Oxygen - A black cylinder with a white shoulder
- Colourless, odourless and tasteless
- Generally considered non - toxic at atmospheric pressures
- Oils, greases and solvents may react violently with oxygen and metals may burn. You should never use oil or grease to lubricate oxygen or oxygen enriched equipment as they can spontaneously burn with explosive violence.
Nitrogen - A grey cylinder with a black shoulder
- Colourless, odourless, and tasteless
- Does not support combustion or life
- Non-toxic
- Non - reactive except at high temperature
Argon - A green cylinder with a bright green shoulder
- Colourless and odourless.
- Inert - does not generally react with other materials
Does not support combustion or life.
Acetylene - A maroon cylinder
- Distinctive garlic like smell - recognisable above 2% concentration in the air
- Considered non - toxic but may cause dizziness at high concentrations
- Fire and explosion hazards
- Will ignite and burn instantly from a spark or piece of hot metal
- Lighter than air, so less likely to collect in pits, ducts, trenches and other low-lying areas.
CO2 - A black cylinder with a grey shoulder
- Odourless but can cause the nose to sting
- Colourless
- Toxic at high concentrations
- Slightly corrosive in the presence of moisture
- Can cause serious cold burn
If you transport, store or use any gases you should always be in possession of the relevant AGA safety data sheets and other safety information. These are supplied free by AGA.
It is important to read the cylinder label to identify cylinder content - cylinder colour acts merely as a guide and should never be used in isolation to determine cylinder content.
A cylinder without a label should not be used but returned to AGA.
