PST tanks - good?

[Sik_Z33]

I've heard nothing but good things about PST tanks from everyone I dive with, as mentioned they need to be hydroed in a specific way to be done correctly. I believe they're suppose to be pressurized to the test pressure (5000 psi I believe) and then emptied out, then after the hydro is to be preformed as usual. For those of you who had tanks fail do you know who performed the actual hydro and if they followed the special procedures?

Also PST is a large company that makes more than just scuba tanks, they stopped making scuba tanks when the scuba market began to decline a few years ago not because there was a problem with their tanks.

 

[ApexLongimanus]

i have two pst hp-120. in the middle of their second hydro period; never had a problem.

 

[ReeferBen]

My PST's have gone through 3 hydros and were just done in July. No problems.

 

[Gombessa]

I've had 8 pst tanks through hydro, none have had any issues and all retained or re-earned the plus rating. The hot-dipped galvanized finish is tough as nails and makes the tanks extremely resistant to corrosion.

Best of all, we got a fleet of these tanks because they tend to trim out beautifully in the water.

I'm happy with any of Faber, Worthington or PST but I always keep an eye out for used PSTs if I'm in the market for more tanks.

 

[idive2]

The Worthington HP100 is a little more negative than the PST E-Series HP100.
I have a Worthington LP85 also with similar buoyancy but to me it feels a bit
heavier toward the bottom of the tank, trim wise the HP100 always seems to feel
a bit better. I bought the PST HP100 somewhere around the time they stopped
production on these. If I had the money I probably would have bought two at that time.
It's anyones guess how the exemption stuff is going to work out.

 

[maxarl]

The Worthington HP100 is a little more negative than the PST E-Series HP100.
I have a Worthington LP85 also with similar buoyancy but to me it feels a bit
heavier toward the bottom of the tank, trim wise the HP100 always seems to feel
a bit better. I bought the PST HP100 somewhere around the time they stopped
production on these. If I had the money I probably would have bought two at that time.
It's anyones guess how the exemption stuff is going to work out.

In case anyone was wondering about the exemption, it looks like we're in the clear until 2015

http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/staticfiles...2007060054.pdf
Very useful to keep a copy of first page if for some reason a shop gives you trouble.

 

[drbill]

I met DR BILL when his tanks failed, correct me if I'm wrong bill did you have al that failed also, like a al 90 Or al 100, I did see water drip out of fill whip on dive boat. there tanks yet new water was more than likely in there.

No question that the failure of both my PST tanks had a lot to do with where I dive. CA dive boats are notoriously wet and the one that failed VIP was filled almost exclusively on a dive boat with potential wet fills. The other one failed hydro due to over expansion, a probable result of too many land-based hot fills from another source. Steel tanks like PSTs used in other environments may not have these problems and be absolutely fine. However, I'll stick to my neutral buoyancy Al tanks for now. I've never had an Al tank fail.

 

[Topbodz]

Anybody have the exact procedure, from PST?

 

[a_mart]

Anybody have the exact procedure, from PST?

I beleive it is the same test procedure recomended by Worthington for thier hp hot dipped tanks which can be found here Technical Service Bulletin .

I had my 2005 PST E-7 hp100 pass its second hydro about 2 weeks ago. Tank works great but I would rather have an e-8 hp 119. I will be going with those dimension from xsscuba in the future.

 

[Slamfire]

Crush, living in Canada you might want to ensure that PSTs have a TC stamp. Right now I've been tempted to buy a set of double PST 120's I found in Bellingham, but they only have a DOT stamp, no TC stamp. I'm not exactly sure how much of a problem that may cause when you get them across the border. Refusal to be carried on ferries, fills, hydros, etc...? Anybody know?