Oxy/Acetylene or Petrogen

Replies to This Discussion

PermalinkReply byJim RigstadonMay 27, 2008 at 8:11pm

The Petrogen works great for thick stuff but if it's less than an inch I prefer the plasma cutter. The nice thing about the Petrogen is you don't have to worry about transporting the acetyalene tanks always upright.

PermalinkReply byChris Piepenburgon2008年5月27日晚上9:00

I have used both and prefer the Petrogen torch over the OA torch. I like the way it cuts and also look at it this way, if you need it in a disaster type situation I believe it will be much easier to get gas than it will be to get Acetylene.

PermalinkReply byScott Richardsonon2008年6月3日在9:54pm

Good point Chris!

Gasoline and Oxygen are a little easier to procure in a natural disaster. The petrogen seems to have more "bang" for the buck (no pun intended).

PermalinkReply byJim Saladinon2008年6月5日上午11:47

To me the pros of the Petro system is the fuel is easily obtained, and you don't have the same level of hazards as you do with Accetylene (tipping the cylinder on it's side ect...). The one draw back I have heard of with the Petrogen is it might be difficult to ignite in cold conditions. Our department does not own one but I have trained with one on several occasions...unfortunately they were fairly temperate (above 45 degrees).

Good luck,
Captain Sal

PermalinkReply byRex StricklandonJune 6, 2008 at 4:28pm

We carry PCS Petrogen on the Rescue's and a larger system on the support unit. It is also part of the US&R cache. I definitely favor the Petrogen over OA for several reasons. Ease of ignition, availability of fuel, safety of fuel source, ease of operation, and forgiveness for the operator make it favorite for most firefighters.

While Plasma gives a nice cut, power is sometimes an issue. It can also be finicky on the street. The SLICE pack is also another cutting system we have used. Rods go quick and the igniter gets fouled quickly.

The biggest issue with Petrogen is Oxygen. The solution is feathering the O2. Most folks have a tendency to flow the O2 wide-open, depleting the bottle too quickly. You only need enough O2 to blow out the slag. The other is issue is dipping the tip in your work.

For general use, we use the 8/3 tip.

Customer service has also been great with Petrogen.

PermalinkReply bySandy LasaonJune 10, 2008 at 4:20pm

只有一次有机会使用质。我必须承认，出于与每个人所说的相同的原因，我喜欢该系统，但主要是因为操作员的操作和宽恕。有机会在几周内与一些铁工公司合作，我们将与所有系统进行削减。我会让你知道情况如何。有人有任何问题或因吉姆（Jim S）所说的寒冷天气操作而听说过任何问题？我们在东北部

PermalinkReply byJim RigstadonJune 13, 2008 at 3:39pm

It is very important to keep you gasoline fresh. Long periods between uses and the gas gums up everything. One solution is to fill the tank with white gas when storing for long periods and still need it ready to go. We also drain the gas out of the hose when storing.

PermalinkReply bySteve DisickonJune 20, 2008 at 7:31pm

Ditto to everything said here so far. Petrogen over OA any day. One advantage that I have found with the Petrogen is that it produces less slag than OA which can be beneficial when cutting near a victim