Filling oxygen tanks

Bruce,

http://www.avweb.com/news/columns/182079-1.html


--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

That's all "Cover Your Ass" stuff that if not interpreted well enough
will tend to cost you more money. Why not check the numbers on the
modern gasses. You may find something interesting, and remember that
you're filling portable bottles, not system bottles. When was the
last time it was freezing inside your cabin?


On 24 Dec 2004 05:25:24 GMT, (Blanche Cohen)
wrote:

I quote from the FAA and related regulations (these are the only one's
I found that do not related to altitude, equipment, etc.)


AC 43-16A - Aviation Maintenance Alerts, #36, July 1981
"Do not confuse aviators breathing O2 with hospital/medical O2. The
latter is
pure enough for breathing but the moisture content is usually higher which
could freeze and plug the lines and valves of an aircraft O2 system)....
Aviators breathing oxygen going into aircraft oxygen systems should meet
the purity and moisture specifications as contained in Military
Specification MIL-0-27210: purity - 99.5 percent by volume (minimum);
moisture - 0.005 milligrams per liter of gas (maximum)."


AC 65-9A - A & P Powerplant Mechanics General handbook,
Chp 11. Ground servicing
" Only oxygen marked "Aviators Breathing Oxygen" which meets Federal
Specification BB-0-925a Grade A or equivalent may be used in aircraft
breathing oxygen systems."

SAE AS 8010 Aviators Breathing Oxygen Purity Standard.

So -- there are no mandatory regulations that I could find. So if
the supplier's O2 meets the MIL spec or Federal Spec, there should
be no argument.

*sigh*

I really got to get a life...

Blanche Cohen wrote:
Another approach is to have your physician write you an RX then take
it to either a medical supply house or ambulance company, which
ever will take the RX.

Only if you really want to see hassles of price and paperwork.

The local medical oxygen place for us IS also the welding and
ABO outlet.

Almarz wrote:
That's all "Cover Your Ass" stuff that if not interpreted well enough
will tend to cost you more money. Why not check the numbers on the
modern gasses. You may find something interesting, and remember that
you're filling portable bottles, not system bottles. When was the
last time it was freezing inside your cabin?

Not to mention that welding tanks are used outdoors in all sorts of
weather. If it survives winter in Alaska, it'll survive on the plane.

Almarz wrote:
That's all "Cover Your Ass" stuff that if not interpreted well enough
will tend to cost you more money. Why not check the numbers on the
modern gasses. You may find something interesting, and remember that
you're filling portable bottles, not system bottles. When was the
last time it was freezing inside your cabin?


Freezing inside the cabin? Today. Right now.

As for the CYA -- the OP was asking about the regs. I cited the regs.

On the other hand, I did find something interesting in the avweb
article that I either had forgotten or never knew -- about the
hydrostatic testing of the tanks at periodic intervals...Guess I need
to deal with it next year....

Almarz wrote:
[...]
modern gasses. You may find something interesting, and remember that
you're filling portable bottles, not system bottles. When was the
last time it was freezing inside your cabin?

Careful about that one. As any gas is released from the tank it expands and
will cool down significantly. That's why you get frost on e.g. propane
tanks. And there have been fatality diving accidents when regulators froze
in above-freezing temperatures because of the expanding gas.

jue

Advisory Circulars aren't regulations.

I cited the regs.

Which regulation requires this?

Matt

Probably not a regulation, but virtually all my maintenance experience
has been with larger corporate-type jets. You are certainly required
to follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance program if that
is your election or an FAA- approved program of your design. In
other words, as a 91 operator you select your program under
91.409(f)(3) or (4). All maintenance manuals I've been involved with
specify only ABO.
A Part 121, 125, or 135 program will drive it for those operators. I
can guarantee the NTSB did a hard look at the bottles of the charter
operator that was carrying Payne Stewart. Did it cause his accident?
Probably not.

As a side note - it's not only the source of the oxygen, but how its
stored. I've seen in-service welding bottles full of rust that got
that way from being stored flat with the valve open. I'm sure if you
went directly to a good supplier, what you get would be clean. I will
confess I've done a bit of mountain flying in gliders and the local
carborundum mine supplied us with all our oxygen. We all lived. Would
I suggest it to others as a licensed mechanic? No way - I wouldn't
know what to say on the witness stand.

Another side note. Just because someone posts something on a web site
of bulletin board doesn't make it law - that includes me. We each
have to make ourselves aware of all information that applies to what
we are doing. Any of us are free to take chances with our own lives,
but we can't do the same with those of our passengers. I would suggest
a pilot is probably not the best source of good maintenance
information even though our egos make us think we are all experts.
There are many reasons why the safety record of small aircraft is so
bad compared to others. (Your insurance man knows) The person making
the maintenance decisions is one of them.


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Blanche wrote:
Almarz wrote:

That's all "Cover Your Ass" stuff that if not interpreted well enough
will tend to cost you more money. Why not check the numbers on the
modern gasses. You may find something interesting, and remember that
you're filling portable bottles, not system bottles. When was the
last time it was freezing inside your cabin?



Freezing inside the cabin? Today. Right now.

As for the CYA -- the OP was asking about the regs. I cited the regs.

I thought you cited Advisory Circulars. They aren't regulations.

Matt

"Ron Natalie" wrote in message
m...
Blanche Cohen wrote:
Another approach is to have your physician write you an RX then take
it to either a medical supply house or ambulance company, which
ever will take the RX.

Only if you really want to see hassles of price and paperwork.

The local medical oxygen place for us IS also the welding and
ABO outlet.

Considering the process for making it (O) is the same, why would the
manufacturers establish different facilities for something that is 100% the
same product?


--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO