German tanks in US….DOT cert

[mattbiegner22]

I'm in a similar boat shipping US tanks to the UK with DOT markings. My question is, if I'm only going to the UK for a few years (probably 2-4 years for work) and all of my tanks are within hydro (or I hydro them all in the US before I leave), can the tanks be visual'd and filled in the UK?

 

[Miyaru]

I asked the hydro facility about this issue.

• They can test anything, their testing process is simply mechanical and the goal is to determine safety. That includes the pressure test and checking the thread for wear.
• When it comes to engraving or stamping, the law determines what they can officially engrave/stamp on the tank. Plus (and this is the tricky part) they have to report the hydro results to a national department with all the information that was stamped into the shoulder of the tank.

If they get a DOT tank, they can test it and tell you if it passes or not, but they can't enter the information without providing additional information like the tank origin, material composition, etc. It can be done, but the costs of that investigation are usually above the costs of a new tank.

I had a couple of old steel filter housings for my compressor, manufactured 40 years ago. They tested these and engraved the test date into the filter housing. It does not have any legal value, it's only a safety check that gives me the assurance that the filter is safe.

My question is, if I'm only going to the UK for a few years and all of my tanks are within hydro, can the tanks be visual'd and filled in the UK?

As long as there is a hydro date visible on the tank, the neck-thread visible on the tank and the thread visible on the valve, you should be good to go. It's (always) up to the facility to decide if they fill your tank or not.

Several years ago a local shop refused to fill a set of doubles, since the thread wasn't clearly visible on the tank. Which was true, as that set was coated with epoxy. Instead of starting an argument I put the set back into my car and grabbed another set with clear markings. Throughout the filling, I was lectured by the grumpy old man who was very eager to start a discussion anyway.
Just days later, the facility was severely damaged when a tank with a mismatched valve exploded. Karma.....

Hydro validity differs per country in Europe, from the top of my head:
Belgium - 5 years
Netherlands - 5 years
France - 3 years
Spain - 2 years
Norway - 3 years from productions, after 1st hydro 2 years

 

[Russjstewart]

Australia - hydro every 12 months

 

[Gone for diving]

Australia - hydro every 12 months

Seems like it would not be great for the tanks, cycling to that high pressures so often.

I would have my own compressor

 

[broncobowsher]

Australia - hydro every 12 months

With this frequent testing, do dive shops do it in house?

In the states (with 5-year hydros) most shops outsource the hydro. The expense of the equipment doesn't justify the purchase. But with yearly hydros, I could see the expense being justified.

 

[Miyaru]

Australia - hydro every 12 months

Look at the bright side: no annual visual inspection. Or is that required every quarter in Australia?

 

[michael-fisch]

Look at the bright side: no annual visual inspection. Or is that required every quarter in Australia?

There is no legal requirement for a visual inspection in the USA!

Michael

 

[tmassey]

There is no legal requirement for a visual inspection in the USA!

Michael

I did like your post above, but the pendant in me felt the need to reply:

A visual inspection is absolutely required of tanks in the United States. It is required at the time of and is included as part of the requalification process, which also includes a hydrostatic test.

Flames redirected to /dev/null…

The level of angst and agony over the sacredness of visual inspection of tanks is, in my useless opinion, out of control. What was once a smart idea to pop the valve, look inside and make sure there isn’t an obvious issue has turned into an absolute joke of officious and self-important gatekeepers grubbing for dollars.

Ask me sometime how I really feel about it…

 

[broncobowsher]

There is no legal requirement for a visual inspection in the USA!

Michael

There is, it is every 5 years as part of the hydro.

But the yearly dive shop vis, no legal requirement for that in the states. That is true.

(and I am about 30 seconds late posting this)

 

[PBcatfish]

I did like your post above, but the pendant in me felt the need to reply:

A visual inspection is absolutely required of tanks in the United States. It is required at the time of and is included as part of the requalification process, which also includes a hydrostatic test.

Flames redirected to /dev/null…

The level of angst and agony over the sacredness of visual inspection of tanks is, in my useless opinion, out of control. What was once a smart idea to pop the valve, look inside and make sure there isn’t an obvious issue has turned into an absolute joke of officious and self-important gatekeepers grubbing for dollars.

Ask me sometime how I really feel about it…

There is no legal requirement for an annual visual inspection. The scuba industry standard is to not fill a tank that has not had a visual inspection in more than a year. It is legal to fill a tank with a current hydro & no VIP sticker, but it is seldom done at shops that have the opportunity to charge for the legally unnecessary inspection.

The hydro inspection is required by DOT regulation every 5 years for most scuba cylinders in the US. I believe that the way the law is written, it is illegal to transport on any US roadway, a high pressure cylinder that was filled after the hydro date expired. This would seem to leave a loophole for cylinders that live on a boat with a compressor.

I share your frustration with the "officious and self-important gatekeepers grubbing for dollars".