Using oxy/acetylene at home

[brightspark]

you call the fire brigade you cant call em if your dead

ive had em for 40 years with no probs if and only if the bottle set on fire which is hardly likely with flashback arestors and one way check valves id vent it and drop it in to me pit which is full of water . im all for safety but theres some scare mongers about

 

[@Turbo]

I reckon I would actually need a change of jocks if I felt the bottle was warm or seen it glowing!

I have a pit but no water suppose it would save to amplify the noise

I actually fell into a full set of hoses with fancy flash backs on both for £16 yest so will be getting those on shortly.

 

[Robotstar5]

Acetylene bottles generally don't self ignite if used with flashbacks etc. the main concern is when a building catches fire containing the bottles, that's when the fire service have to put in an exclusion zone as the bottles are heated by an external heat source.

 

[backpurge]

the fire brigade use a 3 kilometer radius for acetylene bottle fire,yes 3000metres,they can be vilolent! in fires,use flashback arrestors they are expensive but....

The current Fire Brigade standard procedure is to set up an initial exclusion zone of 200 metres although this is probably going to be altered in the near future

 

[backpurge]

ive had em for 40 years with no probs if and only if the bottle set on fire which is hardly likely with flashback arestors and one way check valves id vent it and drop it in to me pit which is full of water . im all for safety but theres some scare mongers about

There are a lot of urban myths around concerning acetylene, the cylinders are inherently safe when used correctly but one thing you must never ever do under any circumstances if the cylinder is on fire internally is vent it off

 

[Balders]

then surley it would melt and go off like a bomb?

Acet explosions at a Dallas plant in 2007
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/1046670/ (it's highly edited)

here's a youtube link which hasn't been "cut and shut"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyUVswUkEIA


So yes, like a bomb, semi-guided bomb!

 

[Hitch]

Do you need the acetylene, or could you use propane?

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

Do you need the acetylene, or could you use propane?

I will be using it for welding, soldering and brazing, not just for heating. I worked with acetylene for 7 years, more if you include my apprentice years. My original question was just regarding any rules and regulations you need to adhere to when using at home. Im confident in using it safely, the post just seemed to have rolled on to other safety issues, which isnt a bad thing

 

[technomaster]

no you dont.you just got to be safe and store it in a good spot not near heat or sparks and have flash back caps in the hose or regulator.

 

[spud]

London Fire Brigade - Acetylene cylinders in fire

the fire brigade use a 3 kilometer radius for acetylene bottle fire,yes 3000metres,they can be vilolent! in fires,use flashback arrestors they are expensive but....

London Fire Brigade recently (2007 onwards) conducted research into acetylene cylinders in fire and the time for cooling and distance of any exclusion zone. The research shows parts of a cylinder can go to 150m in the open, less if buildings help to contain it. So the 200m was commonly used ONLY if danger of explosion. Never heard of 3km radius except in your post. New guidelines give a much shorter cooling time adjusted in response to testing the outside temp of the cylinder. As little as 2hrs now rather than the 24hrs.

Search for LFB and Acetylene Cylinders in Fire. Here is a link to a copy on the BCGA wesite retrieved in May2013.

http://www.bcga.co.uk/preview/pdfs/LFB Acetylene Cylinders in Fire Report March 09 _2_.pdf

The very old BOC advise in case of fire was to remove cylinder, place in water and vent.. I see the LFB still say if the cylinder has not been subject to overheating then moving it is an option. This would be very easy with the little portapak cylinders that are easily carried.

 

[bump]

I only know of the 200M exclusion. It was annoying when the BOC Bristol depot caught fire. The mainline to London passes within this, so all trains were stopped. Nothing happened with any of the cylinders during the incident.

 

[tiger99]

There is very good safety information in this thread, particularly the London Fire Brigade article. It seems that previous advice was wrong, and that in the event of fire or overheating, the cylinder must not be moved or vented, and must simply be cooled by applying water. I would have moved it into water, vented it, and possibly blown myself up in the process.

They key point seems to be not moving it, and therefore it would improve safety if your cylinders are securely restrained in an upright position by something non-inflammable such as chains.

It would also help if the cylinders were in a place where the Fire Brigade could readily see them, such as chained to an outside wall. If you do that, you will need a locked cage, or they will probably be stolen.

I have until now avoided oxy-acetylene at home, preferring MIG and TIG on safety grounds, but it has its uses, and having read that article I would feel somewhat more confident to use it, knowing that the main hazard is fire, and if the cylinders are stored in a place with no inflammable materials, that hazard can be greatly reduced.

The secondary hazard of flashback ought not to happen nowadays, as everyone should be using flashback arrestors. It might be a very good idea if these were always built into the torch (simple sintered metal filter) and the regulator (full device), so that no-one could avoid using them.

But I would want to inform my insurance company. I have heard that some of them are ok about small portapak bottles, as long as they know. It would be rather bad if some trivial incident resulted in a 200 metre exclusion zone for several hours, as you might have to pay for that out of your own pocket, and if a railway or major road was closed the cost would be millions. Fortunately around my domestic garage there are only residential properties within 200 metres, so I would only annoy the neighbours. But the consequences of that can be bad.....