When it comes to compressed gas cylinders, Western Sales & Testing of Deer Park, Inc. can handle all of your requirements for cylinder requalification.

Hydrostatic Services:

We are set up to hydrostatic test all types and sizes of both high and low pressure compressed gas cylinders using the water jacket volumetric expansion method. These include cylinders used in welding, medical, Breathing Air, fire extinguishers, SCBA, SCUBA, sample bombs, CNG and LPG, refrigerant, recovery, Chlorine, Methyl Bromide, Mercaptan and many other uses. We have two volumetric testing stations with multiple water jackets up to 24" O.D. We also use the direct expansion testing method for larger cylinders, such as 500# w.c., 1000# w.c. and 1 ton containers.
We can test up to 10,000psi test pressure.

Our Hydrostatic Test procedures consist of removing the cylinder valve or valves, visually inspecting the cylinder both external and internal, including all internal threads, filling the cylinder with water and then pressure testing the cylinder to the approved pressure. Expansion readings are recorded for both total expansion and permanent expansion and the percent permanent expansion is calculated. If the cylinder passes its expansion parameters, the cylinder is emptied of water, heated and dried. The cylinder is then stamped with our DOT registration number and test date. Test data is recorded on a computer generated test record and kept on file. We provide test reports to our customers upon request.

In addition to Hydrostatic Testing, we also perform Eddy Current Inspections on Aluminum cylinders and SCUBA cylinders. For SCUBA, we can also do your annual VIP's.

Internal Cleaning Services:

We can provide several choices for internally cleaning your cylinders. These include steam cleaning, chemically cleaning and abrasive cleaning.

Steam Cleaning: Steam cleaning is very effective on cylinders with odors but no obvious residual or cylinders that are being converted from one gas service to another.

Chemical Cleaning: Chemical cleaning is very effective in removing hydrocarbon residues or to clean cylinders for Oxygen service. This service is one of our many services that really separate Western Sales & Testing from our competitors. Most companies simply flush the inside of a cylinder for a few seconds with a soap solution and call this Oxygen cleaning. Our process actually boils the inside of your cylinder with a combination of water and a water- based, Oxygen compatible cleaner and takes many minutes to accomplish. After flushing with clean water, these cylinders are also steam-cleaned to insure their cleanliness. Our cleaning solution has been tested by the Compressed Gas Association and their results are available in their booklet titled "Chemical Cleaning: 2000 Directory of Cleaning Agents for Oxygen Service".

Abrasive Cleaning: Abrasive cleaning is very effective for removing rust, scale and oxidation from cylinders. Although it is offered as a service to customers who need their cylinders extra clean internally, it may be required in some cases so that a complete and thorough internal visual inspection can be performed.

External Abrasive Blasting:

External Cleaning Services: We utilize a Wheelabrator machine which shot blasts cylinders to remove paint and other external corrosion from the cylinder. This unit feeds cylinders through a blast cabinet while continuously rotating the cylinder to insure an even, consistent removal of paint without concern of damaging the cylinders. We also have a 25' long, 14' wide fully enclosed blast unit to strip over-sized cylinders such as 1000# w.c., 1 ton containers and cylinders with attachments. We can also strip other items such as 6 and 12 pack racks, cylinder carts, wheel units, skid units, foam tanks, hydrants, etc. We can blast to all specification blasting requirements including SSPC-SP5 "White Metal Blast Cleaning" as well as perform anchor profile measurements.

Spray Coatings:

We have an automotive type paint booth with a heated drying system. We typically paint one or multiple color combinations using industrial primers and/or enamels. However, we also specialize in paint applications for highly corrosive environments, particularly offshore applications. We have painted thousands of components, ranging from compressed gas cylinders to foam tanks to fire suppression skids and other equipment, which have required multi-component paint system applications. These have included zinc/epoxy/polyurethane combinations requiring consistent wet film thickness, dry film thickness, cross-hatch paint adhesion tests and wet sponge Holiday detections. We routinely have inspectors oversee these applications as required by our customer's strict specifications.

Stenciling is provided upon request.

Cylinder and Valve Sales:

Western Sales & Testing stock several sizes of new cylinders. We will usually have 125cf cylinders and 300cf cylinders in stock. Through special arrangements with several cylinder manufacturers we can offer very competitive pricing for ultra high-pressure cylinders from 3600psi to 6000psi. All cylinder sizes are available. We also have used cylinders from time to time.

We also stock a complete selection of cylinder valves for the welding, medical, and refrigerant services.

Additional Services:

We are capable of removing sheared valves, stuck plugs, replace neck rings, retap inlet threads on chlorine cylinders, replace o-rings, and establish cylinder tare weights. We are now performing Eddy Current Inspections on SCUBA cylinders and all aluminum cylinders made by Luxfer prior to 1990.