I inspected this cylinder myself.

[oly5050user]

If you only have very few tanks, sure. But if you have several, then you have to start weighing the options.

Not all places are as inexpensive as $15, and can take quite a while on the turnaround ...

_R

To be successful a dive shop has to go for customer service. If not busy at the time why make customer leave tank and return days later for a VIP and fill that can take maybe no m ore than 15 minutes of time. Customer walk in with tank,have them walk out in a few minute with job done.

 

[grf88]

Being able to VIP your own tanks comes in handy when tank maintenance is required. I just had 7 tanks in for hydro and then tumbled the six steel tanks and oxygen cleaned all tanks, valves and manifolds. Checking the service rates at my local LDS the total would have been $1015 plus sales tax. They are not the cheapest but also not the most expensive. My total cost to do it myself was under $100 including the 7 hydros and coffee for the hydro shops service personnel. If I had not of taken a VIP and Oxygen cleaning course I probably would have done none of this myself.

 

[dberry]

7 hydros cost <$100? Wow, that's a lot less than I would have guessed.

 

[grf88]

7 hydros cost <$100? Wow, that's a lot less than I would have guessed.

That is Canadian dollars too so about 50 cents US.

 

[tbone1004]

7 hydros cost <$100? Wow, that's a lot less than I would have guessed.

mine is $13/tank for scuba tanks, and I think $25 for cascade bottles

 

[NAM001]

I have found this to be very helpful:

https://www.luxfercylinders.com/img/rm_img/blog_img/455/attachments/1/scubaguide.pdf

Based upon the information in this file I condemned two of my alumimun 80s. All of my steel tanks (8, total) passed my inspection and four recently passed the inspection of the hydro test guy. I don't normally inspect my tanks at exactly one year mainly because I maintain my compressor and I know that no water is getting into my tanks, but I do look inside every 15 to 18 months or so, depending upon how much the particular tanks has been used.

I have my own compressor and I'm not going to fill or use any tank that I think is questionable. Normally I will just do one dive locally but I'm thinking of getting some generic VIP stickers so when I go to Catalina I can get a fill and do a second dive. Do you know if it's true that a sticker is not required for the first year after the hydro test?

With what my LDS charges for a VIP, Hydro Test, Air Fill, and Tumbling I would probably be over halfway to buying a new tank. And then they want to do Valve Service too.

A sticker is not required for the first year of the hydro. HOWEVER. That is a minimum standard. If the shop policy is no sticker no fill. then you get no air. IMO Its best to just put on a sticker. You don't want to have to rent a tank and wait up to a week to get a quick vis done.

 

[NAM001]

I have 10-12 tanks most steel but a couple of deco / pony al tanks. like others have said it is 100+ a year for vis's. I have a PSI cert. 200$ good for 3 years. It is cheaper tan having someone else do the vips at a much lower quality.

The draw back to this is that some shops will not accept vips done by your self. More will not accept if they look like home produced.

I got my PSI over 10 years ago. The first class was in a class room and had to drive a good distance to get the class. The second was the same. The I called PSI for some reason and they told me I didnt have to sit in a classroom any more. for 175 at the time they sent a thumb drive with the new course on it and a test form. I did the power point and took the test mailed it in and got a renewed cert in the mail for 3 more years. To boot PSI comp'd me on the course cost so it cost me nothing. I am guessing that this may happen every other time. Makes for a cheap certification that is a valuable one. I ONLY CERT MY OWN TANKS. Or for other PSI inspectors so the inspector number is not their own. My 4th round is due in November this year.

Not only do I save on the vip cost I also do not have to drive 90 miles to get a shop to do it. So 3 years of inspections can be well over 5-600$. Doing it my self it is about 200 pluss a few tools.

 

[boulderjohn]

To boot PSI comp'd me on the course cost so it cost me nothing. I am guessing that this may happen every other time.

I never had them comp me a thing. I just did the renewal by thumb drive, and I paid full freight. I have had to pay full with each renewal.

 

[JamesBon92007]

7 hydros cost <$100? Wow, that's a lot less than I would have guessed.

As I mentioned elsewhere I got four hydros for free recently. It's not clear exactly why he didn't charge me but I wasn't going to argue with him. This was at a fire extinguisher place. If he had charged me it would have been $20 each.

 

[redacted]

As I mentioned elsewhere I got four hydros for free recently. It's not clear exactly why he didn't charge me but I wasn't going to argue with him. This was at a fire extinguisher place. If he had charged me it would have been $20 each.

Are you sure your provider was authorized to requalification HP tanks? If not, you may not have gotten the requalification you think you got. But, if all that matters is the stamp....