E-Series DOT Exemption

[oxyhacker]

I was being slightly flippant. DOT regulations do not apply to privately owned tanks not used in commerce, so it an individual is free to fill a tank regardless of its DOT or hydro status. For that matter, a dive shop can too, but few will.

RE hydroing and filling tanks with failed exemptions, royalediver is correct in saying that an exemption tank ceases to be DOT legal when the exemption expires, not when the hydro does.

This has been covered at great length, on many threads. Not sure why this one was revived as it has the least content.

Oxyhacker, are you certain about the statement you made: "No law against filling them" ? I doubt this is true if the hydro expires.

 

[lamont]

here's the thread with better information:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=115437

 

[bgi]

Sorry, guys, I don't hang out here enough. When I searched the board I must have used poor keywords. Thanks for the pointer.

By no means would I want to send everyone in the wrong direction. I just posted what I had found on my own. It sounded convincing! That's why this medium is so powerful: 10 seconds after bogus info is posted, it gets corrected!

This is the source of my apparent confusion: http://www.danenet.org/4lkscuba/newsletters/Newsletter1005.pdf

It says,
"The E-Series, however, has been
manufactured since 1987 under
an exemption from the U.S.
Department of Transportation’s
normal cylinder specifications.
That exemption, DOT–E 9791,
will expire on January 31, 2006. If
Pressed Steel closes its doors and
does not apply for an extension of
the exemption, the DOT will not
allow the use of any E-Series high
pressure steel tank. Diving industry
professionals have indicated
that if the exemption expires
individuals may continue to have
an E-Series tank filled as long as
the hydro is up to date. It is when
the tank comes due for a hydro
that the problem begins."

Apparently, this is incorrect.

Thanks again.

 

[pescador775]

Yes, bgi, that quote is a load of crap. Oxyhacker is about the only one on the boards that does the research on this topic and understands what he finds. There are complicating factors with transportation issues due to various state laws but hacker told you what you need to know.

 

[drbill]

PST is, or recently was, in receivorship. IF their management team succeeds in buying the assets of the business back, things may be OK. My understanding is that an individual can file to renew the DOT exemption.

 

[royalediver]

All these messages about DOT... You can do/fill any tank to anything you want-if it's your tank and compressor, when it is being filled by an employee of a company a new entity takes over called OSHA. To say that a dive store can ignore DOT regulations is in direct conflict with OSHA regulations.

As they say "If you think OSHA is a town in Wisconsin, you got a problem."

 

[lamont]

All these messages about DOT... You can do/fill any tank to anything you want-if it's your tank and compressor, when it is being filled by an employee of a company a new entity takes over called OSHA. To say that a dive store can ignore DOT regulations is in direct conflict with OSHA regulations.

As they say "If you think OSHA is a town in Wisconsin, you got a problem."

please hit oxyhackers thread that i posted above.

the DOT will allow for an individual exemption, which will allow the individual to legally get the tanks hydroed, legally get them viz'd and legally get them filled by dive shops.

i also think you're not quite accurate about DOT and OSHA, but its moot anyway.

 

[bgi]

If this is true:

http://www.pstscuba.com/cgi-bin/nlcurrent.cgi

PST-Cylinders, LLC Purchases Pressed Steel Tank Company
April 6, 2006
New Company Will Continue to Produce Scuba Diving Cylinders


As you may be aware, Pressed Steel Tank Co., Inc. (PST) filed for receivership earlier this year. PST Cylinders, LLC purchased the company on March 31st, 2006 and is in the process of reorganizing.

We are pleased to inform you that PST Cylinders will continue to produce scuba diving cylinders.
...​

then all the worrying is moot. They claim they have a buyer and will be manufacturing again before too long. If it's NOT true, we can all apply for an exemption from the DOT on our own. Problem solved. Thanks, hacker. I'll stop yapping about this now.