Tank explosion kills one - Cozumel

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A failed VIP only means "you don't get a sticker".

You can take the tank somewhere else if you wish.

A failed Eddy Current Test that showed real neck cracks during a VIP would be an interesting case and I'm not sure what happens then, except that I'm certain it wouldn't get filled, and I don't believe I know any tank owners dumb enough to continue using a tank after you show them the neck crack. It's not a subtle test that involves a lot of interpretation.



If you don't trust the tester, you should be taking your tank somewhere else for a hydro.

flots

My experience in OZ where a tank fails a hydro, the use a chisel on the O ring seat and thread so the valve cannot be put back in. In one case, prior to that, a LDS used to drill a hole in the tank. When he got one back with a threaded bolt screwed in and ground off and taped over, he stopped that approach and uses the chisel on the top and thread.
 
My experience in OZ where a tank fails a hydro, the use a chisel on the O ring seat and thread so the valve cannot be put back in. In one case, prior to that, a LDS used to drill a hole in the tank. When he got one back with a threaded bolt screwed in and ground off and taped over, he stopped that approach and uses the chisel on the top and thread.

Interesting. In SA you are not allowed to destroy someones property without their consent and you have to allow the owner of the cylinder the right of a second opinion.

Cylinders passing Hydro / Visual have to be stamped on the neck with the testers unique identification code and a certificate has to be issued stating the cylinder has passed all relevant and required tests. So basically if a tester fails a cylinder they just dont stamp certify the cylinder and return it as is with a "Failed" certificate. This protects the tester if there are later legal issues but allows the owner to seek a second or even third opinion.

Any tester here who destroys someones cylinder like that could find themselves sued for compensation for damage to the property, unless of course as I mentioned the owner consents to the destruction of the cylinder.
 
This was in Qld and we all know they have their own set of rules for everything there. The only other tank I had that failed didn't even get to hydro, it was an 1989 aluminium, he looked at the serial number and said don't bother and explained why, so I took it home and drilled a large hole in it and damaged the thread, as my life is worth more than a second hand cylinder.
 
This was in Qld and we all know they have their own set of rules for everything there. The only other tank I had that failed didn't even get to hydro, it was an 1989 aluminium, he looked at the serial number and said don't bother and explained why, so I took it home and drilled a large hole in it and damaged the thread, as my life is worth more than a second hand cylinder.
Except the risk of tank failure & explosion, as rare as it is, is still a risk for the filler - not the diver. I can see why a filler would be leery of old tanks, but if they pass current eddy & hydro - they seem saver than many other aspects of life. On the other hand, a 25 year old tank has served it's purpose for what it costs so why take the risk. It's a toss up for me; glad I don't have one.

My preferred LDS called me about my pony one time, saying there would be an extra charge for a current eddy. My reply was "For a tank I bought new in 2002?!" They double checked and apologized.
 
Any tester here who destroys someones cylinder like that could find themselves sued for compensation for damage to the property, unless of course as I mentioned the owner consents to the destruction of the cylinder.

Hopefully this won't come off too snarky but I'm of the mindset that it's always going to be cheaper to buy the guy a new tank than it ever will be to pay off the estate for wrongful death.

I get where you're coming from on this but I'd rather see someone being proactive about disabling the tank than reactive after an explosion. One way around all this would be to include a statement in whatever paperwork you have the customer sign prior to hydro and maybe even eddy tests. If cracks are found or the tank doesn't pass hydro, it will be disabled. If you don't want to sign, you're free to take your take the tank somewhere else and have it tested under less stringent conditions.

- Ken
 
Hopefully this won't come off too snarky but I'm of the mindset that it's always going to be cheaper to buy the guy a new tank than it ever will be to pay off the estate for wrongful death.

I get where you're coming from on this but I'd rather see someone being proactive about disabling the tank than reactive after an explosion. One way around all this would be to include a statement in whatever paperwork you have the customer sign prior to hydro and maybe even eddy tests. If cracks are found or the tank doesn't pass hydro, it will be disabled. If you don't want to sign, you're free to take your take the tank somewhere else and have it tested under less stringent conditions.

- Ken

And hopefully they don't bring it back to you to fill with a current hydro stamped in it
 
It's an entirely different thing for licensed hydrostatic testing facilities to condemn tanks than it is for dive shops to do so on the basis on an unlicensed, no-legal-standards visual inspection by 'some guy' that happens to work there. If a dive shop defaces or destroys your tank, they owe you a new one. Actually getting it might be more trouble than it's worth, though. If they own the compressor, they can choose to fill or not fill any tank they want. But they can't destroy a tank just because they think it's unsafe.

Considering 'old' tanks and safety, it's important to consider the difference between 6351 alloy tanks and all others. There is ZERO indication that old steel tanks in good condition present any sort of risk. The same is true for 6061 alloy tanks.
 
In reading this whole thread, do the tanks actually "explode"? Or is more of a violent rupture?

When I head explosion, I am picturing the tank being in thousands of pieces. When I hear rupture, the tank could still be in one piece with a giant split or at most in three or four pieces.
 
In reading this whole thread, do the tanks actually "explode"? Or is more of a violent rupture?

When I head explosion, I am picturing the tank being in thousands of pieces. When I hear rupture, the tank could still be in one piece with a giant split or at most in three or four pieces.

Probably depends on your definition, but it looks pretty "explody" to me.

tank_blo_small.jpg
 

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