What Is The Process of Refilling a Nitrous Oxide Tank?

Nitrous oxide has a wide range of applications that run the entire gamut. You may know it from visits to your dentist’s office, where the colorless gas is used for sedation and pain relief. It’s what gives patients a buzzy, dizzy feeling when they sit in the dentist’s chair. It’s also used by other professionals in the medical field to sedate or relax patients while they are undergoing minor medical treatments and procedures.

The gas is also used as a propellant for food products like whipped cream, in the automotive industry to boost engine performance and increase oxygen in combustion, to freeze some foods, and in some cases, even as a therapeutic to treat those going through withdrawal related to alcohol dependence.

But no matter the intended usage, you need a reliable supplier to provide refills, safety inspections, and more. Here is what you should know about refilling a nitrous oxide tank.

Nitrous Oxide Safety Essentials

Nitrous oxide is a non-combustible gas, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t without risk—which is why it is so important for refills to be performed safely. For example, even though nitrous oxide itself isn’t combustible, it will quicken the burning of combustibles during a fire.

This naturally-occurring gas is water-soluble, and its vapors are heavier than air. It’s also important to note that when containers of nitrous oxide are exposed to heat or fire for extended periods, they can “rupture violently and rocket.”

Prolonged exposure to nitrous oxide can cause some concerning health issues, including:

Dizziness
Unconsciousness
Death
Severe frostbite
Infertility with long-term exposure

Just how severe these effects are is very much dependent on how long a person is exposed, the concentration of the exposure, and what kind of work is being done. This is especially true since after exposure, nitrous oxide has also been known to limit the affected person’s motor control, cause oxygen deprivation, permanent brain damage, and asphyxiation.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) recommends the use of its Hierarchy of Controls standards to avoid, limit, and control dangerous workplace exposures. The NIOSH Hierarchy of Controls is a strategy that’s designed to control possible exposure to workplace hazards and figure out the best way to keep workers safe. This comes with a preferred order of actions based on efficacy:

Elimination
Substitution
Engineering controls
Administrative controls
Personal protective equipment

Those who work around nitrous oxide should take care to read chemical labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for further safety instructions.

Ensuring Safe, Efficient Nitrous Oxide Tank Refills

Self-refilling stations for nitrous oxide aren’t all that common, and they are hard to maintain. Refilling a bottle without the help of a professional can seem like an impossible task—and potentially even a dangerous one. At first, it may seem like a simple process, but moving nitrous from the mother tank to a smaller one isn’t straightforward or easy.

Regardless of the size of your nitrous oxide tank, the best way to ensure safe, timely refills is to work with professionals at Airgas Specialty Products. When you need refills, you don’t have time to wait for long request queues or inconvenient delivery times.

With Airgas Specialty, getting refills is as simple as filling out our convenient online form or contacting our team. For your first order or first refill, we’ll just ask a few questions to set your refill in motion.

What you need, whether it’s quality nitrous oxide or other services we offer like safety training or informative seminars.
The size of your nitrous oxide tanks, as we can supply nitrous oxide in qualities reaching 30,000 pounds or more.

Once we have your information, the process of refilling your nitrous oxide tank is in the works. We’ll take a look at what your needs are, where you’re located, and what your operations are, and get you back in action in no time flat.

Since we have a network of distributors across the country, we can provide fast, efficient, affordable refills to ensure the process of getting refills is quick, easy, and painless for you.

Nitrous Delivery On Your Schedule

Airgas Specialty Products is committed to trusted sales and reliable delivery of the nitrous oxide you depend on for your operations. We are dedicated to world-class delivery and refill services for your nitrous oxide tanks, as well as any other chemical products you need, including anhydrous ammonia, aqueous ammonia, and hydrogen chloride.

Whether you’re providing patient care, boosting engines, or manufacturing food products, we know your refills can’t always wait until Monday morning or regular business hours. That’s why we offer after-hours delivery and short-notice refills.

What’s more, we offer safety-related services to see that your operations are safe. We provide tank inspections, safety trainings, seminars, and everything else you need for secure, reliable operation.

If you need nitrous oxide for your organization, it’s likely not an optional supply. For example? In medical facilities and dentist’s offices, you can’t wait for nitrous oxide when there are pressing medical procedures to perform.

This is why timely, professional delivery of nitrous oxide refills is so important for us—and why we deliver on your schedule. Having refilled nitrous oxide tanks is critical in several industries, but no matter your line of work, we are here for you after hours, on weekends, and whenever you need world-class service from our team of professionals.

Choose Airgas Specialty Products

For more than 130 years, we’ve been dedicated to providing you with the products you need to succeed. We’ll be your dependable supplier of first-rate nitrous oxide refills; we’re in it for the long haul.

To learn more about how we can provide you with the ongoing nitrous oxide tank refills you need, request a quote today.