Failed Hydro

[rjack321]

That's scary. That's a bad day.

If you think that's bad, wait until you have a burst disk go on a trimix fill on the way to your $1500 charter.

 

[rddvet]

I have and bought so many used tanks and never had a failed hydro or even a need for tumble...

For a hydro failure of HP steel is it just wear and tear or abuse from overfill?

It's more likely an inappropriate test where they failed to prestretch the tank. I will only take my tanks to a hydro facility that speicalizes in dive cylinders. The fire extinguisher places in florida have failed alot of good tanks becaue they don't keep up with the tech bulletins.

 

[rjack321]

It's more likely an inappropriate test where they failed to prestretch the tank. I will only take my tanks to a hydro facility that speicalizes in dive cylinders. The fire extinguisher places in florida have failed alot of good tanks becaue they don't keep up with the tech bulletins.

For exemption tanks yeah, there are more failed for not prestretching them than any other explanation. Although some do occasionally fail even when properly tested.

For 3AA and 3AL tanks, that's wear and tear. Or corrosion and failing VIPs.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Not sure what the OP is paying, but my local tester (who does most shops' hydros on contract but also does retail) charges over $30 retail nowadays. That's without a scuba vip, o2 cleaning, valve cleaning, o-ring, fill, etc. They are in Seattle, not the cheapest property to own or staff to pay. But really makes me wonder about the $8 hydros people boast about getting.

I'm happy to pay, they have failed 2 of my (I have 40+ tanks so this is well over 200+ hydros) in almost 20 years of diving here and I was grateful they pulled them from service.

$25 / tank, and I'd happily pay $30 to know it was done correct.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

per the op - The initial push was just for 30 seconds... Which is not the round-out procedure, then did the single test. Not proper...

In a perfect world, can you run me through what you think a test should look like? Something like, pressurize to 85%-90%, let stabilize (but to what, I don't understand what "stabilize" means, just waiting until there's no more expansion / stretch?). You say that 30 seconds was not the roundout procedure, but the PST bulletin specifically says "minimum of 30 seconds", so technically it is the roundout procedure.... or I'm not following you. I would like to learn what you constitute as a proper round out procedure so I never have to go through this again and can at least somewhat sound like I know what I'm talking about. Thanks!


To those that wanted to know about the plus rating, the tanks did not get the + rating. I was so preoccupied with the failed tank, I didn't look at the stamp. To me it doesn't much matter as I have my own compressor. From my understanding the EE or elastic expansion can not exceed the REE stamped on the tank in order to get the plus rating, so technically these tanks could have got the plus rating, they just didn't. In the shops defense, the previous hydro did not add the "+" rating either, and I didn't ask for it.

Mine are;
REE - 62 / EE - 57
REE - 62 / EE - 56.9

 

[halocline]

To those that wanted to know about the plus rating, the tanks did not get the + rating.
Mine are;
REE - 62 / EE - 57
REE - 62 / EE - 56.9

You should be able to bring the tanks and the report back and ask them to stamp the plus rating. If they say no, then you know that this shop is one to avoid in the future, and unfortunately, in my mind it would cast doubt on their failure of your other tank. But start with a friendly call and ask for the plus, you have the proof that they passed. Maybe they charge a little extra for that, which is dumb because literally the only additional work is to stamp the plus, but they are in it to make money so you just play along.

You wouldn't believe how many hydro shops I had to call in San Antonio and Austin just to find one that would give my tanks a plus rating. One of the really bad ones even stamped the words "no plus" on the tank because they thought the tanks were too old to be safely filled to 10% over. You can't make this stuff up, nobody would believe it.

In your case, though, right there on the form is a spot for the plus rating, so that shop should be able to give it to you without any absurd excuses.

If I sound a little jaded, it's because I've had bad experiences with hydro shops; that's one of the things that eventually made me sell all my tanks except for a pair of AL80s. At least they know about those....sort of. The last place I brought them to insisted that all AL scuba tanks are required to have a VE test at every hydro (that's false) and they charged $7 for that test. So I paid an extra $14 to play along, hardly a financial disaster, just an annoyance.

 

[rhwestfall]

In a perfect world, can you run me through what you think a test should look like?

refer to the specifically detailed "round-out procedure" issued by Faber, and follow it "letter of the law" (no, it is not a law, but I mean strict adherence)... I don't have it handy or access to it, but the "minimum 30 seconds or until reading stabilizes" is what I constantly refer to....

 

[rob.mwpropane]

You should be able to bring the tanks and the report back and ask them to stamp the plus rating. If they say no, then you know that this shop is one to avoid in the future, and unfortunately, in my mind it would cast doubt on their failure of your other tank. But start with a friendly call and ask for the plus, you have the proof that they passed. Maybe they charge a little extra for that, which is dumb because literally the only additional work is to stamp the plus, but they are in it to make money so you just play along.

You wouldn't believe how many hydro shops I had to call in San Antonio and Austin just to find one that would give my tanks a plus rating. One of the really bad ones even stamped the words "no plus" on the tank because they thought the tanks were too old to be safely filled to 10% over. You can't make this stuff up, nobody would believe it.

In your case, though, right there on the form is a spot for the plus rating, so that shop should be able to give it to you without any absurd excuses.

If I sound a little jaded, it's because I've had bad experiences with hydro shops; that's one of the things that eventually made me sell all my tanks except for a pair of AL80s. At least they know about those....sort of. The last place I brought them to insisted that all AL scuba tanks are required to have a VE test at every hydro (that's false) and they charged $7 for that test. So I paid an extra $14 to play along, hardly a financial disaster, just an annoyance.

I'll call the guy, see what he says. He was pretty nice, I don't think it would be too much of an issue. I'm not too worried about it, but am interested what he says. Any shop that won't add another 240psi into a set of tanks isn't a shop I want to deal with anyway.... But you're right, good "test" to see what they say.

It really is the "wild wild west" when it comes to hydro shops. I understand that it's because scuba tanks are such a small 1% of the business that we really don't matter.

refer to the specifically detailed "round-out procedure" issued by Faber, and follow it "letter of the law" (no, it is not a law, but I mean strict adherence)... I don't have it handy or access to it, but the "minimum 30 seconds or until reading stabilizes" is what I constantly refer to....

I'll have to look for it, no problem. The only issue that I have with that is going to a place with paperwork for Faber tanks when I have a Worthington or PST tank. Not sure how that would go over.

Does anyone have a link to the Faber procedure?

 

[runsongas]

faber historically has not offered hot dip galvanized tanks, so they didn't have a roundout procedure. i imagine they likely will roll one out once their hot dip tanks start coming up for hydro renewal.

 

[-JD-]

With sympathy, but I just stumble onto this CL add today ...