Faber 3180 +10% rating question

[edgrimley]

Hi there,
We have two old Faber (FX100 I think) HP tanks rated 3180 +10%.

Our LDS said they are no longer approved for 10%. But they are in hydro/viz. A little confused.

Looking for guidance on how long 10% rating lasts. What does it take to re-certify for +10%?

Looking to get these O2 ready for Nitrox as well.

Thanks for the guidance!

E

 

[BRT]

Does the last hydro stamp have a "+" after it? If so it is still rated for the extra 10%.

 

[shurite7]

What was the reason for no plus (+) rating: the hydro facility did the test and the 10% portion didn’t pass, or were they not tested for the plus rating? A failure is one thing, where as a facility not conducting the extra step is another.

 

[captain]

The plus rating is good for the same 5 year hydro period and must be renewed every hydro. The hydro facility must have documentation of the cylinders REE (residual elastic expansion ) limit either in the form of being stamped on the cylinder or paper documentation from the manufacturer. There is no extra test, it is a simple math calculation using the hydro test results and the REE. Some shops simply will not plus rate cylinders or the REE is not available.
Only divers care about plus ratings, the rest of the compressed gas industry does not. It is a regulation left over from World War Two to allow more gas to be carried in fewer cylinders to help the war effort.

 

[Bob DBF]

Depending on the age of the tank, the REE may be stamped on the tank. If not you can contact Faber for their record of the REE, just send the tank info from the stampings in your request.

The second issue is to insure that the hydro shop you send it to will give the + rating if the tank passes, some don't.

Sounds like your shop deals with a hydro shop that doesn't issue a +, find another shop. You might also start a thread in your regional forum asking for hydro shops in your area that will do a + rating.

 

[edgrimley]

Thanks everyone!

Yes, the tank is stamped +10% and is still within Hydro. What I suspected - that that rating is not separate from the hydro.

Located in the Bay Area and this was a Monterey shop.

I am guessing it was an individual interpretation by someone at the local dive shop who perhaps was less familiar with the +10% rating.

We're looking to get our tanks O2 clean and Nitrox ready, so will look into this in more detail.

 

[Tracy]

Thanks everyone!

Yes, the tank is stamped +10% and is still within Hydro. What I suspected - that that rating is not separate from the hydro.

Located in the Bay Area and this was a Monterey shop.

I am guessing it was an individual interpretation by someone at the local dive shop who perhaps was less familiar with the +10% rating.

We're looking to get our tanks O2 clean and Nitrox ready, so will look into this in more detail.

Take a picture of the tank's current hydro stamp.

It never should have been stamped "+10%"

 

[runsongas]

getting + ratings and fills to the + rating pressure is such a crapshoot that the juice isn't worth the squeeze for such a marginal increase in capacity. better off getting HP tanks or finding a way to get overfills.

 

[rjack321]

the current hydro stamp should look like
07(4characters)20+

month - requalifier code - year - plus rating

there should never be the characters "10" or "%" added or included.