Storage and Handling
- After finishing gas welding, Always keep gas and oxygen cylinders with minimum of 20 feet distance between them. Or, divide them with a right firewall.
- As the cylinders can caught fire easily, keep the flammable and combustible materials away from cylinders.
- Store cylinders away from physical injure, heat, and tampering.
- Always maintain cylinders in an upright position. If possible, Chain them steadily to keep them from falling over.
- Ensure that the cylinder valves has been closed or not before moving.
- Defending caps or regulators should be kept in place.
- Roll cylinders on bottom edges to move it from one place to another place. Do not pull it.
- Try to reduce cylinder movement as much as possible, while transporting it.
General Gas Welding Safety Tips
- To lift up gas cylinders, use the equipments that are designed for lifting it. Do not use any other tools for lifting it.
- Check torches and clean only with the suitable tools.
- Blow-back protection torches must be used while welding.
- Always keep an eye on the equipments and ensure any leakages at all connections. This can be done by using an approved leak-test solution.
- Inspect hoses for leaks and worn places.
- Replace bad hoses at regular intervals.
- Keep fire extinguishers easily reachable places, at the welding site.
- Keep away hoses and cylinders from sparks, flames, and hot metal as the sparks create holes on it.
- To fire the flame in welder, always use a flint lighter.
- Stand to the side when opening cylinder valves.
- Use two-stage regulators whenever feasible.
- When using a single-stage regulator, open cylinder valves very slowly. This keeps rapid high pressures from exploding the regulators.
- When using a single-stage regulator, only open the acetylene cylinder valve 1/4 to 3/4 turn.
- Leave the wrench in place. By doing so, you can close the cylinder quickly in case of any emergency.
- Open and light acetylene first. Then open and adjust oxygen to a neutral flame.
- When shutting off the torch, first you have to close the acetylene torch valve You might hear a pop as the oxygen blows out the flame, but the flame will not burn up the acetylene line.
When you are done:
- Close cylinder valves.
- Bleed the lines to take pressure off regulators.
- Carefully coil hoses.
- Restore equipment.