I'm just a home filler, but I got rid of the one suspect tank that I owned. The benefit of keeping that tank really didn't justify the risk even if it is quite small. No problem with old steels, but I avoid old aluminums if possible.
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A number of hydro places in my area won't mess with ANY aluminum tank more than 15 years old. No matter what the make or alloy. Their business, their decision. .
The eddy current test as I have seen them are most always done in the dive shop. There are no dive shops here that do hydros. They all take then to a couple of commercial.compressed gas facilities to have hydros done or one guy who is a licensed hydro shop and does O2 cleaning but will not mess with visuals and eddy current tests. He will do older al cylinders if he knows you but not as standard practice.
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I do the eddy current test (with their latest software) and I have not had one of these pass the test since 2008. Most cracks are visible. The risks are small but real. I would rather lose a customer than have to explain to a loved one how somebody got injured or killed. I had one seriously upset customer accusing me of trying to cheat him when one of these failed, he got even more upset when I showed him the documented history and finally got it when I flat out gave him a new tank. ( I got it for essentially nothing through a trade, it was going to rental) He still thinks I cheated him somehow.
Wow
Those hydroshops need to review 49 CFR then. According to the CFR's, at time of Hydrotest, a cylinder must receive an internal and external visual inspection (note I said nothing about a vip decal). Additionally, if a cylinder is made of 6351-T6 aluminum alloy and is being hydrotested, it must also be given a eddy current test by the hydrotester and then stamped with the letters "VE" after the requalification stamp.