Gas Cylinder Safety: Good And Bad Tips To Remember

There are so many things you can do with your gas cylinders. With a variety of gases available and nearly thousands of applications, gas cylinders have a unique place in multiple industries and communities. Sometimes improvisation can be a good thing too, so long as you’ve got the right equipment, accessories, and a little research. Without them, the possibilities may be both limited and potentially unsafe. Get it right, and not only will you be able to achieve more, but you will also make the workplace cleaner and safer for everyone.

If at any point a tank does break and starts damaging property or injuring people, investigations and heavy fines can occur. As for specific types of damages and injuries, that depends on the gas and type of cylinder. There are different ways it can break, from small dents and scratches to full-on explosions.

Accidental damage can be easily avoided. Some will do dangerous things to achieve specific results, but there’s no need for such risks. There are lots of simple things you can do to improve gas tank utilization and your own safety. Most of these safety tips involve simple bad habits to be broken.

Always keep your gas cylinder in the proper upright position, never sideways or upside-down. Try to avoid tilting it even the slightest amount if you can help it. The safety principles of proper cylinder orientation apply to all gases, whether we’re talking carbon dioxide, nitrogen, helium, or propane.

Most gas cylinders are designed to sit upright, never upside down or on its side. There are specific cylinders designed to sit horizontally, but those are usually a type of bulk cylinder provided by different suppliers. They’re way larger too, with weights ranging in the tons. They’re usually not meant for the general public, and they’re usually used for refilling purposes. Unless you actually have a horizontal bulk gas cylinder, there isn’t any good or safe reason to put even a smaller sized cylinder sideways. It can roll around, bump into things, and make for an easy trip hazard.

Turning gas cylinders upside down isn't necessarily any better. Typically, one would do this to get the last drop of gas out of the tank. Thanks to this unsafe method of cylinder handling, an upside down cylinder puts the regulator closer to the ground, risking breakage if the rest of the tank gives out. It also gets the gas rushing down to the valve faster than it's supposed to, even when it’s nearly empty. Imagine what can happen when this is done with a flammable gas like propane. The propane can overflow and overheat anything it’s powering, leading to accidental flare-ups or, in worse cases, explosions. If you really need to use more gas, you simply need to use another gas tank or refill the one you own.

If you do own your cylinder and have been using it for several months or years, there’s a likely chance that rust is sitting inside the tank. Putting it upside down can also get the rust to fall to the gas valve and clog it.

An alternative reason for changing a cylinder’s orientation has to do with forcing a change in a gas’ state of matter. Gases are typically stored in their liquid state, and as they leave the tank, they turn into their gaseous state. This is especially the case with carbon dioxide tanks. Most jobs will use regular CO2 tanks, but there are a few specific jobs that require something different, where instead of being expelled in an invisible gas, it will still be gaseous in nature, but appear white and vaporous. This means the CO2 is being expelled in its liquid state.

The way you’re supposed to get liquid CO2 is with a siphon CO2 tank. You can choose to get CO2 tanks with internal siphons when you place an order for one. Never opt for an option that risks the safety of others and yourself. Changing a gas cylinder’s physical orientation to achieve a change in the gas’ state of matter is unnecessarily dangerous!

Even with the tank being in the proper orientation, you can still potentially breach safety regulations. In many cases, these dangers can be avoided by simply following good safety protocols. from using the right equipment to making smart decisions at work. Even the workspace matters.