Old steels denied fills due to store "policy"

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That was my *exact* point. And I'll answer your question:

1) Space for me is at a premium. Don't want to waste (yes, *WASTE*) the space.

2) There is ZERO point in reducing the risk of a <50 in >1 MILLION event. It's the same reason I don't walk around with a lightning arrestor. Just like lightning strikes, the sensible things that are already done (like not waving a golf club around in a field in a lightning storm) are already so effective that you can ignore this as a problem.

But if I *were* the type to worry about such things, you can *BET* that I'd have one. You can find surplus fill stations on things like govdeals.com for less than $1000. But rebarred concrete is nearly as effective and a lot cheaper and easier. A little bit of research on the Internet will find people with actually dangerous explosive habits (fireworks, rocketry, etc.) that have put a lot of thought and effort into this.

This is an easily solved problem. (Actually, it's already solved, but even if you're worried, it's easy to over-solve it!)
Yes. My point was that before I pissed off a customer that would post on ScubaBoard and get a few thousand views, I’d spend a grand on a containment fill station and fill everyone’s cylinders.

Fills for you and fills for him and fills for her, everyone gets fills!!!!

I would never suggest such a thing for a home fill station, or anyone who understands odds, metallurgy, or test procedures.
 
Did anyone else click the link and scroll down to the pic of the fill station?

Bank tanks don't look so great... Just sayin'
A little fuzzy, but it looks like only one hose attached to two banks. The rest of the bottles aren’t connected, no cascade. Maybe photo was taken during an “in transition” moment, which could also explain why none of the bottles are restrained.
 
Yes. My point was that before I pissed off a customer that would post on ScubaBoard and get a few thousand views, I’d spend a grand on a containment fill station and fill everyone’s cylinders.

Fills for you and fills for him and fills for her, everyone gets fills!!!!

I would never suggest such a thing for a home fill station, or anyone who understands odds, metallurgy, or test procedures.

I feel dirty for even thinking this, let alone writing it...

Use it to make money: tanks we VIP we fill without containment; tanks we don't VIP get containment, and we have to charge $1 extra for the hassle...... And if your tank is 20 years old, we'll only fill it with our VIP *and* we'll require the containment.

I need to wash my hands after writing that... :)
 
I feel dirty for even thinking this, let alone writing it...

Use it to make money: tanks we VIP we fill without containment; tanks we don't VIP get containment, and we have to charge $1 extra for the hassle...... And if your tank is 20 years old, we'll only fill it with our VIP *and* we'll require the containment.

I need to wash my hands after writing that... :)
You go wash with soap!!!
 
Hydros are designed to test the tank's modulus of elasticity. All materials react to stress with either elastic or plastic deformation (strain). Elastic deformation is temporary while plastic deformation is permanent. Work hardening, caused by abuse and/or deterioration of the wall, affects the modulus of elasticity, usually resulting in a tank that has plastic deformation which is not good.

Tanks are filled with water (hence the name), placed into a graduated vessel (also filled with water) and most are pressurized to 5/3s of their rated pressure. The initial, as well as the increased volume of the tank, is noted and then the pressure is released and the end volume is compared to the initial volume. The tank is condemned if the tank volume increases too much, not enough or does not return close enough to the original volume. There are special procedures for some tanks, but overall this is it.

Sure, there are other things that may condemn a tank and some of these may not appreciably affect the MoE, but the safety of the tank rests in its ability to demonstrate a predictable strain when stressed as well as its subsequent recovery after the strain is released. Any tank that passes a hydro is golden. It's not "feels", it's science. Science. Science that trumps feels.

Those who don't understand the science are prone to overreacting and being a slave to their feels. They attempt to justify their responses with an appeal to fear and somehow think that their standards are much higher and even reasonable.

Unfortunately, most of the divingverse only know that hydros exist and not the science behind them. They run on feels rather than knowledge. They would rather prove themselves right rather than spend the time to discover what is right. Dive shops are particularly prone to this and well, that's their right, just as it's mine to find a shop a bit more reasonable and able to trust the science.

I'm glad the OP found a reasonable shop.
Very much agree, but struggle with one sentence in there, which is either a problematic sentence or a work of literary beauty or I am overthinking things from an ESL point of view:

Last sentence in this:
Any tank that passes a hydro is golden. It's not "feels", it's science. Science. Science that trumps feels.

Don't know how to describe it exactly, but if one word in the last sentence was capitalized (and looses an "s" or the following word looses an "s") it sort of could become a prophetic sentence, because one day he or the whole clan will... or it just turns into an oxyMoron of sorts... (edit: if there is such a thing by a different name for a sentence) ... or I shouldn't write anything after having had some wone (***) with dinner...
:wink:
*** Edit: Can‘t really correct that oh so good „wone“ to „wine“ now after @Marie13 corrected it so well a one posts down the thread...
 
Been serving tanks for over 30 years and have still a couple 72’s that have no issue passing hydro and mint inside the steel was so much more peer back then, just because something is older does not mean it not good until it fails our set out specs.
 
There's times I look at those rusty old tanks and decide to go freediving instead of risking my life, for those times I need the snorkel.

Then there's also times when I'm not sure exactly what I want so I mix long fins with a tank... My odds of surviving are obviously low.
View attachment 506386
And mof.

Dear Lord.

The poor kid was just trying to save your life.
 
Put the wone (wine) down and back away from your computer...:rofl3:

Bot ot wos so good!

Edit: And evidently, „ putting it down“ may have been the issue...
 
Nothing wrong with those tanks.

The reason I would never use this guy is his poor customer service attitude and the way he doubles down on it. That's all.

View attachment 506385

You know nothing about our coustomer service. We go to hell and back for our coustomers. We run a safe operation . Just cus I wont fill an old tank dosnt mean we dont care about our coustomers. Again I'll gladly offer a complementary rental if we refuse a fill. So you can still get your dive in.

Our fill station is small but mighty it serves our needs in our low volume operation. We do alot with less. And yes that is an old photo from our last move.

The next closest fill station is 60 miles away and closes at 2 on Saturday. I'll open at 10 PM if you need a fill and your tanks aren't older than me

As for our coustomer service I have on more than one occasion met coustomers at the highway to hand deliver our personal lights, dry suits, sorb , sensors, any thing to make sure our loyal coustomers dont miss a dive. We often hand over our own regs on the boat when a charter passengers gear fails, I have patched dry suits with the diver geard up and assisted in the recovery of a new shearwater that slipped off a divers wrist durring an entry.

This past season we made a 30 mile round trip durring a surface interval to pick up 2 divers who had missed the evening ferry and had to catch the morning run. That's at least $200 in fuel that we didn't up charge for.

If you want to know who I really am? call Dan Humble or Wayne Green they will fill you in on who answers the call when the worst moments of people's life happen.

You are so quick to cast stones at me and operations like force e but you dont know who or what you are talking about.
Re: bolded

Yes, there is an instructor database. VIP is not an SDI course, it's TDI. And the search function is here.
Search - SDI | TDI | ERDI

You can't shearch independent sdi instructors with that tool.
 

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