Moral of the story, hydro your tanks even if you don't plan to dive

[Ob1Stogie]

I stopped diving for about 10 years and have recently gotten back into it. I took my three tanks in to get them hydroed (last hydro was in '92, and last VIP was in '94). My Faber 105 is fine, they condemned my two steel 72's. Both had rust pitting that did not come out in the tumble. The thing that really peeved me was that they condemned them (even crossed out the numbers with XXXXX), with out talking to me. Could they not have done an additional tumble to try to get all the rust out?

My guess is that if I had kept them current, I could have caught the rust early and had it tumbled out. Live and learn.

 

[spectrum]

Good point about not storing them "as last used".

A buddy had several lp tanks fail in one shot, highly unlikely. They condemed them without a second thought or re-test. Upon investigation the methods came to be in doubt and they settled to some extent. So to answer your question the SOP does seem to be condem first, ask questions latter.

Pete

 

[Jay Roy]

I dont think any amount of tumbling will remove a pit that is deep enough to condem a tank...

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Some tumblers do not provide much scrubbing action near the center of the tank base due to the fairly flat angle and lower velocity of the rotating tank in that area. But with a tumbler elevated in a more vertical attitude and/or with much longer than average tumbling, the pit will often come out.

Consequently,I think it is preferrable to discuss it with the customer first before condemning the tank.

But the moral is you should be getting annual VIP's and 5 year hydros with your steel tanks whether you use them or not to ensure any needed preventative maintenece can be administered in a timely manner.

 

[oxyhacker]

Pitting is not a disqualifier in itself. Did the hydrotester or the diveshop condemn them?

If the hydrotester, then there's no much you can do, but if it was a dive shop inspector that did, then they really shouldn't have XXXXXXXed the tank without your prior consent.

As DA points out, tumbling is pretty useless on pits. However it can clean up the tank so that the true extent of the pits can be evaluated. Often, the pitting turns out to be less than it seems on first look.

 

[IceBergSlim]

The thing that really peeved me was that they condemned them (even crossed out the numbers with XXXXX), with out talking to me.

Crossed out with a marker or did they grind the numbers off? If they destroyed the tanks without your permission they were wrong to do that. At least acording to PSI.

You should have been given the chance to have them re-evaluated.

 

[Ob1Stogie]

Nope, they arrived at the shop with XXXXX stamped over the numbers. After this experience, I will not hydro my tanks at Sports Chalet anymore.

 

[wreckchick]

PSI says you can, in fact, condemn a tank based on visual inspection. Check and see if you signed something giving the shop permission to render the tank unusable.

Pitting is pitting is pitting. It's a hole in the tank. Tumbling cannot "fix" a hole. A tank can fail based on pitting.

Rachel

 

[IceBergSlim]

PSI says you can, in fact, condemn a tank based on visual inspection. Rachel

Yes but it was my understanding that you cannot destroy a tank without the owners permission.

A reverse Catch-22 I admit.

 

[Whitelightnin]

If you doubt that the tanks should have failed, take them to another hydrotesting facility & have them check the pits. They most likely will charge for this. If they say the tanks should not have been condemmed, you may have grounds to make them replace the tanks.

Tanks are not condemmed for rust. If the tank is pitted, it cannot be fixed. The pits must be a certain depth or there must be several in one area in order for the tank to fail.

If the tank is badly pitted, you somehow got water in the tank. Were the tanks stored with air in them?

James