Hydro testing

[jar546]

It depends if is a 6351 aluminum luxfer or not in S Florida. Many, or most shops in S Florida won't fill older (88-89 range or older) Luxfer aluminum tanks, even if they are in current vis (requires visual eddy) and hydro, even if there is a VE stamp after the hydro date.

This is the collective agreement of most shops in S Florida but not all. I am aware of some shops that will fill 6351's but then you are limited to tank fills at those shops.

This is not an issue in most of the country, it is more of a wide spread issue here in S Florida. Maybe your tanks are not even in that category.


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[kwinter]

Even after passing Eddy test there have been explosions filling 6351 tanks due to undetected SLC. I got rid of mine even though I fill my own tanks. And I've told all my friends to get rid of theirs. Scrap aluminum prices are pretty high now. Definitely not worth holding on to the old Luxfer 6351s.

As for any shop that refuses to fill any kind of steel tank with current hydro and VIP, stay away. I had someone at a well known shop in NC tell me my LP 95s couldn't be filled because they didn't have VIP Plus with Eddy testing. What a moron.

 

[Ana]

I don't know about actual 72s but my husband has half a dozen steels that are as old or older than those 72s and fills them regularly in SE Florida and also in the panhandle so unless cave country in central Florida has a thing against old 72s in particular I don't see this being a typical issue.

 

[Zieg]

I hate to be a bearer of bad news.... You'll need to find a " GOOD " LDS to fill older tanks in Florida... Forget getting steel 72's filled and most places will not fill any aluminium tanks older then 1995 or so...

Now for the good news... Almost all the tanks that they will not fill are fine... So I'm sure if you but down a city, Someone on here will have a name of a dive shop to fill them at...

Jim...

Here's a name "Fill Express." They don't seem to have any issue with old steel tanks. i just dropped off two tanks yesterday for hydro. Their original date was in '71 and they had no problem with them, in fact he admired them. He then filled another tank with the same original date. So I guess they qualify as "GOOD".

Oh, yeah, my wife just reminded me that we've had no problem getting my tanks filled in the panhandle of Florida.

 

[Couv]

Great folks at Fill Express. I like the idea of charging for the amount of gas.

For every day diving, like off the beach near the Commercial Street Pier, a 72 is my favorite tank.

 

[Graeme Tolton]

Steel tanks, if cared for will last pretty much forever. Take a look at the hydro stamps on industrial gas cylinders. Its not uncommon to see k bottles from the first world war with 20 different hydro stamps on them.

 

[JRC11]

My tank is a luxfer but was made a few months before the bad batch. It does not have the 6531 or any of the other numbers that indicate a bad aluminum tank. As long as it passes hydro testing my local dive shop will fill it.

 

[BRT]

All the Luxfers "before" were made with the alloy susceptible to SLC

 

[aquaregia]

I ditched all my 6351s -- I had an inspector I trusted and everything, but the cost of an aluminium tank is dwarfed by the upkeep. The small nagging feeling in the back of my head wasn't worth the $50 or so to replace it.

 

[jar546]

My tank is a luxfer but was made a few months before the bad batch. It does not have the 6531 or any of the other numbers that indicate a bad aluminum tank. As long as it passes hydro testing my local dive shop will fill it.

what size is your tank and what is the original hydro date on your tank?