Got some used steel!

[Scuba-74]

Grabbed a couple of used steel tanks today, which I believe are Worthingtons, HP100. This is my first tank purchase, happy as a clam!! Can't wait to start using them! But as many newbies here, have a few questions:

1. For the date of manufacture one reads "04 IA 05" and the other "10 IA 03". I couldn't find examples on the Web where independent inspector marks look like "IA". That is a year of manufacture, correct?

2. They both have 81 in the third row, directly under the year of manufacture. What does it mean?

3. They both are fillled to about 3400 psi, and the seller told me they sat in a shed for about a year. Should I be concerned with any of it?

4. They are current hydro but out of viz. Should I get them viz-ed and refilled before use, or should I use the fills that are in them? (I put a regulator on them and took a few breaths - no funny taste or smell)

5. Are there any concerns about storing tanks with air in unheated garage over the winter? I understand most discussed issues with storage are heat and moisture, there won't be much of either during New England winter.

 

[rsingler]

No problems with winter storage.
ANY used tank I'd get viz'ed before use. But I can understand your desire to get a dive out of them. It would be legal, but I'm not sure I'd do it. At least analyze it for carbon monoxide and O2 content.

But you say they're current hydro...
First, your photo doesn't look like a hydro mark, especially a manufacturer's mark. It's usually on the right side of the second line. And have no idea what that 81 is.
Can you post complete photos?
The cluster of subsequent hydro marks is usually surrounding the original manufacturer's hydro mark.

Nice find!

 

[tursiops]

Can you please photograph ALL the markings on those tanks? There is a lot of missing and possibly confusing info in what you've shown.

Secondly, DEFINITELY get a vis and fresh air. You have no real idea what is in those tanks, you need the vis anyway to get them filled, so all you are saving by using them now is the cost of a fill. Not worth the chance.

 

[Scuba-74]

1st tank

(the lighting is not the best but the flash makes it even worse)

 

[Scuba-74]

2nd tank

 

[Scuba-74]

I didn't photograph the visual stickers, but they are July 2015 (same as hydros). So I guess chances are the air in the tanks is also 2.5 years old. I better get vis/refill.

EDIT: one thing for sure - those valves don't leak!

 

[runsongas]

you have pst e7-100 tanks. still a nice find. not as negatively buoyant as the worthingtons by a little bit.

 

[tursiops]

Well, they are PST tanks, not Worthingtons. You can see that from the PST in the first pix of Tank 1, and from the E9791 DOT special permit to PST for that high density steel.
Secondly, they are not HP100 (meaning 3500 psi), but rather E7-100, meaning 3442 psi working pressure. No problem there, better valves!
I think the "81" you asked about is actually part of the 04 IA 05 stamping you mention. The 81 goes with the IA and should be read as IA81, meaning a tester's code. But I don't know what it is doing in that location on the tank.

 

[rsingler]

I think the "81" you asked about is actually part of the 04 IA 05 stamping you mention. The 81 goes with the IA and should be read as IA81, meaning a tester's code. But I don't know what it is doing in that location on the tank.

I had to compare with my PST100's at home, and you're exactly right. They have the same IA81 mark, and I agreed with your thought, especially since the 04/05 date is the same as the original hydro on the other side. Instead of a hydro testers mark there, there is just a dash, just like on my tank.

Great tanks!
102CF @ 3500 psi
87.4CF @ 3000 psi
2.9CF per 100 psi
-8.8 lb @3500 (not incl valve)
-2.4 lb @300
-1.3 lb empty

I love mine!

 

[Scuba-74]

Thanks guys! Never heard of "PST" tanks before, now after checking some buoyancy tables I see how at -1 empty and -8.5 full they are far from being the heaviest (I have actually noticed when carrying them that they seem lighter than some of the steel rentals I used before). Well, at $175 per pair I had to act quickly, I think.

I hope the visual comes out fine, especially since I'm planning on bringing them to the same LDS that filled/inspected them before.

EDIT: Also I'm glad I can keep them in the unheated garage. It's a little easier then trying to squeeze them in the basement.