Kay Dee
Contributor
Its been a long while since I was involved in hydro testing any cylinders in Oz, but if my memory serves me well, which it sometimes doesn't, it went something like this, or thereabouts anyway.
The cylinder was first emptied (and the valve removed) and inspected both externally and internally by the Mk1 eyeball for any damage or corrosion, and other test failure criteria as per Aust. Standards. (The internal one was done using a long handle ‘dental’ type mirror and narrow light-stick/wand, or if you were ‘up-market’ a video snake-eye with built in ring-light.) If all good the cylinder was then filled with water and pressurised to, IIRC, (and there is no guarantee I do
) 1.5 time above its WP (working pressure) to its TP (test pressure), e.g. 3000psi WP to 4500psi TP / 200bar WP to 300bar TP (or was it 350bar?). The tank was then left pressurised as such while still connected by the fill hose to the test gauge (highly accurate Aust. Standards certified pressure gauge no less) and sits pressurised for the prescribed amount of time (yeah sure, you really think I remember that detail). Then, as long as there is no variation (or maybe a stated bare minimum, I cant recall your honour) it is considered to have passed the test. It was then manually stamped as such including test date somewhere at the top of the cylinder near the neck and wallah (no, not allah) your good to go for another year. Oh, and of course, if it was an oxygen clean cylinder to start with you then needed to o2 clean it again. And if you had a couple of dozen nitrox cylinders, all fun and joy, every damn year, it wasn't! And, again of course, the person doing the testing, and the facility where the test was taking place, had to be a certified hydro tester / testing station.
