Dirty glass - end of tank??

[redjay]

I am on a hot head with bulk propane.
I have been torching a lot for the last 12 months.
The last couple of days I am getting really dirty glass. My light ivory is coming up very grubby looking, my sky blue and turquoise are getting browny streaks and bits in it. Most clear glass is getting cloudy and dirty. My flame did look a bit green at times when I torched last night. Has anyone had this before?

I may be getting to the end of my tank possibly would this cause these problems? I cant find a tare weight on the gas so can't weigh it to see how much is left.

Would it be an idea to clean my pipes out when I change the tank this time and if so how would be best to do this.

Any advice would be great thanks. 

[helbels]

Yes, sounds like an end of tank problem to me.   Either that or working too close to the end of the torch.

Try changing the tank, if it fixes it, then no need to clean the pipes

[Corinne Lacy]

To see how much gas is left in the tank pour a kettle full of hot water down the side of the tank. It will cause a condensation line where the gas level is.

Note... Don't do this in your living room!!!

Corinne

[tinker]

Does sound like you're getting to the end of the tank though, to me - but that tip from Corinne is a new one on me and much appreciated! Thanks Corrinne

[Corinne Lacy]

I originally read about the gas level on FH so just passing it on, mind you I don't know how I remembered it  when I don't know what day of the week it is.....!!!   

Corinne

[Dragonfire Glass]

I tend to listen to the clunk when I hit it. The higher pitched it is, the emptier it is. That and (with the bigger tank especially) how easy it is to lift

[redjay]

Thanks. For that. I'll swap tanks this morning. And that's an excellent tip about the condensation! Thanks so much all :-)

[Blue Box Studio]

About to test the condensation theory - suddenly dirty glass and tank feels quite light but should have lasted me longer than this (and no, I've not got a leak).

[redjay]

I've changed tanks but it still doesn't seem too good. I did about 3 hours on the new tank and it still seems dirty. Any ideas?

[Blue Box Studio]

The condensation trick either didn't work, or the tank is empty, although when I turned the tap outside gas shot out but I was getting dirty streaks.  The new tank has sorted my problem.

I wonder if you are working too close the torch?  I didn't use a hothead for long, but did have some problems like this.

[Quirky Bird]

I had a similar problem - I was getting lots of sooty streaks in my glass, especially in the clear. For me, it was an issue caused by not enough oxygen coming from the oxycon, and the propane wasn't being burned completely (sorry if this explanation isn't very accurate or technical - chemistry was never my strongest subject!).

I resolved it by cutting the bottom section off the 'stepped' green stopper where the clear plastic tube attaches to the oxycon - somehow, this seemed to allow the air to get from the oxycon more quickly or efficiently (I think it was a tip I read on FH).

[Quirky Bird]

Sorry - just re-read the post and noticed that you're on a HH - I'll blame it on being a Friday afternoon after a long week at work! 

Hopefully the oxycon tip my be useful to someone somewhere 

[Margram]

Have you tried tapping the end of your torch while it is lit? Sometimes you can get a build-up of carbon which will fly out as sparks...

[Dragonfire Glass]

There will still be gas in the tank even if 'empty' just not enough to create enough pressure

[redjay]

Changing the tank helped a bit. But still not great. Thanks for the tip about tapping the torch. I am only going to be using if for a few more days as I am upgrading to an alpha and oxycon. Thanks for all your help x