Getting a good seal on onboard oxygen tank - why no gaskets?

[bjg122]

Never overtighten! OK, I've had a number of times that I simply cannot get a good seal on an onboard oxygen tank. Since rubber washers work find with portable oxygen, is there any good reason why such a thing doesn't exist for onboard oxygen?

Granted, the opening is bigger, but the pressure is the same.

[BushyFromOz]

was that a statement or a question??

For the most part if i have a leaking bodok seal its nearly always some kind of crap on the cylinder head, a clean with an alcohol wipe is usually all it needs. If you overtighten the yolk i have seen the plastic handle break away from the thread meaning you cant get the darn thing off again without using some kind of vice grip that damages the regulator.

[bjg122]

The part that is a question is whether there is a good reason not to have any kind of flexible gasket to improve the seal. Metal on metal seems too intolerant to scratches, dirt, etc. I find it frustrating that it is so difficult to get a good seal. I would think that some kind of flexible gasket would improve the process.

Sometimes, it involves switching to a different tank which produces a better seal. At 2 AM, that is a real bitch to do. It is tough enough to change a tank when it works perfectly.

[BushyFromOz]

you have metal on metal seals?? never heard of them, and given how fragile machined items with such exact tolerances would be to wear and tear, i would think that using them in a rough environemnt is not the best method in the first instance

[CoCoMedic]

When I worked for a small Mom & Pop ambulance company, they used to use teflon tape on the threads for large O2 tanks. Its cheap and available at any hardware store.

[afeefma]

May I ask what type of cylinders you are using in terms of capacity and size? Although, most O2 cylinders under the same amount of pressure which is about 2015 psi, still the size of cylinder plays a major role in the type of regulator you can install and therefore I could help you more in answering your question.

E, D, Jumbo D O2 cylinders mostly use the Brass Yoke Style or click style CGA 870 Regulator. For this type of regulators you would need the WASHERS, otherwise you will get a leak.

Large Cylinders such as M, H, or K use other types of regulators that are completely different in their fitting styles. They use a fitting type called CGA 540 and they come in Brass or in single or two stage preset regulators to 50psi.

If you are

[bjg122]

M tanks. They use what looks like steel coupling.

[afeefma]

Ok, M Tanks will have a CGA Female Port that is compatible with CGA 540. In this case, you will have to have a rubber gasket or if finding a rubber gasket is an issue then Teflon Tape will do (as one of the member mentioned above), it does really help and work as a gasket.

I do not have gaskets on our O2 cylinders and have been using Teflon Tape for quiet a long time now and never encountered a problem.