ASME Bottle takes a ride

[Dive Right In Scuba]

We have a new compressor coming tomorrow, and they guys were taking the 4 ASME bottles out of our old compressor rack, and moving them. While moving one of them, the bottle slipped about 2inches from their hands and the valve sheard off of the bottle. The compressor rack, and the slight slippage, could have resulted in a very bad accident. Luckily nobody was hurt, but please use this as a reminder that even while trying to do things right, an accident can happen.

Here is the video we took off our security system. The tank shot into the water tubs we use to clean equipment and then hit a drysuit shelf. Luckily those shelves also were just moved to make room for our rear door to open for the compressors to be moved in/out. You can see the force it hits the water tubs with....again, please be careful with tanks. We move a lot of tanks every day, and just wanted to post this as a reminder to everyone to please be careful as there is a lot of pressure in cylinders.

 

[Doc Harry]

Is that bad?

 

[Linedog]

Holly cow! That bottle moved the tub of water like it was a toy! Could have easly taken a foot off or broken it up badly.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Holly cow! That bottle moved the tub of water like it was a toy! Could have easly taken a foot off or broken it up badly.

Ya, those tubs are pretty heavy when filled, and it blasted them like nothing

 

[pocky21]

When we were kids, we thought this was a fun thing to do with the little home oxygen bottles - put 'em up on a ramp and sledge the valve off. No abandoned car was safe from us.

Nowadays I recall all the junk we smashed them into and think my god, now I'm strapping myself to one!

 

[nadwidny]

The guys in the video didn't seem to be too worried. How much pressure was in the cylinder?

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

He was worried...and getting out of the way. By the time you see him, anything dangerous was over and the gas was just escaping. Nothing to be worried about then.

There was about 4k in pressure

 

[Graeme Tolton]

There was no cylinder cap ?

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

ASME bottles are not T bottles. The don't have caps, and there is a valve on both round ends. The sit in special vertical or horizontal racks. They also weigh about 400lbs compared to a T bottle weighing much less. They are pricey, but NEVER need a hydro and are 6000psi cylinders.

So, no, there is no opportunity for it to have a protective cap. When taking it out of the rack, it slipped sbout 2 inches snd the valve knocked into the steel rack, shearing off the valve

 

[Graeme Tolton]

I see. Would it not be prudent to drain such a cylinder before moving it ?