Old steels denied fills due to store "policy"

[АлександрД]

US = Annual vis, 5 yr hydro
UK = 2.5yr vis 5 yr Hydro
Aus = Annual Vis and hydro

Rus = 5 yr Vis and Hydro

BUT we did not accept Aluminium tanks, Stell only! Only hardcore! We have not Aluminium tanks in our regulatory documents for inspection rules
and new rules limiting lifecycle to 20 years (if another not described in the tank passport)

 

[JohnnyC]

Point of order, yearly vis in the US is a scuba industry thing. There's no statute mandating it, and a dive shop can't legally enforce anything. For practicality sake, they will just deny you the ability to fill.

So technically, it's a 5 year vis/hydro cycle in the US.

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

In Sweden it is 5 years hydro cyckle, but only for filling from shops. If you fill your own tanks it is not regulated, but most of the people I know do a 5 years hydro.

Demands of vis is only for "oxygen clean" nitrox tanks, yearly.

 

[Boiler_81]

I had an interesting experience with one of my steel 72s last week. I took it in for a fill at the shop which had done the vis and had filled it several times previously.

The tank guy took a look at the neck stampings and told me he couldn't fill it because it didn't have a DOT stamp. I pointed out the ICC stamp and told him it was the same thing as DOT stamps weren't in use when the tank was manufactured. He stated once again, no DOT no fill, "I'm not going to get blown up standing next to that thing while it's being filled". I pointed out the shop's vis sticker and stated they had filled it several times before. His response was, "that must have been a mistake" and reiterated they couldn't fill it.

I asked if the manager was there. He told me he was at lunch. I asked to leave the tank and have the manager call me when he returned. Fortunately, the manager called a few hours later and told me the tank was filled and ready for pickup.

The ignorance and lack of common sense drives me nuts. I'm about to the point of buying a compressor in order to avoid the ignorance.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I had an interesting experience with one of my steel 72s last week. I took it in for a fill at the shop which had done the vis and had filled it several times previously.

The tank guy took a look at the neck stampings and told me he couldn't fill it because it didn't have a DOT stamp. I pointed out the ICC stamp and told him it was the same thing as DOT stamps weren't in use when the tank was manufactured. He stated once again, no DOT no fill, "I'm not going to get blown up standing next to that thing while it's being filled". I pointed out the shop's vis sticker and stated they had filled it several times before. His response was, "that must have been a mistake" and reiterated they couldn't fill it.

I asked if the manager was there. He told me he was at lunch. I asked to leave the tank and have the manager call me when he returned. Fortunately, the manager called a few hours later and told me the tank was filled and ready for pickup.

The ignorance and lack of common sense drives me nuts. I'm about to the point of buying a compressor in order to avoid the ignorance.

I had an interesting experience with one of my steel 72s last week. I took it in for a fill at the shop which had done the vis and had filled it several times previously.

The tank guy took a look at the neck stampings and told me he couldn't fill it because it didn't have a DOT stamp. I pointed out the ICC stamp and told him it was the same thing as DOT stamps weren't in use when the tank was manufactured. He stated once again, no DOT no fill, "I'm not going to get blown up standing next to that thing while it's being filled". I pointed out the shop's vis sticker and stated they had filled it several times before. His response was, "that must have been a mistake" and reiterated they couldn't fill it.

I asked if the manager was there. He told me he was at lunch. I asked to leave the tank and have the manager call me when he returned. Fortunately, the manager called a few hours later and told me the tank was filled and ready for pickup.

The ignorance and lack of common sense drives me nuts. I'm about to the point of buying a compressor in order to avoid the ignorance.

the reverse of this is when you take an old steel 72 in to get filled and the tank monkey fills it to 3000 thinking it’s an aluminum 80.

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

There is a dive shop a few miles from me that refuses to fill my steel 1963 Twin 38's even when in hydro and VIP. There is another dive shop a mile or so in the other direction that fills them no questions asked. The weird part - both shops are owned by the same guy. Dunno. I'm losing hair in the area where I scratch my head too often.

 

[markmud]

the reverse of this is when you take an old steel 72 in to get filled and the tank monkey fills it to 3000 thinking it’s an aluminum 80.

And the reverse of that, Eric, is when my PST HP 100 was ready for pick-up about 3 months ago. The tank monkey checked the pressure and bragged-up the slight overfill to 3100 psi. I did not bother to tell him that the tank was not full. He thought it was a AL80.

I have another tank going through the hydro process (and 5 year VIS). I can't wait to see what it is filled to (or not filled).

I checked our shop's industrial cylinders. Two were older than I am, and I am 60. The rest were late model by comparison, but older than my PST tanks.

Trashing a cylinder that passes hydro and vis, because it is some xx years old, and has no occlusions or other signs of patent or latent defects is ridiculous in my opinion.

I can understand using age as a deciding factor when faced with a tank that has other issues, like minimal corrosion, and the cylinder barely passed the go-no-go gauge test during hydro.

cheers,
markm

 

[boulderjohn]

The original post in this thread was made about a year ago, and I did not notice it for a long time. I was not back in Florida until a few weeks ago, and when I went in to Force E, I asked them about their fill policy without mentioning this thread. They said they would not fill an aluminum tank made before 1989 (31 years ago). They said steel tanks had no limits. I then told them about this thread, and the people there were dumbfounded--they had never had such a policy. I also told Ana, who was also dumbfounded, and I am sure she was not making it up.

So something happened with some employee who clearly misunderstood something. That shop will fill steel tanks of any age, assuming they have had the standard inspections.

 

[Marie13]

There is a dive shop a few miles from me that refuses to fill my steel 1963 Twin 38's even when in hydro and VIP. There is another dive shop a mile or so in the other direction that fills them no questions asked. The weird part - both shops are owned by the same guy. Dunno. I'm losing hair in the area where I scratch my head too often.

You can’t fix stupid.

 

[Boiler_81]

It wasn't just Ana who had the issue. My post from earlier in this thread: Old steels denied fills due to store "policy"

I was denied at the Riviera Beach location and she was denied at Pompano. This would seem to indicated more than just an employee had a misunderstanding.

The original post in this thread was made about a year ago, and I did not notice it for a long time. I was not back in Florida until a few weeks ago, and when I went in to Force E, I asked them about their fill policy without mentioning this thread. They said they would not fill an aluminum tank made before 1989 (31 years ago). They said steel tanks had no limits. I then told them about this thread, and the people there were dumbfounded--they had never had such a policy. I also told Ana, who was also dumbfounded, and I am sure she was not making it up.

So something happened with some employee who clearly misunderstood something. That shop will fill steel tanks of any age, assuming they have had the standard inspections.