Do Tanks Have A 5 'hydros' Limit ?

[scubafanatic]

I am not sure who made the statement that there are only 5 hydro's to a cylinder but I have to assume that our employee was just misinformed somewhere. To my knowledge the standard aluminum scuba cylinders should be able to be hydro statically tested as many times as it passes. There is no exact date on which a scuba cylinder is set to expire. I apologize for the confusion this has caused but there was no harm meant. We have heard of certain facilities only allowing tanks of a certain age to be accepted but there are extenuating circumstances in those cases and I am guessing that is where the confusion must have started.

Further more Scubatoys does not a supporter or non supporter hydro facilities that impose their own limitations. We certainly expect all tanks to be held to the full limitations of the DOT good or bad. if we had ever found that our Hydro company has imposed there own limitations we certainly would have changed who does the Hydro's.

Thanks for the 'official' clarification! It did seem a bit weird, but that's what I was told. No harm done, just checking.

 

[scubafanatic]

Much ado about nothing. It's hard being a dive store employee and have to sift the BS from the other BS. Like with anything else in life, we do the best we can with the knowledge we have, and correct our mistakes when shown to make them.

True, rumors abound, just wanted to get that worry off my mind and now just go back to worrying about if/when PST/Worthington will continuing updating/maintaining their 'special exemption' DOT paperwork to keep these tanks legal in the years to come.

 

[Compressor]

So I dropped by Scubatoys this afternoon, to pick up one batch of tanks and drop off a second batch of tanks (for assorted visuals/hydros) and the gentleman at the counter mentions there is a '5 hydros and you're done' limit on the maximum number of hydros tanks can go through. (it's not a Scubatoys enforced limit, but apparently from their hydro services supplier.) I doubt this is a DOT or legal requirement but perhaps this hydro shop has implemented their own strange rule ?

I'd brought by a few recently acquired galvanized steel tanks and the gentleman cautioned me to shop for recent vintage tanks, with the least number of hydros possible, so as to postpone for as many years as possible hitting this '5 hydros' limit.

Anyone else ever heard of such a thing ???

No its nonsense.

 

[drbill]

I have aluminum tanks that date into the early 1970s that are still getting hydroed. On the last VIP for one, the shop said it still looked brand new. Can't say the same for my HP120 steel tanks... none are still in service for various reasons.