder.
I can’t handle the T tanks anymore I’m one size smaller.