[metalbone]

Originally Posted by Oh Honey

After seeing Trey and the Wonka's ideas for building a compressed tank O2 system I have decided to take the plunge and build one myself to save dragging K tanks into the basement.

So here's the plan. I have a EX-15 now. I was thinking of either buying a second one and daisy chaining them together and feeding that into the vacuum side of the Gast oil less vacuum compressor (a ROA model rated to 100 psi) and bringing the compressed air out a storage tank 30 or 60 gallon with a 80-100 psi compressor pressure switch.

Or buying a Hurricane and putting that in place of the 2 EX-15s. Thoughts?

Also apart from cleaning the tank and perhaps the head of the ROA since its used, anything else I should be looking for? Also what should I use to clean the tank / head to take out any oil residue and obviously not leave any propellant or carbon residue behind?

Thanks!!

Dave,

If i were in your position, I would try using a solvent like acetone to clean out the used tank of the oil residue (pour it in, shake, and empty and repeat maybe 2 more times), hook the tank up to the input side of the compressor (with an opening on the other end of the tank) and use the vacuum to draw fresh air into the tank and the volatized solvent fumes out of the tank (i would do this outside of course), and I would keep it on until there is no longer any solvent fumes coming out of the output side of the compressor. I would give it a lot of extra time to make sure there is no longer any acetone in the tank, as oxygen plus acetone in the confined tank is not a good thing. So it would be of the utmost importance to make absolutely sure that no solvent or solvent fumes remain in the tank.

Then it would be time to plumb and test the system (outside and safely away from others, of course). But this is only what I would do in your situation, so do not take this as a recommendation for how you should proceed. You must make your own call.

But if you decide to do this or something similar, make sure you think it through completely, and eliminate risks involved, as it will be your @ss and perhaps others that are nearby that are on the line.

Remember, Oxy+fuel in a confine space is nothing to F around with, so if you do decide to clean your used tank with a solvent to prepare it for use as an oxygen holding tank, you must make sure that there is absolutely no solvent left in the tank before you fill it with oxygen. This is common sense and based on your post, you already know this, but it is the single most important goal to implement if you move forward on your project.

That being said, I am sure that other folks that recommend not doing it are going to post on this topic very soon, and you should definitely consider what they say, as they may raise safety considerations that you might not have thought of. A flashback arrestor at the o2 holding tank output may be warranted.

Just a note, I believe that when Trey put his system together and he first filled the tank with oxy, he did it outside in an open area away from himself and others, for safety reasons.

I would also set up the system first and get it running before buying a second concentrator (I would not get a hurricane in lieu of 2 ex15s). And if I were to buy a second concentrator, I would get it from craiglist, as deals are to be had (i.e. I got a 10 lpm used medical oxycon for $200 with low hours and in perfect condition).

Good luck, and please post more info and any lessons learned if you proceed with your project.