Alleged illegal tanks sold by Add Helium-Heads up to any that may have purchased

[The Chairman]

"Mislabeling" is significantly more broad and vague.

I have no idea what or what wasn't done to the tanks. Altering could be as simple as adding a tag that doesn't belong.

From your issue with the precise wording, I would guess you know the exact nature of what was done to the tanks. Care to let us in on the secret?

 

[2airishuman]

I've bought some odds and ends from Add Helium in the past. I'm not a rebreather diver, mind you, they just had a valve part or something in stock that I needed.

I've seen composite cylinders for sale on their web site in the past. It always seemed abundantly clear, to me, that the composite cylinders they were selling were not manufactured in compliance with DOT regulations. I don't think there are any composite cylinders approved by the DOT that are suitable for underwater use that are close to that size, so there's not much room for confusion.

Filling any HP cylinder involves trust. I tend to trust DOT stamps because they have a track record of trustworthiness, and because there are multiple engineering, procedural, and regulatory controls in place to make these cylinders safe.

Making a decision to extend that same level of trust to a manufacturer, importer, or retailer is something that rebreather divers do all the time -- if not with cylinders, then with the rebreathers themselves and the consumables that they use. It is one of the reasons I will probably never be a rebreather diver.

I think that for divers there are only two relevant questions this thing brings up.

1. Is there anybody out there who actually thought they were getting a USDOT approved composite cylinder for their rebreather, and who relied on that information in making their purchasing decision?

2. In the context of rebreather divers who perform their own fills and are willing to knowingly use non-DOT cylinders, do these pose an unacceptable risk?

 

[EricTheDood]

I have no idea what or what wasn't done to the tanks. Altering could be as simple as adding a tag that doesn't belong.

From your issue with the precise wording, I would guess you know the exact nature of what was done to the tanks. Care to let us in on the secret?

I have no idea either.

Labeling generally refers to the product or packaging. The web site not so much.

Generally, yes.

But this was written in a legal document, purposely meant to be vague. Lawyers do that to avoid painting themselves into a corner. From a purely technical standpoint, "labeling" could even mean verbal communication, like a phone call. As members of the public, we're doing ourselves a disservice by speculating based on what's normal.

 

[oya]

 

[abnfrog]

one thing you guys might have forgotten ...if it is found that the bad guys were trying to get RB"S the government will be all over us with regulations ((after 911 I was contacted by the feds about my rb student lists ,as the 911 hijackers tried to rb trained )...so I hope it turns out to be bogus claims .....

 

[iain/hsm]

Yes, the retailer might not know what he is talking about. They probably don't know what CE is or what ISO9001 is either. Many retailers don't know that.
What does this have to do with selling head scarfs?

On the AH website is says that the tanks aren't DOT tanks and they don't seem to claim CE either.

They know perfectly well what they are doing we disscussed this two years ago
They "claim" CE and the cylinders are even marked CE 0086

The only problem is that CE0086 is the CE mark of a notified body BSI Product Services
who have never heard of Add Helium, Euro Diving Zone or the manufacturer in China or
have ever certified a 2 litre oxygen cylinder for diving.
So we are back now that they are neither CE or DOT certified
Apart from the "self certified" and QA noncense by Add Helium for the hijab seller out his trailer park gaff
doing his own QA.

 

[Aquanomad]

So how many people own and dive these bottles? Is this all legalities from a commerce and regulatory stand point or are the bottles actually unfit for filling. Especially with O2? I would imagine since they have been available for quite some time many divers with access to a private fill station have been using them.

 

[Dsix36]

So how many people own and dive these bottles? Is this all legalities from a commerce and regulatory stand point or are the bottles actually unfit for filling. Especially with O2? I would imagine since they have been available for quite some time many divers with access to a private fill station have been using them.

I have a home fill station and one of my friends has these tanks on a rebreather. I have been inspecting and filling the tanks for several years now with no problems of any kind other than getting neck o-rings sourced.

 

[The Chairman]

This was forwarded to me by an anonymous source: Court records - Peter N. Sotis - M-D-FL

 

[iain/hsm]

I have a home fill station and one of my friends has these tanks on a rebreather. I have been inspecting and filling the tanks for several years now with no problems of any kind other than getting neck o-rings sourced.

Well that's 2 sold for starters I guess.

I here you on getting the neck 0-rings sourced
Can be a real pain when the salt water gets in behind the resin and the fibre "lifts"
and then the parent metel cylinder liner oxidises out inside the wrap so you cant see it but
the liner expands out to fill the fibre gap. Good news is when its out so far you need a bigger 0-ring
the valve ejects out the thread form so you dont need new 0-rings.

That and another of the reasons why competant manufacturers have a tad more problems getting
a fibre wrap design approved by DOT for diving applications.

But the hijab seller and Add Helium dont seem to have a problem maybe its the wing and a prayer QA approach