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Francois
 
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Default Frozen acetylen ?

Hi

I live near Montreal, Quebec and it is pretty cold these days. Beetween -10
C and - 25 C ( about 0 to -35 F )

I have a small oxy-acetylene kit (not the smallest one home depot sell, the
one just bigger) that stay outside. Both bottles are supposed to be almost
full. Last time I used it, I was reading 50 on the first meter of the
acetylen bottle and that pressure drop to 0 pretty fast (maybe 30 sec.)
After a couple minuts, the pressure came back to 50.

As I remember, there should be more than 50 lbs of pressure in it. Maybe
there was a leak, but I think that something was frozen, as I already had a
small propane bottle froze on me in similar temperature.

Is the regulator frozen? Is it the acetylen bottle. Can I put the bottle in
my house to unfroze safely?

One good point in all this, I finally learned how to cut steel As I ran
out of acetylen, I only had to use oxygen to control the cut, and the result
was impressing, for an eternal newbe like me who use only one set of those
small bottles every two years, wich give me plenty of time to forget what I
learned the last time....I just hope I don't forget this time.

Thanks for any hints,

Francois in the cold