Webpage Updated Tuesday June 22, 2022
REFILLING PORTABLE OXYGEN EDGE CYLINDERS – BUYING WELDING OXYGEN
Buy compressed welding oxygen at your local welding supply shop or any welding supply in the world, like welders. We use two sizes of commercial non-disposable high pressure aluminum oxygen cylinders (9 lb. and 3 lb.) with 540 CGA Global oxygen cylinder valves with Lexan hand wheels. A full fill is 2200 PSI, less than 2200 PSI is only a partial fill.
Welding supply shops will refill your small portable OE cylinders for $12-$20 or with our refilling adapter, you refill your cylinder for pennies; you refill your OE portable cylinders at home or any place in the world with the refilling adapter.
All aluminum OE oxygen cylinders require hydrostatic pressure testing and stamping every 5 years, steel oxygen cylinders require testing and stamping every 10 years; testing is a high-pressure cylinder safety issue. The hydrostatic testing date is stamped into the metal on the cylinder shoulder. The Hydro mark for March 2014 may look like this 03 ∆ 14 or 03 ◊ 14.
You may can refill your OE cylinder yourself at home for pennies, not $$ at bait shops and welding supply stores. Refill cylinders in minutes at your convenience at home with the convenient cylinder refilling adapter.
BY COMPRESSED WELDING OXYGEN AT A WELDING SUPPLY STORES
Contact your local welding supply shop to rent a large oxygen 250 or 281 cu. ft. compressed oxygen cylinder for {$5 month} or buy the large oxygen cylinder ($120). Return empty large cylinders to the shop and exchange for full cylinder of oxygen (2200 PSI), you pay for the O2 contents ($8 – $18) same price as welders pay for welding oxygen.
Only the welding shop where you buy or rent the large 250 cu. ft. commercial steel oxygen cylinder will refill or exchange your large cylinder. Another welding shop will not exchange or refill your 250-cu. ft. steel oxygen cylinder.
You buy commercial grade oxygen gas contents $7-$13 (a large 250 cu. ft. O2 cylinder @ 2200 psi is “full”) – smaller OE cylinders are also “full” @ 2200 psi. When you large 250 cylinder needs refilling, take it back to the shop where you bought or rented it and exchange it for a full cylinder when necessary. Some welding shops will deliver the large cylinder to you. Refilling your small OE cylinder with your large welding shop cylinder (250-cu.ft. O2 cylinder) is the most economical method of buying source oxygen that ensures extremely lower operating gas cost in the long run.
BUYER BE AWARE
THIS COMMERCIAL CYLINDER REFILLING PRACTICE IS COMMON AT BAIT SHOPS AND TACKLE SHOPS
Many bait shops, coastal bait dealers and fishing tackle shops will also refill your portable OE oxygen cylinder. Many bait shops and tackle shops also consider 1200 – 1500 PSI a “Full Fill” and charge you for a full fill. Most fishermen are not aware that a “Full Fill” is 2200 PSI. Be aware that these low filling pressures are “short-fills” of which you are often charged and pay a “full fill” 2200 PSI price, a common bait shop practice.
“Short Filled” O2 cylinders dramatically reduce the total hours of available time before the cylinder is depleted of gas, empty.
Always trust and confirm the sellers filling pressure with your O2 regulator gage before you pay. Your O2 cylinder will be warm to the touch post refilling. The cylinder gas pressure and gas volume will fall as the cylinder temperature cools to ambient temperature. Allow 10 minutes for the OE cylinder to cool to ambient temperature then connect your OE regulator to the portable cylinder valve and test the cylinder gas pressure. Open the cylinder valve slowly, pressurizing the regulator and confirm the filling pressure is 2200 PSI with the regulator high pressure gage. Bait shops and tackle shops commonly short-filled fishing oxygen system cylinders. You may or may not be getting what you assumed is a “full fill” which is 2200 PSI or what you are actually paying for.
Your OE regulator will also connect to your large oxygen cylinder 540 CGA valve when have you large O2 cylinder refilled or exchanged for a full O2 cylinder at the welding shop. Always check and confirm the cylinder pressure is 2200 PSI with “full” large O2 cylinders at the welding shop before you pay. If you need to keep your bait oxygenated at home overnight or several days, connect the OE regulator to the large O2 cylinder valve and the reconnect the regulator back to small OE cylinder valve when you need mobility the next morning.
BUYING OXYGEN – OE-D SYSTEM DISPOSABLE O2 CYLINDERS
Use for Emergency livewell oxygenation when live bait or tournament fish are in crisis or for small amounts of live bait (a handful of shiners – 3-4 oz of live bait)
The OE-D oxygen system uses BernzOmatic® disposable oxygen cylinders. Buy these oxygen cylinders off-the-shelf at many locations: Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and most plumbing supply stores. Cylinders are sold as singles ($5-$8) or buy economy 12 packs ($40-$50). If 12 packs are not stocked, most store managers will place a special order for you. BurnzOmatic oxygen cylinders contain 99.9% oxygen @ 500 psi (1.1 cu. ft. gas @ 70 F. Empty cylinders disposal – any dumpster. No wrenches needed to connect the adjustable brass regulator to the BernzOmatic cylinder. Cylinder and regulator connections are left-hand threads. The OE-D regulator will not connect to refillable OE cylinders with CGA 540 valves (right-hand threads).
OE system Components are Cleaned and “Certified for Pure Oxygen Service”
Individual OE components may be purchased separately
9 lb. OE oxygen cylinder 29.5” X 4.5” – full @ 2200 psi – 189 hr use – refill cost 75¢ with your refilling adapter.
3 lb. OE oxygen cylinder 15.5” X 3.0” – full @ 2200 psi – 47 hr use – refill cost 15¢ with your refilling adapter.
Cylinders refilled @ welding supply $12-$15
*** Please call us immediately from the welding shop if you ever have any problems buying commercial welding oxygen or having your OE cylinder refilled at a welding shop. (409) 267-6458
*Did you know that the only difference between a medical compressed oxygen gas and a commercial welding oxygen gas is the fixed label attached to the cylinder wall and the cost of the gas? The gas purity and humidity (water vapor content) is the same.
Compressed aviation oxygen is required to be dryer (less water vapor content) than medical and commercial welding oxygen, the purity is the same. Aviation oxygen must be dryer (contain less water vapor) because freezing temperatures. Extremely cold temperatures at high altitudes can cause the water vapor in the oxygen to freeze oxygen regulators causing oxygen life support systems to malfunction and fail in flight.
Extreme cold causing O2 regulator freeze-ups are also issue for high altitude mountain climbers that use supplemental oxygen. Aviator oxygen is preferred to combat regulator freeze-ups.