Hydro Saga

[chrisjur]

I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. Given the number of shops we have in South Florida, it wasn't unreasonable for you to believe that you could get a hydro done in a week or so. This is more of a story about poor service from Force-E.

For future reference, the folks at Sea Experience in Fort Lauderdale do VIP/Hydro/O2 cleaning: Fills & Service | Sea Experience South Florida

 

[boulderjohn]

It's good to know the alternatives. I own a pretty good number of tanks, and because I have been coming to Florida in January for 13 years, a lot of them have been hydroed here before and therefore come due when I am here. I have a couple more with me right now that will come due next year. I will keep that in mind then--or get them done ahead of time at home.

 

[Johnoly]

It's good to know the alternatives.

The 'Big' hydro tester in your area was Hydro Stat in Deerfield Bch (20yrs). They were bought out in 2022 by Summit which is a national extinguisher company. They kept the same location & equipment at 1111 SW 1st Way, Deerfield Beach, and I think the same phone 954-428-7677 . They were doing all the Force E hydros and would do 'walk-ins' if you showed up following their rules in advance (ie pull valve,, tape open, tape name, boots(?) pre-pay, etc). But I don't know if the new corporation eliminated 'walk-ins' and only deals with business accounts. If you call, you'll probably get a scripted answer. If you show up with tanks "prepped" you might have your tanks back in 48hrs. Worth a very short drive from you and the worst they can do is say No. If you find success, please post a New Thread to help other divers.

Sea Experience in Fort Lauderdale do VIP/Hydro/O2 cleaning

$70 for Hydro+Vip is a little steep for southeast Fla.

 

[boulderjohn]

I used hydro stat on my own quite a few years ago with my steel doubles. They bent the stems on my valves when they put it back together, which I did not notice until much later. They also did not put on the + sign, which I again did not notice. I had to wait until the next hydro to get the + sign back on the tanks.

That + sign can be important. Years ago somebody at a South Florida shop that no longer exists would not fill my tanks beyond 2400. I pointed out the + sign and explained that it meant the tanks could be filled to 2640. He was doubtful and got it cleared with the manager. The manager of that shop was adamant that LP steel tanks could not be filled past their rated pressure, and they were usually short of that rating. He filled standard (not high pressure) aluminum 80s to 3300, though.

 

[Manatee Diver]

He filled standard (not high pressure) aluminum 80s to 3300, though.

Amazing the lack of risk awareness on that one.

 

[Tom Winters]

No more Hydro Stat…sad to hear that. They always did right by me.

 

[boulderjohn]

Just an update....
It is now 2/10, which is 10 days after the tanks were returned to get a + sign stamped on them. I called a few days ago, and the person who answered was clearly annoyed with me. He said he would call immediately and get right back to me with an ETA. That's what has happened every time I have called. I have never gotten a call back. It is hard to know what to do. They didn't call when the tanks first came back from hydro after 14 days--I only found out they were in by calling myself. Perhaps they are in the shop right now, but I won't know unless I call and ask them to look for them. I know from past calls that they don't deliver on weekends, so the earliest I will call will be this Monday.

 

[SubseaSports]

Last I dealt with Hydro Stat was '20.

OP sorry for your troubles. If I were to bet, your tanks are back and do not have the "+". I worked at a shop in the area and had to walk my tank in and convince the owner to test and stamp on a lp76. I didn't bother to attempt that with a set of 85s not too long afterward. Not one tank of the lp tanks that were sent by the shop ever came back with the +, notes aside.
On the plus side (see what I did there) we filled 2400 lps to 3100/200 regardless.

 

[boulderjohn]

Last I dealt with Hydro Stat was '20.

OP sorry for your troubles. If I were to bet, your tanks are back and do not have the "+". I worked at a shop in the area and had to walk my tank in and convince the owner to test and stamp on a lp76. I didn't bother to attempt that with a set of 85s not too long afterward. Not one tank of the lp tanks that were sent by the shop ever came back with the +, notes aside.
On the plus side (see what I did there) we filled 2400 lps to 3100/200 regardless.

Well, then I am probably out of luck. I just hope I don't encounter some anal tank filler getting picky about it.

When I went in to pick up the tanks, I noticed the lack of a + when I was checking the fill. I had paid for O2 cleaning and a 32% fill. The tank I was checking had about 2500 PSI in it, so whether intentionally or not, they were nearly in compliance with the 2400 rating (without the +).

 

[boulderjohn]

Well, a whole bunch of people learned something about scuba tank hydros today, including me.

As a quick summary, my tanks came back from hydro, and they did not have a + sign, so the shop sent them back to the technician to have the + sign added. After a whole lot of discussion and phone calls, it turns out the technician who does the hydros for them (Summit????) is not certified to put the + sign on a tank, so it can't happen. I pointed out that they should have warned me about it, because if I had known they couldn't do that, I would have gone elsewhere. They said they couldn't warn me because they didn't know it, either. Like me, they had assumed that if you are qualified to do a hydro, then you are qualified to punch a + sign on the tank.

They are adding about 10 fills on my fill card for the trouble. I hope they will warn future customers with LP tanks that their ability to hydro them is limited. I just hope I don't run into another filler who won't go beyond 2400 without the +.