Hydro testing?

[xroirat]

Can anyone recommend a shop/facility for hydro testing cylinders in the Metrowest/Southern NH area? I was spoiled by being able to have my friend buddy Paul Blanchette test my cylinders over the years. With his passing there is a loss in the diving community in more ways than one.
Thanks,
Jim

 

[DavidInNH]

I don't know any shops that do testing themselves but I think any shop will send tanks out for testing. Mine have been done by Aquatic Escapes in Londonderry, NH. They have limited hours so call or check their website (aquaticescapes.com) for information. I think the first place for you to check might be you LDS.

 

[terrillja]

You can go to these guys, they are one of the few around who is willing to do (+) tests and have all their equipment onsite. It cost me $20-$25 for hydro and viz, no fill included, but they are just around the corner from northeast scuba, so I picked up the tanks, brought them over to northeast and had them fill the tanks, no problems, just a bit more $$.

Fire Tech & Safety of NE Inc

27 Industrial Ave # 6
Chelmsford, MA 01824-3618
(978) 244-0555


Your other option is inland scuba, they are farther from you but are a little bit cheaper and include a fill, probably about $20 a tank IIRC. They also have all their testing equipment on site. The only thing to note is that they pretty much just do the simple tests, no (+) tests, not sure if they can/will do HP cylinders either.

Inland Divers

100 South Main Street
Leicester, MA 01524
(508) 892-3323

 

[xroirat]

Thanks for the response. I'm dropping off a cylinder at Fire Tech this afternoon and will report back how it went.
Happy New Year to all.
Jim

 

[jpiolu]

Can anyone recommend a shop/facility for hydro testing cylinders in the Metrowest/Southern NH area? I was spoiled by being able to have my friend buddy Paul Blanchette test my cylinders over the years. With his passing there is a loss in the diving community in more ways than one.
Thanks,
Jim

It looks like you've already found a shop to hydro test your tanks, but here's a link to the government's list of DOT licensed cylinder retesters.
PHMSA - Cylinders - Authorized DOT Cylinder Retesters: Domestic

If you (or somebody else) has an old cylinder and wants to learn a bit about where it has been, you can check the retester numbers on it and look them up in the list. When reading retester numbers, if there are two rows of characters, they are typically read in a clockwise direction starting at the top left. The second row would appear to have been stamped backwards, if reading from left to right.

Because of the need for a visual inspection in addition to the hydro test, it's often most cost-effective to take the tank to a dive shop that does its own hydro testing.

Shops may be reluctant to test tanks with the higher pressure needed to give a "+" rating. I don't know why. Maybe it's that they don't want to go to the extra trouble, or they don't want to subject your tank to the increased likelihood of failure.
--
Joe Piolunek

 

[xroirat]

Picked up the cylinder from Fire Tech & Safety of NE in Chelmsford today. Hydro, VIP, and fill for $36. So I probably saved a few bucks. Thanks again for the tips.
Jim

 

[a1a9]

Jim - Did they do the VIP and fill as well?

Peter

 

[xroirat]

Jim - Did they do the VIP and fill as well?

Peter

Yes they did. $26 for hydro, then $10 for VIP and fill.
Jim

 

[Lemon Azam]

I don't know any shops that do testing themselves but I think any shop will send tanks out for testing. Mine have been done by Aquatic Escapes in Londonderry, NH. They have limited hours so call or check their website (aquaticescapes.com) for information. I think the first place for you to check might be you LDS.

You can try Calder Testers

Hope that helps you

 

[veriqster]

i did mine at "inland divers" in leicester, ma. two years ago it was like 18$ hydro, vis and fill. if somebody is interested i can ask and post the actual prices. also, if you want to call them directly or drop by the contact details and address are on inlandivers.com