Pros / Cons of TDI/SDI Tank VIP Course

[abnfrog]

alumisteel is a 2 tanks cut apart and put together so they have to inspected threw the valve hole THEN they can be taken apart and measured with a vernier , to check if the students were accurate ......also in my courses you can audit the same course you paid for previously for FREE if they feel rusty..... we can remediate , thats just one of my course perks

 

[davehicks]

A bunch of the dive shops in the Seattle / Puget Sound region posted notices this year that they would only accept VIPs from a list of the legit area dives shops. It seems there have been cases of VIP fraud and cheating by people faking the stickers or falsifying the inspection. Sucks for honest DIYers but it's hard to blame them as it only puts them at risk.

 

[ScubaBunga]

Whether it's worth it is up to you. I personally enjoy doing all of it myself - some folks don't. I took the PSI course, took the re-cert 3 years later and then the O2 cleaning PSI course. I have a dozen tanks (myself and my two boys dive) so in addition to now having more knowledge of what gets done, I can do it myself. I have my own VIP and O2 stickers - with my ID # on them and have never had them questioned - both locally and west and northern coast of florida. I ended up getting this because of a tank being wrongfully condemned - before that I was happy to trust my LDS (that trust is gone, however I do trust my current LDS, but now it's trust but verify). The O2 cleaning is a lot of work, VIP's not so much unless the tank needs a heavy tumble. Also took the valve repair course, so it's nice to tear it all down, ensure it's super clean and put it all back together and KNOW how it was done and what was done. I got my regulator serviced one time and had to fix the diaphragm when I got it back. Had it serviced by another LDS a year (maybe two) later and they asked when the last time it was serviced as the orings in it were very old - so now I service my own regulators too. So until I had a bad experience, I thought the experts were the way to go. Now, I ensure it's done right (at least to my standards).

 

[oly5050user]

They are offering a TDI/SDI Tank VIP Course that I'm considering taking. They said from the tank valve to the tank itself, it will cover full service and maintenance including O2 cleaning. Furthermore that I can VIP my own tanks and the shops will fill them.

Anyways I'm a little skeptical if it actually works that way in the real world. What's the real life Pros/Cons? Is this the best VIP course? Also price seems okay for ~$200 bucks including materials.

I'm thinking about doing this cause I have about 8 tanks and I may end up partial pressure blending my own deco gas in the future. Don't worry, I know I'm no way near ready to do that and need to learn the dangers and get trained.

Issue arises if something happens and if sticker does not show legit facility responsible who performed visual and or O2 cleaning you may be sued as most likely you do not have liability insurance like a legit facility would. Can lose everything you own. Not worth the risk to save $15 for a visual or the cost of O2 cleaning. Most LDS will not honor visual if not done by a facility with proper insurance.

 

[tridacna]

Issue arises if something happens and if sticker does not show legit facility responsible who performed visual and or O2 cleaning you may be sued as most likely you do not have liability insurance like a legit facility would. Can lose everything you own. Not worth the risk to save $15 for a visual or the cost of O2 cleaning. Most LDS will not honor visual if not done by a facility with proper insurance.

Disagree. The lawyers will go after everyone - especially those with the deepest pockets. Training org, trainer, LDS, anyone they can find. That’s no reason to not do an air-fill.

 

[oly5050user]

Disagree. The lawyers will go after everyone - especially those with the deepest pockets. Training org, trainer, LDS, anyone they can find. That’s no reason to not do an air-fill.

How will lawyers be able to sue if facility that did visual or O2 cleaning is not on sticker? This is why generic stickers not accepted by many LDS . Too much risk to take .

 

[rhwestfall]

I have the TDI/SDI inspection and O2 service certifications (again as above with @abnfrog ). My stickers have my certification number written on them in permanent ink on a line provided, and I carry my card with me when diving. I have not been turned away for fills of my tanks, including requests for Nitrox by PPB methods.

I have once told a shop "go ahead and open it up. If it is clean, I want a 50 fill card for you doubting my ability". They went and filled my tanks without any further issues.

Owning 27 tanks (maybe more), a VIP class was a no-brainer... What is costly, is I seem to be paying for a lot of hydros annually....

 

[rhwestfall]

??

A very unique teaching item he has.... I'll leave it at that.

 

[decompression]

One of the reasons my LDS doesn’t recognize a “self” is that they require all their tanks to be Eddie current tested and very few individuals can afford one.

 

[rhwestfall]

One of the reasons my LDS doesn’t recognize a “self” is that they require all their tanks to be Eddie current tested and very few individuals can afford one.

steel?