Taking SCUBA Tanks from Australia to Europe

[IceJakeyJake]

Hi all,

Unsure where to ask this really, but..

I am moving from Australia to Europe early next year, or late this year; I have a heap of Faber tanks that I would like to take with me..

Does anyone know if I will be able to get them filled and Hydro'd in Europe? They obviously meet Australian standards, but I am VERY unsure what the European standards are, and if Australian standards meet them or surpass them. Or anything even related.

Cheers

 

[Michael Potthoff]

Hi

Don't know if still relevant, but check if there is a CE mark/stamp on the tank (if these are recent Faber once you might be lucky). If it is on they should be ok to get filled and tested in Europe; otherwise you would need a conformance certifikate for that specific tank (model) for the state you're going to (When I moved from Germany to Denmark I could not get my old (pre-CE) tank tested here (though it was Faber as well) because the model was not in danish data base.

Michael

 

[northernone]

I have a friend when moving from Europe to America sold his tanks and bought used tanks when he arrived. Made some money the process even. To him it wasn't worth the hassle.

Sorry, that's all the help I have.
Cameron

 

[chrisch]

You can probably get them tested, but is it worth it? In terms of "European" standards it is a hydro test every five years then some regional variations but a visual every 2.5. Depending on which European country the cost of a hydro is anywhere from about one-third the cost of a new tank. The majority of tanks here are M25 neck thread and we do not have burst discs - you might find you need new valves if the test centre is a bit over-fussy in their thinking. A new M25 valve is around GBP35 Other sizes will be hard to get.

Michael is correct in that the older tanks can be problematic and that every European country will be looking for a standard that they recognise (the CE mark is recognised all over Europe). Faber tanks are stamped to whatever country/region standard they are sold into even if they are the same they might not be stamped correctly.

If you know where you are going it might pay to find a testing centre on the Internet and send them full details of the tanks and all the markings on them. Do be sure to include info about the neck thread and whether or not burst valves are fitted. Not sure about all countries but in the UK it is generally a requirement of the test that the valve is serviced at the same time. If parts are not available for that valve they will fit a new one or fail the tank (more to make money IMHO than anything else but hey - that is how things are)

Tank testing is a real sore point to many divers. A lot of countries you can rent a tank for a very small amount of money, ready filled take back empty.

Don't even begin to get me started on the nonsense that is needed if you put anything other than air in them. Many hours of argument and entertainment can be found in the many and varied "regulations" (dreamed up by shops) over Nitrox.

 

[Neilwood]

You can probably get them tested, but is it worth it? In terms of "European" standards it is a hydro test every five years then some regional variations but a visual every 2.5. Depending on which European country the cost of a hydro is anywhere from about one-third the cost of a new tank. The majority of tanks here are M25 neck thread and we do not have burst discs - you might find you need new valves if the test centre is a bit over-fussy in their thinking. A new M25 valve is around GBP35 Other sizes will be hard to get.

Michael is correct in that the older tanks can be problematic and that every European country will be looking for a standard that they recognise (the CE mark is recognised all over Europe). Faber tanks are stamped to whatever country/region standard they are sold into even if they are the same they might not be stamped correctly.

If you know where you are going it might pay to find a testing centre on the Internet and send them full details of the tanks and all the markings on them. Do be sure to include info about the neck thread and whether or not burst valves are fitted. Not sure about all countries but in the UK it is generally a requirement of the test that the valve is serviced at the same time. If parts are not available for that valve they will fit a new one or fail the tank (more to make money IMHO than anything else but hey - that is how things are)

Tank testing is a real sore point to many divers. A lot of countries you can rent a tank for a very small amount of money, ready filled take back empty.

Don't even begin to get me started on the nonsense that is needed if you put anything other than air in them. Many hours of argument and entertainment can be found in the many and varied "regulations" (dreamed up by shops) over Nitrox.

So true - there is a shop fairly close to me that will refuse to fill any tank with Nitrox that they have not personally done a visual test on. Most use common sense but even if you brought a tank directly from another tester they would refuse it.