Scariest tank I ever saw

[DA Aquamaster]

A 1974 vintage Luxfer manufactured Scott aluminum SCBA tank came though the shop today. It has been in constant use by a local fire department (that shall remain anonymous) but had not been hydro'd or VIP'd since 1977. The fire department brought it in for a hydro test and service as they thought the valve was leaking as it would lose pressure over time. (They also brought in numerous other tanks for hydro testing all with dates in the 1996-98 range so someone apparently got a clue that there was a problem with hydro tests not getting done.)

When the valve was removed it was evident why it was not holding air - the tank had a crack through ALL of the threads and all the way across the flat where the o-ring seals against the tank. It is a major miracle that this tank did not catastrophically fail.

The tank was made from 6351 alloy which is prone to sustained load cracking and was consequently required by DOT regulations to have an eddy current inspection at least every 30 months and it is recommended by Luxfer that the inspection be done every 12 months. 28 years is a bit too long between inspections and it is extremely lucky for all involved that the tank leaked and got someone's attention before it exploded.

I don't regard 6351 alloy scuba tanks as posing a risk to divers or shop owners as long as they get an annual VIP and eddy current inspection as any cracks that develop will be caught well before they propogate to the point of posing a risk of tank failure. But SCBA tanks that may not be inspected annually, could pose a grave risk of catastrophic failure.

 

[Greg D.]

YIKES!!

Ignorance is Bliss right? damned lucky if you ask me!

 

[scubapro50]

what's scary is that fire departments usually go out and check fire extingures for current hydro and see if they have a yearly inspecting tag on them in public buildings .... they don't practice what they enforce ? ... like the traffic cop getting pulled over for speeding ?

 

[archman]

Wonder why that tank hadn't been inspected in so long, while the others were far more recent.

So DA, what'd you tell the fire department folks? How'd the other tanks check out?

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I was not there when Mike gave them the news which is too bad as I would have loved to see the expression on their faces and hear their explanation.

The other tanks checked out fine but they also only had one hydro test date since the mid 70's, so they apparently tested what they thought was all of their tanks in 1996-1998 and then stopped sending them in for testing again.

Mike does VIP training for public safety personnel and is going to section the tank to determine the extent of the crack and keep it for instructional purposes.

 

[Greg D.]

I would love to see some pictures when he does that, that is if the cracks are readily visible! Sometime this year I am going to go take the VIP course, wonder what kind of horror stories they will have

 

[baitedstorm]

I'm glad to just hear someone finally noticed it and brought all their tanks in to be serviced. These men and woman are out putting their lives on the line for us all the time. Can you even imagine how something so small as a hydro inspection, could have costed that department one of their own... scarey stuff indeed

 

[jbd]

When the valve was removed it was evident why it was not holding air - the tank had a crack through ALL of the threads and all the way across the flat where the o-ring seals against the tank. It is a major miracle that this tank did not catastrophically fail.

DA,
When I took the PSI course last year there was a tank at the shop which they showed me and asked if I thought it would pass inspection. In the interest of time since the class was over and I had a long drive home they handed me a mirror and light an told me to take a quick look at the thread. There was a crack through every thread and down the shoulder of the tank internally fo about an inch and a half. The crack was all the way through the wall of the tank!!!

The crack was detected while being filled!! Witnesses said there was a loud pop, followed by some horrendous hissing from the escaping air along with the rapid dispersal of all the bystanders.

Just to look at the tank you would not suspect anything was wrong with it.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

The funniest tank I ever saw was a pony bottle with a GUE sticker on it. :11:

 

[Bob3]

It's amazing some of the stories ya hear at the hydro joint.
Here's a recent one:
A fire department that shall remain nameless had a guy use a SCBA bottle to chock the wheels on a truck; that evening the tank finally let go & blew the bottom out & door off it's storage compartment. The person responsible did mention the bottle had a good size dent in it when it was stowed.