Is the Eddy-current test REALLY necessary?

[grouchyturtle]

Guess it only really matters to that handful of lucky fill station operators then...Only a couple of them were killed after all.

Yeah, but they sure as hell used it as a convenient way to overcharge us all for something that's not necessary. Considering most places make you get it done on EVERY aluminum tank, not just the 6351s.

Thanks guys, that settles it. PSI cert is now on the list. Too bad I just missed it at BTS.

 

[Skooter]

Non USA tanks? Did you ask him if he was okay with worthingtons? they are Canadian made. Find a new hydro shop. That guy was full of $hit. Eddy current tests are only for the 6351's... I really can't wait until the 6351's are all gone... so I don't have to hear about them anymore! The industry ousted perfectly safe tanks because of a handful of accidents.

Slow down a bit. For a tank to be requalified in the USA it must bear a DOT or ICC rating. This would appear for example as DOT3AA2250 or ICC3AA2250 on the tank neck. If a cylinder does not have either of these markings it can be re tested in the USA but it requires a lot more testing and documentation. By the time that is done you are almost better off to get a tank with the appropriate markings.

I would like to hear from the op if his tanks have the DOT or ICC approval. I get a feeling they don't so that is where his problem is coming from.

 

[Randy43068]

Slow down a bit. For a tank to be requalified in the USA it must bear a DOT or ICC rating. This would appear for example as DOT3AA2250 or ICC3AA2250 on the tank neck. If a cylinder does not have either of these markings it can be re tested in the USA but it requires a lot more testing and documentation. By the time that is done you are almost better off to get a tank with the appropriate markings.

I would like to hear from the op if his tanks have the DOT or ICC approval. I get a feeling they don't so that is where his problem is coming from.

Good catch. I was thinking along those lines but didn't have time for a proper response.

 

[grouchyturtle]

I would like to hear from the op if his tanks have the DOT or ICC approval. I get a feeling they don't so that is where his problem is coming from.

I'm not sure, but they're all Luxfers (actually one may be a Catalina) all bought new in the US, and a the oldest ones 5 years old. So my guess would be yes.

My problem is I "live on a boat" and will soon be "without a car" AKA: getting to a shop for a VIP is my only problem. But that's only if the eddy is required. Otherwise I'll just get the cert and do my own inspections. Already got a compressor aboard.

Or by OP, did you mean the guy who's having problems with his steel tanks?

 

[Skooter]

I have three steel 120's that I bought used. Manufacturing date is 99 and they have 04 hydro stamps. They were manufactured in Japan and have spun stamped on them.

I just took them to Kint corp in Harrsiburg PA for hydro and they told me that they required eddy current inspection which they don't do. So they would not hydro the tanks for me.

I tried to argue that it was only required for the 6351 - T6 alloy tanks. The guy showed me a well worn sheet of paper that indicated that all non USA tanks must have eddy current inspection.

I again tried to argue that they are misinterpreting the DOT regs to no avail.

I'm interested in others opinions of this.

Do Japanese steel tanks require eddy current testing or not?

Sorry my bad, I got the two mixed up. This is the one I was thinking of.
As for your tanks the eddy is only required at the 5 year retest date if it is 6351. If it is a newer tank DOT doesn't require eddy testing as part of the 5 year retest. Now what the shops fillling tanks decide to require is up to them. It is their compressor after all. If you are filling your own then it is you choice whether you want to eddy test each year or not. Personally I think an annual eddy test is overkill for the 6061 aluminum tanks, but that is only my opinion.

 

[rcs9250]

I believe the safety record for 6061 alloy cylinders is pretty respectable. As others have said , the testing is typically done to 6351 alloy cylinders.
Having been inspecting cylinders at an LDS for the past 5 years my experience has only had 6351 cylinders fail, and you didn't need an eddy tester to do it. I got 6 cylinders from the local Sheriffs office a couple years ago and every single one failed. They were all 6351 that were donated to them by the state DNR. They all made very nice lamps.
In a long phone conversation with the owner of one of the eddy tester companies, I want to say his name is John Fleer (spelling), we talked extensively on the use of the tester on 6061 cylinders. Anyone will tell you that knows about eddy current testers that the probe is tuned specifically for the alloy it is meant to test. John and I discussed that.
When an eddy tester is turned on and calibrated you use a ring that is threaded the same as a scuba tank. You engage the transducer a set distance and then rotate it in the calibration ring and set your machine. The test ring has a very small slice in it that simulates a crack. The machine should show it , plain as day.
In our conversation John asked me " What do you think the gage ring is made of ?"
I said "6061 ?" He said "yep". They had done extensive testing with it and achieved reliable real world results with both alloys.
The eddy test companies feel strongly about the validity of there testing equipment. The diving public , not so much, primarily because of the added cost. It was talked about making the eddy test mandatory accross the board. We'll see.

 

[OldNSalty]

So the test will only yield valid results for the alloy specified? I thought I was being screwed when my LDS told me that they require eddy current on any tank older then 10 years

 

[Doc Harry]

.... Considering most places make you get it done on EVERY aluminum tank, not just the 6351s....

I've never seen a dive operator who was willing to perform an eddy current on 6351, let alone any other cylinder.

 

[grouchyturtle]

I've never seen a dive operator who was willing to perform an eddy current on 6351, let alone any other cylinder.

Ok, maybe most was the wrong term, but last time I got my AL80s VIP'd they said I had to get the eddy test too.

 

[ltcmiller]

We do hydro testing at our facility, we are a PSI Premier Facility. The law is governed by DOT, the rules by whomever you are getting your tanks taken care of. The law is that ONLY 6351's need to have Eddy Current testing. All the newer tanks are just a visual following DOT procedures for them. At hydro, all cylinders must be visually inspected first and then hydro done. If it is a 6351, then the Eddy is Required. Eddy Current testing systems run around 1500 my price, 3000 if I sell you one, plus the computer to run the program - so dive shops want to get ROI by doing them, needed or not if they can get a customer that is ignorant of the rules to pay.

---------- Post added August 26th, 2014 at 01:54 PM ----------

One more comment, the reason we don't Eddy Test the newer tanks, is too many were being failed unnecessarily due to the higher accuracy of the testing system vs visual. We do both to be sure we are not failing a tank that doesn't warrant failing.