Re-inspector won't vip

[richboslice]

I would explain willing to pay 15. 30 is ridiculous

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[dumpsterDiver]

$30 for 3 minutes and a sticker - times 3 ! No wonder people have less and less hesitancy to buy everything from the internet.

 

[richboslice]

Basically the VIP process seems to have more to do with money and less to do with safety these days. If a shop can see that a sticker, generic or not, is within a year of a hydro test it is obvious a visual was done at that time. It is federal law to visually inspect a tank at the time of hydro. They want their sticker on your tank is what it boils down to. I'm going to make sure my tanks are safe. I trust my hydro guy more than an equipment salesman

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[redacted]

Basically the VIP process seems to have more to do with money and less to do with safety these days. If a shop can see that a sticker, generic or not, is within a year of a hydro test it is obvious a visual was done at that time. It is federal law to visually inspect a tank at the time of hydro. They want their sticker on your tank is what it boils down to. I'm going to make sure my tanks are safe. I trust my hydro guy more than an equipment salesman

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"No air for you. Come back, one year."

Of course it is an income stream that is being aggressively protected by dive shops. If shops really saw it as an essential safety measure, they would be doing more frequent inspections of their own tanks based on the high usage rates. I'm sure some are.

Probably the best way to get around it is to replace small, inefficient, abusive ($30 for a VIS) dive shops with clubs that can provide training, gas, and other services.

 

[richboslice]

Good news. I met a great guy named John Bingham at Mcfarlands Dive shop in covington tn that said he would do the vip for $10.

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[Eric Sedletzky]

The other thing you could do is buy stickers from Leisure Pro like I do and do your own. Just take them in for fills and keep your mouth shut. If they ask tell them they were done by a pro.
Or buy a compressor.
Or start a dive club and an air co-op.
Or see if you can befriend a fire dept. and get fills there.
Or become a volunteer at a dept. and get access that way.
Or go into business for yourself with an air kiosk and advertise heavily that you are the local air fill guy. The compressor will pay for itself.

 

[richboslice]

Eric, you've got lots of options! I joined the rescue squad but somethings going on with there compressor at the FD. I did get some stickers and will start doing them myself. I just want to be able to get them filled at a location. The FD won't work if I need more air at a dive spot.

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[spectrum]

That did make for an awkward situation where the hydro was filling SCBA's. so close!

$30 was simply usurious for a straight forward VIP and I hope it included a full fill. Was that the posted price? Some shops farm out hydro and mark it up. If you bypassed their farmed out hydro they may have been trying to reclaim margin, still an ugly way of doing business.

Up until recently we had a LDS that did it all onsite and hydro-static tests was done in a weekly batch. VIPs were done as needed. I do have to say that there is something to be said for having one shop fill the cylinder with water and dry it then having another set of eye's make sure the darned thing is clean and dry when it goes into service. We get uptight about wet filling station and VIP at the time of hydro can mean open cylinders and wet stuff all over.

I'm glad you found a reasonable VIP provider. I hope is in the good graces of those who will be providing your fills.

Pete

 

[kwinter]

most LDS will not accept generic stickers that do not have the name,address,phone number of the insured facility that performed the procedure. So buying stickers will not work for you.

I have not found that to be true at all. I am certified to do my own inspections and I do not buy special stickers. I've used generic stickers for years on my own tanks without question.

 

[spectrum]

I have not found that to be true at all. I am certified to do my own inspections and I do not buy special stickers. I've used generic stickers for years on my own tanks without question.

I'm afraid it is true at all. "Most" may be subjective but the practice has been observed on numerous occasions and it is real. You have been fortunate.

Pete