Oil/water found in tank...

[PvtStash]

dropped my LP 121 off last week for its annual VIP and got a call today saying that there was nearly a half inch of oil/water in the bottom and that the tank would have to be cleaned and tumbled (for an additional $50 fee), I of course consented to the charges as the tank is no good to me unless the work is done, but I was concerned as to HOW the water/oil got in there in the First place...

I Never, ever drain my tank to Zero... lowest its EVER been is maybe 150psi... more commonly 500-700psi...

the tank is only 2 years old and I only get it filled in 2-3 places... are one of my fill stations to blame?

how often does this happen? is it common?

I'm concerned as I dont want to be hit up Every year for what amounts to a $70 VIP...

 

[=C=]

It has to be a fill, water can happen but oil indicates that it is a compressor.

Do these place have their compressors out front? Any of them have air quality reports? It may be prudent to report it to each of the shops. "I get fills here and had XYZ happen" when I went for VIZ.

I have never had oil or water in my tank so I'm not sure how often this s an issue. The shop I trained in was sold years ago and the steel rentals were all tossed because of rust but this was mainly due to pool use and students regularly breathing them down.

As a side question have you been getting headaches while diving or shortly after?

 

[Lone Frogman]

I had it happen to me about 6 years ago, no oil just water. I only got fills at 2 or 3 shops. The next few times I got fills, after the dives I would drain the tank and check for water. It turned out to be at one of the fill stations that fill the tanks in a tub of water. I have avoided that fill station since.

Now oil, I would have great concern. I was under the impression that oil in a tank will cause nausea, vomiting, chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing and headache. I guess that depends on how much oil is in the tank.

http://www.fillexpress.com/library/gasquality.shtml

 

[redacted]

A $50 tumble should come with dinner too.

Oil and water need to be cleaned. Rust may require a tumble. When you are due for a visual, you might as well empty the tank and do an initial inspection yourself just to avoid any surprises. In fact, it is not a bad idea to empty and open your tanks periodically just to take a peak, especially if you are using multiple fill stations.

 

[halocline]

If the place charging you $50 for the tumble is also where you get the tank filled, it should come with dinner and an apology. Maybe some flowers, too. Support your LDS!

You got a bad fill. BTW, awap's right, the water doesn't need to be tumbled, but of course any water sitting in a steel tank will cause rust. A skilled, experienced tester might be able to venture some sort of a reasonable guess as to how long the water has been sitting in the tank based on the amount of rust.

A half inch of standing water is ALOT. Any significant oil would be pretty noticeable in terms of toxicity, I would think.

 

[PvtStash]

It has to be a fill, water can happen but oil indicates that it is a compressor.

Do these place have their compressors out front? Any of them have air quality reports? It may be prudent to report it to each of the shops. "I get fills here and had XYZ happen" when I went for VIZ.

I have never had oil or water in my tank so I'm not sure how often this s an issue. The shop I trained in was sold years ago and the steel rentals were all tossed because of rust but this was mainly due to pool use and students regularly breathing them down.

As a side question have you been getting headaches while diving or shortly after?

no, I've not had any side effects during or after diving... my last fill was back in Oct. of last year so I suppose if I had any water in the tank then its had about 5 months to rust up...

I will definately be letting my fills stations know about this and ask to see their latest air quality reports , are they required by law to get these quality tests done? and if so, how often ?

 

[oxyhacker]

When you look at diveshop air tests, don't just look at the latest - you want to see a whole stack of them. A single test means nothing. They could have been pumping out filthy air for weeks then changed the filter and tested the air and everything would look fine. You want to see a an uninterrupted pattern of good air going back... well, as far as it goes back, several years at least.

no, I've not had any side effects during or after diving... my last fill was back in Oct. of last year so I suppose if I had any water in the tank then its had about 5 months to rust up...


I will definately be letting my fills stations know about this and ask to see their latest air quality reports , are they required by law to get these quality tests done? and if so, how often ?

 

[rjack321]

I'm concerned as I dont want to be hit up Every year for what amounts to a $70 VIP...

Money is the least of your concerns! Oil and/or oil vapors are a disaster in your lungs.

 

[h90]

I had several times oil in the air....but I could clearly taste/smell it.
If there is a half an inch mix in the tank, did you smell anything?

 

[riverdiver]

dropped my LP 121 off last week for its annual VIP and got a call today saying that there was nearly a half inch of oil/water in the bottom and that the tank would have to be cleaned and tumbled (for an additional $50 fee), I of course consented to the charges as the tank is no good to me unless the work is done, but I was concerned as to HOW the water/oil got in there in the First place...

I Never, ever drain my tank to Zero... lowest its EVER been is maybe 150psi... more commonly 500-700psi...

the tank is only 2 years old and I only get it filled in 2-3 places... are one of my fill stations to blame?

how often does this happen? is it common?

I'm concerned as I dont want to be hit up Every year for what amounts to a $70 VIP...

Yes, I would blame your fill station. He has moisture in his cascade tanks from not dumping or draining them every 20 minutes, and now he contaminated your tanks, 1st and 2nd stages, hoses and bcd with oil and water. I VIP tanks and have a fill station in my garage, and see this all the time. I got to the point that I tell my customer use my air or theirs because I am tired of cleaning your tanks. Buy a light and take off your own valves after a dive and see what you got.
Good air bad air, go in to a shop and ask to see his certificate of air quality! No certificate bad air he does not get it tested because he knows it will not pass.