Overfilling LP Steel Tanks -- How bad is it?

[Scott L]

Since it has become almost impossiable to acquire overfills in my area I have sold my LP collection and acquired HP100's primarily. With my DIN valves my LDS will top off these cylinders at 3900 psi without my asking. Go figure!

 

[H2Andy]

sorry ... I thought that filling the cylinder over the stamped markings and transporting it in your vehicle was against a law

nope

have you read 49 CFR section 173.1?

and then take a look at 49 CFR section 173.34

 

[D_B]

I have no data, just the fact that somebody stamped a marking on the cylinder for some reason
... I'm wondering if any other areas in SCUBA that could be shown that the practice of disregarding a marking is OK

Edit no, I have not, and I'm just giving a general statement, not about if it's safe, or not ...

 

[H2Andy]

I have not, and I'm just giving a general statement, not about if it's safe, or not ...

no worries

the DOT regs apply to people who package and ship cylinders commercially. they are transportation rules (i.e. we don't want a truck full of over-pressurized O2 tanks out there)

they do not apply to a diver taking a couple of tanks to the dive site

they also don't apply to dive shops

has anybody ever wondered why the the shops who overfill haven't found themselves fined to death by the DOT?

that's because the recommended pressures have nothing to do with using the cylinder for diving. it's not a DOT concern.

 

[D_B]

thanks
... find the whole concept interesting as I said

 

[Cave Bum]

So...what I have gathered here is, pretty much..if you overfill any tank..."youre gonna die!"

You will definately die if you overfill a scuba tank!




{but not from that overfilled tank}

 

[LiteHedded]

somebody requested I post this lol
my lp108's from this weekend...

 

[SparticleBrane]

Another 100psi and you could have used 1400 as thirds instead of 1300...

 

[Leadking]

it's not a DOT concern.

If you are an employee it's an OSHA concern.

 

[FritzCat66]

What do the High Haughty Diving Gods of "Doing It Right" say about overfilling? Do they condone it? If so, I find that rather humorous. Maybe they're just silent about it.

No matter what you do as an individual, if you are an instructor who overfills, you are teaching your students that specs don't really apply to you, no matter which way you look at it. Which might be true, although seems to me that the same slippery-slope argument can then be used to undermine almost any spec; all manufacturer specs or government-regulated specs just become arbitrary numbers that can be argued away by anyone "smart enough"...

Personally, I'm no instructor and I don't really care what others do as individuals as long as they don't put me at risk. But I would expect that even if your high school driving instructor is a complete speed demon on their own, that nevertheless when they're in that training car instructing your kids they should be expected to drive within posted limits, regardless whether "nobody ever got hurt driving 25% faster than the limit on this stretch of road".