Owner/Lease Bottles and/or Cylinders?

[trep813]

Perhaps SunDown III or another old hat can help me out. Am I right on this? If the ring on the bottle right below the cap is smooth, with no stamps in it, is that an owner bottle?

[dda52]

That pretty much sums it up. Slick rings means no gas company owns them. There can be exceptions, though. If it is a size that is not sold in your area, but is a rental only bottle, chances are no one will touch it even though it is owned. It all depends on what rules the gas companies are working by.

[trep813]

Thanks dda52.

[Hotfoot]

Just haul it by wherever you plan on getting it filled later. Tell them you just want to know if its acceptable. They'll look at it and tell you!

[trep813]

The problem I'm is this. There is a Jiffy Lube in town that exchanges bottles and EVERY bottle that I've taken them is "no good." They deal with Tri Tech, so I called them. I was told that these people don't know anything about anything and Tri Tech has set up another exchange spot with someone in town that does know the business.

I was told that the Jiffy Lube was calling Tri Tech 3 or 4 times a week wanting to know answers to simple questions and that they would come by my shop personally to see my bottles and do business, if I wanted them to.

My problem is that if I don't buy "in town" then I have to drive 30 miles, one way, to get fresh tanks and that I don't like and I don't like people making me look like a thief either because of my GOOD tanks.

I took it all very personal because my fiancée and I are from the city and are trying to make it in a small, semi rural town.

[MAC702]

...my fiancée and I are from the city and are trying to make it in a small, semi rural town.

If you find a weird spider problem and call the exterminator, and John Goodman shows up, find another rural town FAST!

[dda52]

Make the drive. I have to drive 23 miles minimum to swap cyls out. It is a normal thing for outin the sticks...and if it gets you less headaches, then it is well worth it.

[trep813]

If you find a weird spider problem and call the exterminator, and John Goodman shows up, find another rural town FAST!

LMAO

=============================

Yeah Don your probably right but I'm hoping this new guy Tri Tech set up is going to pan out. It's less than a mile from me.

[dda52]

Give them a shot...but if they don't work out..go to town. I am living what you are just now experiencing. It just is not worth the headaches to deal with close by idiots rather than go where you know you can get what you want. I use two LWS primarily. The closest and best is 23 miles away. The second is 30 miles away. I use another one for hard to find stuff that is 40 miles away. My steel supplier is 45 miles away. Driving is the price I pay for living outside town. I wouldn't change a thing, though. No way will I live in town again.

[trep813]

Yeah, we like it where we are too. My steel suppler is around 50 miles away but they deliver for $20, so I can't beat that and I don't understand how they can do it for that price but I'm not going to ask them. The little lady drives 120 miles a day but loves it when she's here, she likes the peace and quiet. It IS nice in the sticks and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[mikeb9550]

I just posted a similar tread under shielding gas. I bought a couple used tanks that had the welding company name on them. The bottles were suppose to be paid for. I thought I got taken but called the LWS and they said that they dont lease that bottle size and the ones they sell also have the name stamps on them and it shouldnt be an issue. I think some companies get out of the leasing or atleast certain sizes. They dont through good tanks away but in return sell them. I guess it varies by area. Just glad I didnt get taken.

[bialecki]

Purchased Tanks

I recently purchased two 80 ft^3 Argon/CO2 cylinders from Airgas, they won't sell anything larger, however, clearly noted on the cylinders is raised letters below the valve with the name Airgas. Now if I try taking the cylinders to another gas filling station will they fill them? I figure it depends on how hungry they are for business. For the amount that I will be using, refilling at the Airgas dealer is actually preferred. The sales clerk said hang onto the receipt showing ownership in case there is ever a question about ownership. I plan on painting and stenciling my name on the cylinders and cap so a swap at the filling station won't occur.

Just my thoughts on the subject matter.

[sunpeople]

Bialecki Just do like the clerk said and show them your sales receipt and you should be good to go, but ask questions first BEFORE you take them inside of the store because i have read other story's about guys that took them inside the store and had BIG problems getting them back because the LWS said that they were lease only and were going to KEEP!!! the guys bottles, so just to be safe ask questions first while they are still in your truck not in their hands.

[Nickoli]

I purchased my bottles however I asked my LWS about having trouble if I ever moved to another state. I was told that there policy is... if you bring in bottle(s) for exchange and are not in there computer system and do not have papers proving ownership at that time they'll give you a nice little document to fill out and you must have it notarized before they'll do business with you. The counter guy said that if you take the time to fill it out and bring back notarized than they feel that things are probably legit. He said the guy who asks about the policy but doesn't take the document typically has stolen tanks and knows it!

[trep813]

Wow, that's some interesting stories on this thread. I never imagined that people had such a hard time with there tanks. I bought all mine from different places. One argon tank came from a guy in the paper. the other argon came with the tig machine I bought. My acetylene tank I got from a customer that learned O/A welding in the Navy and was feeling generous, I was useing propain before that and it almost killed me and I have the scars to prove it but that's a whole new thread, and the oxygen tank came from a yard sale. The oxygen is the only one marked "property of" but I had no hard time having it filled. I guess I should consider myself lucky.