An expensive education

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TwoBitTxn

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This is kind of an extension of the K valve vs J valve thread as it is the conclusion and it is also me humbling myself in front of my peers.

I picked up an Aluminum tank of unknown lineage off Ebay for $71. With shipping it was just shy of $100. It had the J valve on it. I knew it needed a hydro and a VIP. The previous owner said it was old but barely used and in good condition. The valve looked in great condition, but the tank looked like it had been repainted as all the numbers were full of paint and hard to read. I found a WK on the side of the tank and at the time I didn't know what that ment.
I dropped it off at one of my LDS's to be hydroed and VIPed. I called them the next day to ask if they could disable the reserve valve on the J and I was told no. I was then switched over to their technician and was told the tank was made by Walter Kidde and the MFR date was '86. ( I verifed this ) Also NO dive shop in the DFW area would fill it due to the known dangers involved. This was expained in full detail. He did do a quick eddy current test and it passed. They weren't sure the hydro place would do the hydro due to the age and MFR date.
I probably could have found a place to get it hydroed, VIPed, and keep air in it. I could have taken advantage of the strong possibility that a filler would only look at the current hydro not the MFR date and if it was ok then fill it.
As it was I wrote off the $100, as a lesson, let the shop take the tank out of service, and decided to humble my self here.;-0

Tom
 
Write to the seller from Ebay asking for your $100 back and that you will send the tank back to him. If he says no after you have explained the circumstances with the tank not being able to be filled, then let him no you will be filing a claim with Ebay. I believe Ebay will insure up to $200 of what you spent on a auction if you feel like you have been had. To me it would be worth the effort to try to get my 100 bucks back. Do some reading on their help pages as I will do the same. I'll see if I can find something on their pages to help you out. If nothing works out I feel for you. It sucks when you trust some one to do the right thing and they burn you.
 
Why then if your tank was manufactured in 1986 I have a friend that owns 4 tanks made in the 70's that have passed every hydro and VIand still gets them filled?

I would and will inquire further on this, my knee jerk reaction is GET your tank BACK.

I have been under the impression that is why you get VI and Hydros on a regular basis, the tank is good until it fails.
 
You can get a new tank for $140 shipped to you. An 80 AL that is. I alway's wonder why people on ebay jack the prices up on those old tanks. When you add a hydro and VIP you save maybe $20. I'll pay the $20 not to have all the trouble. Not to mention I get a NEW tank.

Not trying to bust your chops but I had noticed how high those old tanks go on ebay and they always go for way more than they are worth.
 
The only reason a Walter Kidde tank would be BAD is that the DOT has deterimed it to be. The AGE of the tank has no reason for being denied it's chance to be hydrod. That is why they are done..every five years...Only when a tank fails this test along with the Visual should a tank be taken out of service. Granted the Visual test also included checking for cracks. Now around here all the shops send the tanks to a specialized tank shop. I know of no shop that can afford the kind of overhead required to Hydro test just scuba tanks.

Tom
I stand by my previous statement and say get your tank back and get it hydrod proper.
 
There is more to this story than you have given us. There is no reason that date alone makes a tank unserviceable. I have 2 tanks that were made in 1978 and 80 that are still in service, both in hydro and have had eddy current vips for the last several years. There was a run of tanks made in the mid 80's that had an incorrect aluminum alloy that caused the tanks to burst at the neck. It is possible that it is one of those you have. Dive shops will not fill them and for good reason. I don't know about Kiddie but Luxfer will still replace the tank if they made it so it might be worth a try if you can't get a refund from the ebay seller. I would bet the seller knew exactly what he had.
 
Tom,

If you paid using Paypal, they also have some sort of buyer protection program and will credit the money back if the user and seller cannot come to an agreement I think.

I know I read about that somewhere but never have tried to use it. I have always had good luck with Ebay purchases.
 
is out of business, so getting your tank replaced is not an option. That tank is made from the "bad" alloy and also from the batch of that alloy with the higher lead content (which were even worse).

That being said, there is no reason to condemn the tank IF there are no cracks presently detectable. I agree that you should either have it hydrostatically tested or try to return the tank to it's original owner.
 
Thanks yall,

The tank is gone. I'm sure of that. Getting it back isn't an option.

The issue is exactly what Pete said. And as the dive shop explained no one in my area would fill it if they checked. I Checked with the bigger LDS and they told me the same thing. I do wonder if they would have really checked the original MFR date before filling it though. These are the same places that refuse to fill any tank no matter the age with out VIP+

Herman, I told the story the best I could. The shop looked at the MFR date and said no. Maybe they were lying to me in order to get the tank out of service. The shop owner wasn't even sure the hydro place would do it.

Walter Kidde was bought by Luxfer.

Tom
 
Tom,
The date of manafacture shouldn't be a issue for the hydro. I don't understand why your LDS is making it one. If all else fails, start watching your local classifieds. I picked up two Al 80's for $50 apiece. Used Al tanks are cheap. There must be a large dive community in the DFW area, so just be patient. A good deal will come along. :tree:Bob
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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