6351s

[oxyhacker]

You can't really blame a visual inspector for being a bit paranoid when it comes to 6351 tanks. The hydro shop guy has special training, a shopfull of test gear that reads out in hard numbers, and a library of federal regs that tell him what to make of those numbers. It's an objective decision, done mostly by the numbers, and if he does it by the book his ass is covered.

The visual inspector, on the other hand, is expect to take a tank that he has been taught may well be a bomb, and on the basis of a one day's training make a very subjective opinion as to how likely it is to kill or maim someone.

Now which one do you think is most likely to err on the side of caution?

I have two 6351 tanks an have no problem with the welding shop that hydros and VE them, they pass every time, It's the LDS PSI inspecter that seems more interested in failing the tanks.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

The greatest thing here in seattle was for this to happen, cause lds's would not fill then everyone would sell. The secret is it was the 6351, and any tank before 87 was being turned down.
After I got a few deals I realized I have none of these in my collection, so it was a way to sell new tanks to customers.

10 years forward. about 4 years ago I have bought al 80s for 50$ or less and there all 99 to 2004.

You can buy good al 80s cheap. I just dont know where you can get 6351's around here anymore.

Happy Diving

 

[superstar]

Oxyhacker,
I can almost see your point. I would trust a shop full of test gear, pages of test procedures, hard numbers and regulations before I would trust one persons subjective opinion.

 

[rjack321]

Oxyhacker,
I can almost see your point. I would trust a shop full of test gear, pages of test procedures, hard numbers and regulations before I would trust one persons subjective opinion.

Funny cause in general I've found the hydro guys don't really know what they are looking at or doing. As evidenced by how many exemption steels are not "rounded out"' and almost assuredly and inappropriately fail hydro as a consequence.

 

[superstar]

Funny cause in general I've found the hydro guys don't really know what they are looking at or doing. As evidenced by how many exemption steels are not "rounded out"' and almost assuredly and inappropriately fail hydro as a consequence.

I think you have a valid point in regards to exemption steel cylinders which I have two that are coming due for their first hydro, but not a problem with aluminum cylinders.

 

[weaserm99]

The dive shop I used to work for stopped doing any work on 6351 tanks and offered a 50 trade in towards the purchase of a new tank, now the most we ever usually got for scrap was about $18 a tank. Now this doesn't include the time that had to be paid to me and another coworker to go to the scrap yard, the cost of gas to drive to the scrap yard.

I was shocked at the amount of people that took the trade in, a lot of them knew that their tanks would probably fail one day and decided to at least get something for their tank.

Another dive shop in the area followed suit, another did not. We refused to fill, visual and hydro (licensed dot hydro facility) any of these tanks that came through the door. There were many times that I had an upset customer yelling at me and we gladly refunded their fill cards if they wanted to.

Just remember not everything lasts forever.