diverdoug1
Contributor
If you are in SW FL, and can't find any good used deals, Bill Jackson's in St. Pete is the cheapest place to get new 80's.
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Are we talking with or without eddy current testing??? Your post blended visual inspections with eddy-current testing. Thus my original comment - though now edited.
If I am correct the inspection every 4 months for heavily used cylinders is a visual only (i.e no eddy current test). Similarly the annual visual inspection is also visual only. It is only at 2.5 year interval that a visual inspection along with an eddy-current test is "required" by luxfer.
Now that DOT has come out with new requirements for 6351 (eddy-current test once every 5 years at the time of requal), to my knowledge Luxfer has not commented on them in regards to their recommendations. Which there in is the problem. Dive shops have been known to make up their own rules such as eddy current tests every year. As such, what is a customer to know what is BS or truth.
Are we talking with or without eddy current testing??? Your post blended visual inspections with eddy-current testing. Thus my original comment - though now edited.
If I am correct the inspection every 4 months for heavily used cylinders is a visual only (i.e no eddy current test). Similarly the annual visual inspection is also visual only. It is only at 2.5 year interval that a visual inspection along with an eddy-current test is "required" by luxfer.
Now that DOT has come out with new requirements for 6351 (eddy-current test once every 5 years at the time of requal), to my knowledge Luxfer has not commented on them in regards to their recommendations. Which there in is the problem. Dive shops have been known to make up their own rules such as eddy current tests every year. As such, what is a customer to know what is BS or truth.
Also why I asked for clarification.
My understanding is that a vis won't detect SLC's in 6351 alloy but that regular (annual) eddy testing will years before it becomes a problem.
The problem has NOT been solved, it's been IDENTIFIED and certain requirements have been added to cylinders that are used frequently in diving.My understanding is that the eddy testing works so well in this way that they backed off from the original yearly tesing to every five. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I am all for reasonable safety but asking 7 million owners to repurchase tanks because of a situation that has been resolved seems excessive to me
. If 6351 tanks continue to fail catastrophically after eddy current testing I can see the point but if regular testing ends the issue then the refusal to fill them is... Not pointing fingers at anyone here but I can't help but notice that the folks refusing to fill the tanks are the same ones selling the new ones which clouds the motivation aspect for me personally. I just returned from a region where they refused to fill 6351's but they also did not want to invest in the eddy current testing equipment (shrugs).
I'm just interested in the facts. As someone who appreciates vintage/antique equipment of all sorts (cars, farm machinery, hand tools, dive gear) it disturbs me when peole want to discard things just because they are old. But I also agree that everybody has the right to evaluate and accept their own risk accordingly. I dive 2 1976 luxfers weekly.
SLC can be viewed with a mirror and a light, it can also be felt with a pick. It is NOT always seen or caught.
Testing doesn't end any issues. SLC doesn't wait until your next hydro date to be identified. It can occur at anytime and continues to grow over the life of the cylinder hence the additional requirements.
If you don't think a few dead FSO's is more important than 7 million cylinder owners I don't know what to tell you.
Maybe you would feel differently if you were the one filling these cylinders knowing what they have done to other fill station operators. The thing about that 12:7000000 risk you are willing to assume is that you are assuming it for someone else.
I was going to say something smarmy but let's keep it on topic.I'm with the other guy on this, your lousy $5 air fill ain't worth my life...or my hand, or whatever else I might lose if your tank lets go.
Do you refuse to fill them too?As a fill station operator and filling several dozen tanks a day I can tell you that some tanks scare the piss out of you. Filling a 4500psi 45cu paintball "hand grenade" tank is one of them...
Does that include pre 1990 Catalina tanks too and if so why?If I never see a pre-1990 AL SCUBA cylinder in my fill station it will be too soon.
Some other death risks to consider:
Car accident 1:83
Plane crash 1:5000
Drowning 1:1100
Murder 1:210
Struck by lightening 1:80000