Hello everyone! Got a question regarding Worthington HP 120 tanks

[Diverd503]

My Worthington tanks failed its second Hydro and they are only 5 years old..WTF? Anyone have this issue or luck getting help? They have no rust , just failed the expansion test. Thanks and any info helps!

 

[Peter_C]

Technical Service Bulletin

I would ask the hydro shop if they know about these procedures. Better yet print them and show them it to them.

 

[herbdb]

Have they already stamped the tanks as unserviceable?

 

[Cave Diver]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Moved to Tanks & Valves for better exposure

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[oxyhacker]

You are probably out of luck. Once a tank fails, for whatever reason, it has failed, and nothing can bring it back to life - that is to say, make it DOT or TC legal again - even if the tester screwed up. And the manufacturer is probably not going to give you much help, especially if your tester didn't do the "exercise" of "rounding out" cycle mentioned in the bulletin.

Even if the tank was hydrotested without the procedure you don't have much recourse because the procedure is not something the DOT mandates, but just a dodge the manufacturer has come up with to give the tanks a little extra help at hydro time, so your hydrotester is not obligated to do it. That's why wise divers with galvanized tanks make sure the hydrotest shop is aware of th bulletin (or the similar one from PST) and promise to follow it.

Even if the tank has not been stamped as condemned yet the shop is not likely to retest it since DOT rules don't allow it, though occasionally a shop will bend the rules.

However, it is always suspicious when two relatively new tanks fail at the same time!I would contact Worthington and whine, in the off chance they might do something, and ask for a copy of the log sheet on your tanks hydros from the hydrotest shop, to make sure they tested it at the right pressure. While they cannot recertify the tank once it has been condemned, you might be able to get them to replace it if you can show they screwed up.

My Worthington tanks failed its second Hydro and they are only 5 years old..WTF? Anyone have this issue or luck getting help? They have no rust , just failed the expansion test. Thanks and any info helps!

 

[Jbell8289]

That sucks.... I have the same tanks worthingtons in 119, does them failing hydro have to do with them being filled regularly to high pressure or is it due to the manufacturing process? say i only fill them to 3000 psi and not the approved 3442psi am i less likely to have them fail or is it a function of their design?

 

[OBXDIVEGUY]

That sucks.... I have the same tanks worthingtons in 119, does them failing hydro have to do with them being filled regularly to high pressure or is it due to the manufacturing process? say i only fill them to 3000 psi and not the approved 3442psi am i less likely to have them fail or is it a function of their design?

There is a specific way to hydro those tanks, and sometimes the testing facility doesn't know it, and falsely fail tanks. Bummer is, once its done, there's no going back.

 

[oxyhacker]

The problems seems to be with the zinc hot dip galvanization process, since Fabers which are not hot dipped don't seem to have any problems at hydro time. but Pressed Steel tanks, which were hot dipped, did, and PST came out with a similar bulletin many years ago. Hot dip zinc actually penetrates the steel, creating a layer several thou think of a zinc metal mix, and some people think this somehow effects the strength of the tank. Others speculate its just the extra heat. But for one reason or another, hot dipping seems to either weaken tanks, or make them less able to endure hydro, special permit tanks especially.

Reducing fill pressure will should increase life, but it's hard to say how much, and its probably not enough to matter unless you reduce the pressure so much that the tanks become a joke. Remember, a 3442 psi SP tank is already a tank designed for 3500 psi which the manufacturer voluntarily restricted to 3442 so that it could be used with Din/yoke convertible valves. And who wants to lug around big heavy tanks only to use them at reduced capacity? If you are really worried, get 3AA tanks. The galvanized ones are covered by the same bulletin(s), but they seem to be affected less by hot dip than the SP tanks, and tolerate overfills so well that you could be pretty confident using them at rated pressure. Or Fabers, which aren't hot dipped and never seem to fail hydro. Or just be sure in the future that you have a copy of the appropriate Worthington or PST bulletin for any effected tanks, and that they hydro shop knows about it and will follow it.

That sucks.... I have the same tanks worthingtons in 119, does them failing hydro have to do with them being filled regularly to high pressure or is it due to the manufacturing process? say i only fill them to 3000 psi and not the approved 3442psi am i less likely to have them fail or is it a function of their design?

 

[Jbell8289]

So how often do these tanks failed hydro.. Im asking bc i just got one a month ago and now yal have me all worried its going to fail hydro in a few years lol.... anyone had one not fail hydro??

 

[Rick Christ]

If you have a failed Worthington/xsscuba call them their are replaceing them.
866.XS.SCUBA

There are BIG problems with these tanks and there should be some changes coming