Perhaps this is true.
The hydro facility was a pain to deal with and initially refused to accept responsibility even when I presented the evidence the stated otherwise. The facility has since closed.
Steel Tank Condemned: Cracks in Threads?
- Thread starter Barnaby'sDad
- Start date
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Perhaps this is true.
The hydro facility was a pain to deal with and initially refused to accept responsibility even when I presented the evidence the stated otherwise. The facility has since closed.
halocline
Contributor
To the OP, if I were in your shoes I would simply ask for my tank back. A dive shop is not legally allowed to condemn a tank, as a few people have posted. They can certainly refuse to fill it or put a sticker on it. But they cannot destroy it or otherwise mark it permanently. The skepticism in this thread is due to there being no real standards for dive shop tank inspections. I'm sure some inspectors are good, some are just employees looking in the tanks with no real training or understanding.
Once you get it back, of course you can ask them to show you what they found, and if you have any doubts at that point, bring it to a DOT testing facility and ask them to inspect it. While there is a huge range of competency with scuba tanks among hydrotesters, at least in my experience, they do have the authority to condemn it. If they do, then you might try contacting the manufacturer; you never know what they'll say or do, probably nothing but it's worth a call or email.
Once you get it back, of course you can ask them to show you what they found, and if you have any doubts at that point, bring it to a DOT testing facility and ask them to inspect it. While there is a huge range of competency with scuba tanks among hydrotesters, at least in my experience, they do have the authority to condemn it. If they do, then you might try contacting the manufacturer; you never know what they'll say or do, probably nothing but it's worth a call or email.
“This shop happens to be one of the only ones with a DOT certified inspector”.
Does that change anything? Can a DOT certified inspector condemn a tank? (Mark never covered this in the PCI/PSI course).
It was also pointed out very clearly earlier in this thread that the LDS has NOT condemned the Tank and wanted the customer to come to the LDS to see the faults with the Tank for him to accept condemnation or him walking out the door with his tank and he can choose what to do next.
I don't get this most incessant drive to blame the LDS with the various conspiracy theories based on either false or nonexistent reasons.
runsongas
Contributor
yes, if they are employed at a licensed active RIN facility and performing the visual as part of the requalification procedure (eg 5 year hydro or ultrasonic)
He might have mentioned it when you were dozing off after 473 pictures of ruptured tanks and 67 explanations of why they are the very best tank inspection company in the history of the world. They probably squeezed it in right at the end, when they ran out of time just before the scheduled tank inspection practice.
OP
Barnaby'sDad
Contributor
Yup. I’ll check back in after I have a chance to inspect the tank. There’s nothing else to add at this point.
This is Scubaboard, you can be anything you want to be here.
Scared Silly
Contributor
I am going to post again people need to learn the difference between civil and criminal liability. A dive shop can legally condemn a tank, there are ZERO laws about it.
What a dive shop should do is effectively communicate to the cylinder owner the options if a cylinder can not pass a visual inspection which may be to simply reject it and return it to the customer. A rejected cylinder need not be condemned. Just as a vehicle that does not pass an annual safety/emission inspection, the issue can possibly be remediated.
That said, a rejected cylinder that can not be remediated should be condemned. A dive shop can legally do that. However, because the VIP is an industry standard and not law the dive shop should effectively communicate to the owner before condemning a cylinder. If they do that WITHOUT the owner's permission then they have assumed a civil liability.
On the other hand, a requalification facility is going condemn a cylinder once it fails because that is part of the CFRs. However, a requalification facility should only XXX out the DOT marking as that is all they are permitted do by the CFRs. If they render the cylinder unable to hold pressure WITHOUT the owner's permission then they have assumed civil liability.
From what I am reading the dive shop is following what I consider the proper process for an annual visual inspection by communicating with the cylinder owner before doing anything other than rejecting the cylinder at this point.
Does not change anything they could be a DOT, PCI/PSI, or a SeaHunt inspector, they as part of an visual inspection can condemn a cylinder, but only with the owners permission. Otherwise they reject the cylinder.
Now if it part of the requalification process then see above.
I recently purchased a pair of used HP steel tanks. The last vis for both tanks was in 2019, so it hasn’t been long since they were inspected previously. Both tanks were filled, but I went ahead and dropped them off to get inspected just to be on the safe side.
One will be getting condemned due to cracks in the threads.Just curious...what are the odds that the cracks occurred in the past year and were not simply overlooked by the previous inspector?
I’m guessing that there’s no way to really make an educated guess on that, but again...just curious.
I realize that there’s nothing that I can do here and I’ll get to look at the tank prior to the shop officially condemning it. More frustrated at the fact that I spent $150 for a 30+ lb paperweight than anything else. That and wanting to make sure that I learn something from this and don’t run into this again (though it seems to be a coin toss with used tanks, from what I’ve read here).
Next time I buy used, I guess I can throw out there to offer to pay for the vis first to make sure that they’re good. Either that or I can buy two and get one next time, too.
thread cracks:::::::::::::::::
thread tap stops can look sort of like cracks but they will be spaced equally in multiple places around the threads. every 120 degrees or 60 degrees etc and they will look more straight compared to the above picture where it is jagged.
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