PSI "rules"

[Kharon]

OK I did the search and checked the other threads but found no authoritative, definitive answer.

At our last club meeting a LDS owner came in to discuss equipment maintenance. At one point he said that if a tank failed hydro his shop would destroy the threads and drill a hole in it. I told him that I thought this was the illegal destruction of private property.

He got real PO'd and went on a rant that PSI requires him to do that and he would show me in the manual. If this is true then it's wrong because it prevents me from storing anything else in the vessel.

Now, I will never again take a tank for hydro or vis to this shop. But I would like to know (from the PSI manual or a PSI instructor) if this guy is blowing smoke of if that is really what PSI requires.

 

[Bob DBF]

He got real PO'd and went on a rant that PSI requires him to do that and he would show me in the manual. If this is true then it's wrong because it prevents me from storing anything else in the vessel.

Not only that, but you have no way of having another shop check the tank and verify the condemnation was correct, as a mistake could have occoued.

Facts & Fictions

( Dale Fox PSI 013 @ PSI )
FICTION: A condemned cylinder must be rendered incapable of holding air by drilling a hole in the sidewall or by destroying the neck threads.

FACT: 49CFR180.207 prescribes the procedures for the condemnation of cylinders. They are to be condemned by stamping a series of “X”s over the DOT specification number and the service pressure or by stamping “CONDEMNED” on the cylinder shoulder. Only at the direction of the cylinder owner may the requalifier render the cylinder incapable of holding pressure. Additionally, the cylinder owner must be notified IN WRITING that the cylinder is condemned and may not be filled with a hazardous material.

Cylinders failing hydrostatic retest or visual inspection cannot be returned to their owner without being condemned. However, those facilities that destroy your cylinder neck threads or drill a hole in the sidewall WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION are in violation of the law.

That might be what you are looking for.


Bob

 

[Scared Silly]

Bob nailed it and the OP you are correct the shop owner is blowing smoke.


FWIW A common issue is many shops do not have the customers sign anything when having cylinders inspected. That can lead to problems if it fails a visual inspection and the shop subsequently condemns the cylinder.

 

[Wookie]

Or, you could take your cylinder to a reputable hydro facility that will call you before they do anything. Yes, the cylinder can't leave the shop if it fails hydro without condemning it. So, when it fails for whatever reason, a reputable hydro facility will call you, explain why it failed, and ask you what you would like to do with it. As a reasonable cylinder owner, you might ask if they had properly done the special procedures for Worthington or PST cylinders, or you might ask to see how they measured the depth of a pit. Maybe they will measure it again with you there. But I must say, if someone handed me back 35 good cylinders and 2 that were condemned without calling me, I'd be a little mad, but then, my hydro facility would never do that in a million years. Which is why I use them.

Sounds to me like a good reason to find another shop. I hate it when half trained shop owners want to destroy my stuff. After all, it's my stuff. I am fully capable of destroying my own stuff without help from a shop owner.

 

[captain]

Also don't confuse the yearly dive industry LDS inspection and sticker with the DOT mandated visual inspection done as part of the 5 year hydro testing process. The LDS can only say it did not pass inspection and not issue a sticker, he can not condemn it.

 

[redacted]

OK I did the search and checked the other threads but found no authoritative, definitive answer.

At our last club meeting a LDS owner came in to discuss equipment maintenance. At one point he said that if a tank failed hydro his shop would destroy the threads and drill a hole in it. I told him that I thought this was the illegal destruction of private property.

He got real PO'd and went on a rant that PSI requires him to do that and he would show me in the manual. If this is true then it's wrong because it prevents me from storing anything else in the vessel.

Now, I will never again take a tank for hydro or vis to this shop. But I would like to know (from the PSI manual or a PSI instructor) if this guy is blowing smoke of if that is really what PSI requires.

Seems to me that is just the shop you want to use if you have a tank that is likely to fail an inspection. You would have a good chance of getting your bad tank replaced for free.:shocked2:

 

[Zieg]

I once had a tank "fail" at a hydro at a hydro facility. They got upset when I asked about the procedure and how it failed. I ended up walking out with my tank in the same condition as when I brought it. They did not condemn it in any way. I took it to another hydro facility. It passed with flying colors and I'm still using that tank today.

 

[scubafanatic]

Seems to me that is just the shop you want to use if you have a tank that is likely to fail an inspection. You would have a good chance of getting your bad tank replaced for free.:shocked2:

.....how does one get the LDS to replace someone's galvanized steel tanks with 'new' tanks for free ?

 

[Scared Silly]

.....how does one get the LDS to replace someone's galvanized steel tanks with 'new' tanks for free ?

If a shop fails a cylinder VIP (annual inspection) and does something to render the cylinder unusable without your permission they owe you a new cylinder. To get them to give you that new cylinder may be a simple as talking to the owner or as much of a PITA as going to small claims court. Either way you will need to show that the cylinder should have failed via a second or third opinion.

 

[redacted]

.....how does one get the LDS to replace someone's galvanized steel tanks with 'new' tanks for free ?

The same way you you get someone to replace the windshield on your car if you saw them break it out with a hammer. You start with a police report.