Are hydros really necessary?

[rjack321]

The relevance is that it is much easier on THEM if THEY can make you believe it is a DOT requirement.

It is for them, just not the user/driver/breather.

Assuming they are charging $$ for the fills that = "packaging used commerce"

 

[Dr. Lecter]

It is for them, just not the user/driver/breather.

Assuming they are charging $$ for the fills that = "packaging used commerce"

Please, tell me more about how the Department of Transportation's regulations apply to that particular use in commerce.

 

[AlexL]

I have no first hand experience about "tank checks" but I swore I read it somewhere... oh well, carry on!

stories crop up every few years about someone smuggling coke/heroin/meth in AL80s.

about the only way a law enforcement officer will be granted probable cause to do a 'tank check' that detailed on a non commercial/private vehicle is if they have reason to think you're running contraband in them. its not something covered in a terry stop. of course, if said LEO is looking close enough at your cylinders to check the hydro stamp, you're already a mile up brown creek without a paddle.

note that 'improper stowage in transport' is also a ticket-able offense in my area, but would not imply cause to search the contents or interior of cylinders.

commercial transport is a completely different ballgame; one that i cannot attest to.

 

[Rich Keller]

Hydro testing every 5 years is a DOT regulation. VIP testing every year is a scuba industry invention that has little value other then the eddy tests for 6351 alloy tanks.

 

[DKL]

I don't see any real value in the yearly visual inspection. However, I personally think the hydro every 5 years is a good idea. Cylinders undergo stresses with fills and temperature changes etc... Not a bad idea in my mind to make sure they are not damaged every 5 years. Just a personal opinion.

 

[Vegan Shark]

In Japan there is no required visual for steel tanks, only a hydro every 5 years. I take good care of my tanks, so I think I might skip the visuals to avoid the PITA of breaking down doubles.

 

[Namreg 58]

In Japan there is no required visual for steel tanks, only a hydro every 5 years. I take good care of my tanks, so I think I might skip the visuals to avoid the PITA of breaking down doubles.

You may look after the OUTSIDE of your tanks, but unless you have your own compressor and know what kind of air is pumped into your tank, an annual visual would be a minimum requirement to look after the INSIDE of your tank. Five years of rust inside your tank should just about kill it and maybe you too.

 

[Leadking]

Again, this forum forgets about OSHA. DOT rules and regulations are about commercial transport of pressurized cylinders. OSHA regulates the workplace AND high pressure cylinder handling. If you fill your own cylinders, there are no requirements, but I hope common sense will prevail.
Virtually all dive stores are some form of a corporation and even the owner is considered an employee under OSHA rules. In the case of an accident, OSHA, which requires cylinder handling within the CGA rules, will apply.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

In the case of an accident, OSHA, which requires cylinder handling within the CGA rules, will apply.

OSHA has authority even before an accident occurs, though I'll grant that the odds of their investigating an LDS's compliance prospectively is unlikely. In any event, you're going to need to provide an actual citation to some OSHA statement on the subject, be it a standard, advisory letter, whatever...otherwise you're just another babbling opinion about what's "required".

 

[Leadking]

OSHA has authority even before an accident occurs, though I'll grant that the odds of their investigating an LDS's compliance prospectively is unlikely. In any event, you're going to need to provide an actual citation to some OSHA statement on the subject, be it a standard, advisory letter, whatever...otherwise you're just another babbling opinion about what's "required".

chapter and verse here https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=9747
https://search.usa.gov/search?affiliate=usdoloshapublicwebsite&query=compressed+gas