Failed Hydro

[rob.mwpropane]

Ok, so I'll try to make this as short as I can. I went this morning to pick up the tanks. I asked the guy if he could go over how they test the tank. He pulled me in the back and gave me a demonstration with another gentlemens tanks. He said basically they ramp it up to 80% or so, wait 30 seconds, and release pressure. He said this was to test for any leaks. He said they then take it to full pressure to test. This to me sounds like the roundout procedure. It wasn't pumped to the 85%-90% like PST said, but I'm not sure how much a difference that would make (the test looks way off for the condemned tank).

I've attached the paperwork. I "think" they did a good service. He was even nice enough to not charge for the failed tank.

One thing he got wrong was the manf. date of the tank. He said 07/1980 when clear as day on the tank it's 11/2004.... I didn't catch that until after I left, but everything else is correct. I'm not sure where he got 07/1980.

I deliberately took out his name under where it says "Operator". I'm not sure that it matters, but I just thought if I was in his shoes I'm not sure if I'd like my name posted online.

There are 100 things that "could" have happened. Maybe my failed tank was the 1st tank and "the new guy" did it wrong... maybe this, maybe that. I know that the next time I need hydro each tank will have the required bulletin taped to the tank and I will have a conversation with whomever beforehand. Another learning experience for me in the "you don't know what you don't know" collum.

If anyone sees anything different on the test results please inform me. I really think they did a good job, I do wish that I was more adamant about the special procedure and making sure they do it 100%, but if I had to choose a sacrificial tank to learn from it would be one of these HP80's.

When I had PST tanks, I would bring them directly to the testing facility, not to a dive shop, and ask politely to speak to the tester. I would show him a copy of the pre-rounding procedure from PST, and explain that these tanks are designed by the manufacturer to be tested in that way. Usually the guys that actually do the testing are fine with following the manufacturer's recommendations, as long as you can show them a real piece of paper from the manufacturer, and as long as you don't insult them. But if you try to leave that kind of communication up to the dive shop employee who will supposedly talk to the front counter guy at the testing facility, who will then supposedly talk to the tester, forget it.

I also had to look around to find a testing site with a reasonable tester that I could actually talk to.

I 100% feel like this was a hydro shop that could be talked to. Even if in some way they didn't do my tank correct some of that's on me for not having a better discussion with them and taping the bulletin to the the tank. I feel like they would have done that with the program he showed me and the way they're setup, and with how nice he was to show me how things are done.

You should look in some industrial steel O2 bottles sometime (its harder than it looks with their NGT threads the valves are really in there). They are not as pristine looking as divers expect their scubas

It has been my observation that scuba tanks have more flash rust in them than most people would think. How much flash rust do you consider ok? If it's just flash rust, and it's not coming off the walls, it's not dust in the tank, how bad is it?

Some of my tanks have some rust, but it's really just slight flash rust and nothing more.

 

[halocline]

Did they give you the plus rating on the LP85s? If not, I would go back and try to get it. Without that plus rating you can't (legally) get the tanks filled to 2640 PSI, which is the pressure that yields 85cft.

 

[-JD-]

10% expansion, Wow! Does it look like a balloon now?

Not directly relevant, but did they + rate the 85s?

 

[rjack321]

Tanks fail sometimes, nothing lasts forever. This operator is fine IMO.

Not sure how to read their report, on the condemned tank the first line is the mL expansion of 67.0 which is a fail, but the second line says 59.9 which is less than 66.3 so I don't know what they did there.

 

[rjack321]

10% expansion, Wow! Does it look like a balloon now?

Not directly relevant, but did they + rate the 85s?

I've seen over 20% expansion in an 3AL2015 (an AL14). It did not look like a balloon

 

[runsongas]

total expansion over elastic expansion

next column permanent expansion over permanent expansion percent (of total expansion)

 

[rob.mwpropane]

The tanks are at the shop. I'm not sure if they have the + rating or not. I believe that they do, I'll have to check tomorrow.

Both tanks look identical...no "ballooning" going on, lol.

 

[lexvil]

Tanks fail, I never though my rights were being trampled, I’ve even failed my own tanks after they get a clear hydro, speaking of the bad alloy aluminum tanks, I personally don’t care to have a hipressure bomb strapped to my back, if a tank is at all questionable I get rid of it.

 

[rhwestfall]

they are still supposed to wait for it to stabilize, 30 seconds is the minimum, but not the only duration. Not doing that will lead to numbers indicating a failure....

Simply stated, they are going too fast in order to be within the money they charge.... consumer looses...

 

[Johnoly]

So is the failed tank going to become a............

* Lamp
* Bell / bong
* Mailbox
* Hotdog grill
* Curb marker
* Firing target
* 98 cents scrap cash
* Umbrella stand
* Yard artwork