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Originally Posted by RockHillWill
Good information guys. I just ordered flashback arrestors from the Tinman that will go at the regulators. Are they also needed at the torch? If you use a 'gas saver' are they needed there as well?
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Will, Set the flashback arrestors at the gasaver outlet. You can have a second set at the regs, but it is not necessary unless you run a second torch set directly from the regs.
Our FB arrestors also contain the check valves, so adding those is redundant, except where specific insurance or safety regulations specify having them at the torch. As has been noted in these very good threads lately, Victor and Harris offer some torch models with check valves in them.
If hoses are stiff then they should be replaced, or especially if they are showing any signs of cracking. 10 years is about the limit of hose life, with oxygten and fuel gas exposure. Please check all threads and orifices before connecting them. Blow out regs before hooking hose, and then blow hose before hooking torch, and blow torch before hooking tip.
What Per and Janne said about safety in Sweden and Finland is also very true in the USA as universal rules, except for the specific laws pertaining to certain aspects. The "hot work" permit and the replacement times are either suggested safety limits here or are limits set by local fire regulations, insurance companies, or companies' own safety specs. In some areas fire requirements require a steel or concrete container for extra bottles of gas, and having the flammability signs posted is pretty universal for notifying fire personnel arriving in emergency. Law requires that all gas bottles be chained or bolted to a secure stanchion to prevent tipping over, fire extinguishers must be posted, and gloves and blankets nearby.
Regulators can get old and still be workable, but it is wise to have old ones checked by a repair shop before use. Since my company has been selling oxy-fuel torch gear for over 20 years we have seen changes in the quality of new regs, with some malfunctioning after one week in service. Personally, I like the older regs but I am having a hard time getting them rebuilt well, at least in SF Bay area. If anyone knows of a really good rebuilder I'd sure like to know.
I have been using the torch professionally since 1970, and have worked in many aviation and race car environments since then. Some shops do not permit the torch at all, though it is for metallurgy safety reasons, as they do not want the technicians tempted to do experimenting. I have never seen a serious incident, but when I was in welding school in 1970 they said a kid had just exploded himself in Las Vegas by trying to exhale fire after inhaling the acetylene. People, people, people !!!
It is best to be safe first, than sorry after.