Is my LDS feeding me bushwah?

[Kharon]

Thanks guys. It's what I thought. My local club has a thur. through mon. camping outing on Lake George every fall. I was scheduled to do Night, Navigation, and Deep (SDI) a couple years ago with the same shop during the weekend camping. Got the manuals, did the study, was under the weather and had to go home the morning the classes started. Didn't expect a refund but a reschedule would have been nice. I brought it up a couple of times and one of their employees even said he would talk to the owner. No joy. I've given up going for the certs which would have qualified me for AOW (along with the Nitrox I took with them). Not going to pay over again (even to someone else) for skills that I have now aquired. I wanted AOW so I could go for Solo but I now have more solo dives logged than the number of buddy dives required to take the course. Oh well.

I will still probably use them for small stuff from time to time and even fills when I have to. Problem is that the other LDS in the area is a bit farther away through ugly traffic and muy expensive. I guess I'll fight the traffic for fills, inspections and buy online. As far as naming the shop, I'm not going to take the chance they might read this and retaliate in any way. In any case, anyone who is likely to be close enough to use them will be able to figure out who they are. If you live in the NY capital area and really want to know, PM me.

 

[flots am]

A while back I bought two PST LP steel tanks. An 80cf that had the REE stamped on it and a 72cf that did not. I researched and found the REE for the 72.

What they're saying (poorly) is that "it's more than they want to bother with"

That said, you walking in with some numbers on a piece of paper isn't going to fly with most hydro facilities. If the numbers aren't on the tank, they would almost certainly need to look it up themselves, which they might not want to bother with.

As others have said, failing the + rating just means that it doesn't get one. It's still good for the original rated pressure.

Also, just a quick note, having nothing to do with your thread, getting a pair of like-new tanks with valves for $100 on Craigslist sounds a lot like you just bought stolen tanks. The valves alone are worth more than you paid for everything.

flots

 

[Lead_carrier]

^What those guys said. Additionally, I've never met a hydro facility that's as dumb as a dive shop. The dive shop guys all like to pretend that they know their butt from a knothole in a board fence, but what they really know is some half-truths and BS made up by their initial certifying instructor and something vaguely remembered from that guy who took a PSI class then came back and taught the rest of the guys in the shop what he learned.

Hydro retesters learn the real skinny from real regulations because they are required by law to follow them. Dive shops sell scuba equipment. I have never ever ever been denied a + rating because of some paperwork BS. Never even heard of it before today. If a retester doesn't want to do a + rating, find one who does. Every medium sized city has a couple of fire extinguisher service facilities. They are usually retesters.

With all due respect wookie, not ALL hydro facilities do follow the regulations and from my experience, DOT will not necessiarlly handle the situatioin. I got into a heavy discussion about the VE stamp that is supposed to be on aluminum tanks now. I was informed that that is crap, all that has to be on them is a plastic sticker around the neck. When I wrote DOT about it, nothing. Never heard crap and the last I heard is that the facility is still testing the same way. While you may be right about most dive shop employees not knowing hydro procedures and regs, don't get too hard all of us, some of us try. Other than that, you are right on about the dive shop the OP questioned. Complete bull.

 

[Wookie]

With all due respect wookie, not ALL hydro facilities do follow the regulations and from my experience, DOT will not necessiarlly handle the situatioin. I got into a heavy discussion about the VE stamp that is supposed to be on aluminum tanks now. I was informed that that is crap, all that has to be on them is a plastic sticker around the neck. When I wrote DOT about it, nothing. Never heard crap and the last I heard is that the facility is still testing the same way. While you may be right about most dive shop employees not knowing hydro procedures and regs, don't get too hard all of us, some of us try. Other than that, you are right on about the dive shop the OP questioned. Complete bull.

I guess I've been lucky. And I'm sorry, not all store employees are complete morons, but I don't go to a Best Buy to get parts and advice for my Chevy. I don't know why anyone would go to a dive shop (that isn't a hydro facility) for hydro advice. I did have a store owner once tell me that he bought all of his tanks used and has the paint sandblasted off of them. That's not a problem because they still pass hydro......

 

[parzdiver]

Also, just a quick note, having nothing to do with your thread, getting a pair of like-new tanks with valves for $100 on Craigslist sounds a lot like you just bought stolen tanks. The valves alone are worth more than you paid for everything.

I have bought a few tanks off Craigslist for very cheap prices and I'm pretty sure they weren't stolen goods. Some people are just looking to off-load gear and have no idea about value or just want to sell it quick.

 

[Rich Keller]

Thanks guys. It's what I thought. My local club has a thur. through mon. camping outing on Lake George every fall. I was scheduled to do Night, Navigation, and Deep (SDI) a couple years ago with the same shop during the weekend camping. Got the manuals, did the study, was under the weather and had to go home the morning the classes started. Didn't expect a refund but a reschedule would have been nice. I brought it up a couple of times and one of their employees even said he would talk to the owner. No joy. I've given up going for the certs which would have qualified me for AOW (along with the Nitrox I took with them). Not going to pay over again (even to someone else) for skills that I have now aquired. I wanted AOW so I could go for Solo but I now have more solo dives logged than the number of buddy dives required to take the course. Oh well.

I will still probably use them for small stuff from time to time and even fills when I have to. Problem is that the other LDS in the area is a bit farther away through ugly traffic and muy expensive. I guess I'll fight the traffic for fills, inspections and buy online. As far as naming the shop, I'm not going to take the chance they might read this and retaliate in any way. In any case, anyone who is likely to be close enough to use them will be able to figure out who they are. If you live in the NY capital area and really want to know, PM me.

The list of hydro inspection stations I posted earlier can also fill your tanks with air only though, not nitrox. If one of them is closer check them out.

 

[Kharon]

Also, just a quick note, having nothing to do with your thread, getting a pair of like-new tanks with valves for $100 on Craigslist sounds a lot like you just bought stolen tanks. The valves alone are worth more than you paid for everything.

I knid of doubt that they were stolen. The guy had a huge property with a house, barn, several ponds, and a luxury "man cave" building complete with cable, AC, fridge, bar. He was selling all his SCUBA equipment and seemed like he didn't need the money.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I knid of doubt that they were stolen. The guy had a huge property with a house, barn, several ponds, and a luxury "man cave" building complete with cable, AC, fridge, bar. He was selling all his SCUBA equipment and seemed like he didn't need the money.

What other stuff did he have,
Anything good?

Just curious