Hydro graffiti

[halocline]

I just picked up my 3 LP72s from hydro. After supposedly searching for a month for the REE number so I could get the plus rating, the hydro guy gave up, tested the tanks (they passed) and left a note with the tanks saying "no plus rating, REE number no longer available."

Okay, fine. He tried. I get the tanks home, and see that stamped on the tanks, next to the the hydro date, are the words "no plus". He took it on himself to stamp this into the tank, simply because I asked him to find the REE number. I was really pissed off about this, because to me that indicates that the tank was given and failed the plus rating test. I think this could cause problems getting fills, given the general ignorance and paranoia about old tanks at some dive shops.

Is this a standard DOT procedure? Is stamping words to this effect an accepted practice? I don't think so, but I'd like to hear opinions. I'm going to complain very loudly to the owner of the hydro facility if I find out that there is nothing in DOT regulations that sanction this marking.

 

[captain]

Nothing that I have read or heard about.

 

[Scared Silly]

Even if they tested for the plus rating and it failed they should not have been marked with anything but the test date. I would have a talk with the owner and request a full refund.

 

[Luis H]

I have pretty much read all the related CFR documents and I am comfortable saying that there is nothing authorizing him to stamp anything like that on your cylinder.

You may have trouble with some LDS and I am not sure what the solution is, but if he made the tank unusable without any justification, he needs to replace it. You can report incompetent hydro operators to the sate and/or federal DOT inspection office. They do have a license that they need to maintain.

 

[Leadking]

He is unprofessional. Even if the REE number cannot be found at this time the cylinder can be qualified for a plus rating in the future if the REE number is found AND the tank is re-qualified.

Find a new hydro service!!!

 

[Skooter]

I have pretty much read all the related CFR documents and I am comfortable saying that there is nothing authorizing him to stamp anything like that on your cylinder.

You may have trouble with some LDS and I am not sure what the solution is, but if he made the tank unusable without any justification, he needs to replace it. You can report incompetent hydro operators to the sate and/or federal DOT inspection office. They do have a license that they need to maintain.

I second Luis on this. I cannnot find anything in the CFR or CGA manuals that gives a hydro facility the ability to mark a cylinder this way. If it didn't test for or meet REE you just don't stamp the + on the tank, only the date. If the hydro facility can defend his actions I would be very interested in the code he uses to justify stamping this way.

 

[deepstops]

He is unprofessional. <snip> Find a new hydro service!!!

And help somebody else avoid some aggravation and publish the name of the hydro shop.

 

[oxyhacker]

Yes, but the notation, being after the current hydro, shouldn't effect later ones. Still, it is foolish and unprofessional and completely unjustified under the regs.

I called the DOT just for the fun of it, and they said that while the notation was in no way called for or justified under the HMR, it would "probably" not effect the legality of the tank, but it was in a gray area and no way to say for sure if some one wanted to raise a stink.

They raised an interesting and amusing point - that in a strict interpretation of 173.302a(b), if the notation used a plus sign (+), "following the test date marking on the cylinder" then stamping it could be construed to be marking the tank as eligible for the overfill! That logic being that since the HMR makes no provision for stamping anything else there but the "+" mentioned in the HMR, any other words or symbols are irrelevant, and must be disregarded! So the marking would be illegal, and the requalifier in violation of the law, since the "+" was placed there without the tank meeting the other requirements of 173.302a(b). If the notation used the word plus, not the symbol, then the entire notation would be irrelevant.

This was just a phone opinion, so it is not necessarily gospel. One would have to request a Letter of Interpretation to be sure(r).

He is unprofessional. Even if the REE number cannot be found at this time the cylinder can be qualified for a plus rating in the future if the REE number is found AND the tank is re-qualified.

Find a new hydro service!!!

 

[oxyhacker]

I should add, this is a good example of why you shouldn't make jokes in a hydro shop about buying your own plus stamp!

Oh, re finding a new hydro shop, requalifiers have a thankless job, trying to churn enough tanks every day to make a decent living off the biz, while dealing with incomprehensible federal regulations and divers who want individualized, boutique service for a rock bottom price. Always better to try and educate them first, rather than badmouthing and boycotting. I'd rate this as a weird but fairly minor error - it isn't like the tank was condemned, or destroyed.
Something to talk to the guy about, but hardly something to demand your money back over.

 

[redacted]

If I understand correctly, he is used by a number of the local dive shops. Just tell him to be ready for calls from your shops if there is any problem getting a fill. And you might also want to get a copy of the paperwork from the test if that will make a balking shop feel any better.