Manifold and Bank
- Thread starter Zach3713
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pescador775
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Yes, I believe the hydro intervals are set at 5 or 10 years depending on the type of cylinder.
cool_hardware52
Contributor
Zach3713:
Zach,
There are ASME bottles that never need to be hydroed, but these are rare, expensive, and extremely heavy. I have two. The wall thickness is over 1 inch. I haven't weighed them seperately from my compressor (they are racked under it) but I can tell you the two tanks and the compressor has a 1/2 ton pickup bottomed on the overloads.
Look here http://www.breathingair.com/product.aspx?ID=Y6UJ9A0000ET&Crumb=LQ6UJ9A000078,SQ6UJ9A0000I3
Any other tank used that has a hydro stamp now on it will need to be hydroed.
A Star after the hydro date indicates a 10 year period between retests.
I'm not sure, but I believe this maybe application specific, i.e. a tanks used as a bank in a fixed location may be allowed 10 years, but on a mobile trailer it may only be 5 years. I'm not sure about this, but I'd bet the guys at the link above could tell you.
There are also some submarine "flasks" used as bank storage. Some of these are huge, 20" diameter and ~20 feet long. I don't know what they do for hydro's on these beasts.
Tobin
In order to qualify for star service (10 yr hydro) period...
They need:
to not be used UW
not in a fixed installation
hammer tested between refills
made after 1945
Here's the full explanation: http://www.psicylinders.com/library/Current/airbanks.htm
They need:
to not be used UW
not in a fixed installation
hammer tested between refills
made after 1945
Here's the full explanation: http://www.psicylinders.com/library/Current/airbanks.htm
cool_hardware52
Contributor
rjack321:
Thanks rjack. Good Link. I thought I recalled something about mobile vs fixed. It seems counter intuitive at first, i.e. mobile 10 years, and fixed 5 years, but the higher duty cycle of a fixed bank makes sense.
Tobin
oxyhacker
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This is actually a very gray area and I have heard it explained very convincingly both ways. At one time of of the theories one would hear was that if the tanks were part of a fixed installation (like bolted to a rack) they were not required to be hydroed, but that if they were unattached they were!
Since the tanks (assuming they are DOT and not ASME tanks) are not being transported in commerce, they ostensibly shouldn't need to be hydroed at all. But the DOT regards filling commericial tanks as "pre-transport function", so if the bank is being used to fill commercial tanks, then it probably has to in hydro too.
However if the bank is privately owned, and just being used to fill other privately owned, non-commercial tanks, then it is pretty clear it doesn't need to be hydroed. Note that "doesn't need to be" is not the same as "shouldn't be".
Since the tanks (assuming they are DOT and not ASME tanks) are not being transported in commerce, they ostensibly shouldn't need to be hydroed at all. But the DOT regards filling commericial tanks as "pre-transport function", so if the bank is being used to fill commercial tanks, then it probably has to in hydro too.
However if the bank is privately owned, and just being used to fill other privately owned, non-commercial tanks, then it is pretty clear it doesn't need to be hydroed. Note that "doesn't need to be" is not the same as "shouldn't be".
I have 5 bank cylinders in my private fill station - which I've gotten used here and there. When they expire I won't be rushing out to get them hydroed that month, but I won't be just ignoring them either.
They last forever when taken care of. But its possible to get condensation or water in them (remote but not impossible) and I'd like to keep my investment. Also getting them cleaned periodically is a good idea. Probably not every 5 years but every 15 is a bit longer than I'd go.
I have mine professionally steam cleaned (since I am trying to maintain an O2 clean system). Its pretty cheap (less than $20) and way less hassle than rolling one around with simple green. They can also put the valves back in with whatever outrageous torque is needed.
RJ
They last forever when taken care of. But its possible to get condensation or water in them (remote but not impossible) and I'd like to keep my investment. Also getting them cleaned periodically is a good idea. Probably not every 5 years but every 15 is a bit longer than I'd go.
I have mine professionally steam cleaned (since I am trying to maintain an O2 clean system). Its pretty cheap (less than $20) and way less hassle than rolling one around with simple green. They can also put the valves back in with whatever outrageous torque is needed.
RJ
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