Tank visual inspection certification?

[Doc Harry]

Jim, let's find a course and go do it. I really want to take the entire course again, not just a refresher, now that I have some experience.

There's a guy in Washington, D.C. who does the course, but he's not listed on the PSI website. The folks at PSI keep telling me write to him, but he's not answered a single e-mail in the past year.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'd be willing to do it at Scubafest in Columbus if they were going to go there, but I will be having my own booth this year, doing two presentations, and will have my new book for sale. It's in editing and read thru now, illustrations next two weeks, another edit, and start the ISBN and copyright process. I'll be very busy there unless I can find some volunteers for the booth.

 

[knotical]

cappyjon,

You might want to check this out:
Correspondence Course - $375.00 : PSI Cylinders, Professional Scuba Inspectors

It seems designed for locations such as yours.

 

[captain]

I guess the reason for being certified by PSI is more important than the certification it self. All the material for learning to do inspections is either in the DOT regulation or the CGA publications.
Nothing against PSI but they developed a business by using already available information and then convincing individuals and businesses that they need to buy it from them and get a certification that really isn't required by law.
Saying it can be done by correspondence kind of proves my point $$$.

 

[cappyjon431]

cappyjon,

You might want to check this out:
Correspondence Course - $375.00 : PSI Cylinders, Professional Scuba Inspectors

It seems designed for locations such as yours.

This is the course he was interested in, but he has been having a difficult time getting anybody at PSI to respond to his calls/emails. I am going to try to contact them early next week. Thanks for the link!

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I guess the reason for being certified by PSI is more important than the certification it self. All the material for learning to do inspections is either in the DOT regulation or the CGA publications.
Nothing against PSI but they developed a business by using already available information and then convincing individuals and businesses that they need to buy it from them and get a certification that really isn't required by law.
Saying it can be done by correspondence kind of proves my point $$$.

I renewed my VIP cert recently to do tanks in a couple local shops after a few years of not messing with them, and I chose TDI pretty much exaclty for that reason. Sort of an up yours to PSI, their efforts to maintain a monopoly while at the same time churning out hundreds of non shop attached people doing their own VIPs but who then maintain poor control of VIP stickers, making a PSI VIP sticker almost useless.

The course materials are for all practical purposes the same and while PSI will probably deny it, they were developed in concert with PSI's course materials and as noted above, are all based on public DOT regs, CGA publications and tank manufacturer specifications.

It is something that I think needs to be taught hands on and it really helps to have tanks with difficult to detect known defects for students to work with.

 

[Doc Harry]

You could also say that flight instructors are uncessay because you can read how to fly from book.

Yes, all the material for learning to do inspections is either in the DOT regulation or the CGA publications. But there is world of difference between book knowledge and practical knowledge.

Have you ever taken a PSI course? There is a world of difference between reading about thread cracks and actually seeing several examples with your own eyes. They have a useful product that is well worth the cost.

 

[redacted]

Have you ever taken a PSI course? There is a world of difference between reading about thread cracks and actually seeing several examples with your own eyes. They have a useful product that is well worth the cost.

It is not like someone could just take some pictures.:blinking:

 

[captain]

Yes, all the material for learning to do inspections is either in the DOT regulation or the CGA publications. But there is world of difference between book knowledge and practical knowledge.

Have you ever taken a PSI course? There is a world of difference between reading about thread cracks and actually seeing several examples with your own eyes. [QUOTE

And how is that accomplished in a correspondence course? Comparing it to flying is a long stretch and a government issued license is required to fly in most cases.

 

[oxyhacker]

The first time I heard about this I assumed it was a joke, but it appears to be for real.

I have doubts enough about whether one can really teach tank inspection in the 8 or so hours the average PSI or other agency course takes. So the notion of doing it remotely seems insane. I do think it is possible to learn to do a decent job of tank inspection from a book, if one avoids 6351 tanks and simply rejects any borderline tanks or refers them to someone more experienced, but I wouldn't dare certify anyone to do it commercially on that basis.

cappyjon,

You might want to check this out:
Correspondence Course - $375.00 : PSI Cylinders, Professional Scuba Inspectors

It seems designed for locations such as yours.