Scariest tank I ever saw

[Mako Mark]

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

Hey, I got one of those.. :11:

.

 

[Gary D.]

BOOOOOMSKI

 

[DennisW]

Very scary. I was just given two tanks, one a steel 72 made in 1971 that hasn't been hydro'd for 10 years. Another is an old Walter Kidd tank made with the same questionable alloy that hasn't been hydro'd in 15 years. It has been empty for a long time, so I either have a good tank or one I can use as a demo unit after I cut it up. I will be taking them both in to Diving Technologies International for hydro this summer. I hope they are both ok, I will bet the steel tank will be fine.

 

[Mako Mark]

last week I found a tank that was in for a valve service, a 1967 steel 70 with J valve. Hydro dates 82 an 92, it was still in daily use in one of the pools in a hotel.

I have retired it and will cut a section out of it as a demo. frankly, I cant wait to see what the inside looks like.. This tank is older than me..

 

[leo311]

It's not only a lot of hydro, vis and eddy inspections that fire departments are putting off. They are also supposed to be bench testing SCBA equipment. Last time I checked the D.O.T. and OSHA don't make suggestions. I've brought numerous problems up at work and their reply is not always given with a smile and "I'll take care of that." The Luxfer composites are being treated brutally by some people and not being properly inspected. I pulled three from service recently that the department sent to Luxfer who condemned them. Sometimes I believe they think they would spend more money fixing the problems than defending a wrongful death suit. Leo.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

last week I found a tank that was in for a valve service, a 1967 steel 70 with J valve. Hydro dates 82 an 92, it was still in daily use in one of the pools in a hotel.

I have retired it and will cut a section out of it as a demo. frankly, I cant wait to see what the inside looks like.. This tank is older than me..

You can't see the inside though the neck? The worst part of a steel tank is invariably the bottom unless the tank was stored on it's side for years. Cutting it up is probably a waste of a perfectly good tank and is frankly a shame as they are not subject to the same potential metalurgical problems as aluminum tanks. I have several steel 72's from the 60's and 70's that are still in regular use and they still look fine. Most steel tanks need a tumble every 10 years or so to remove accumulated flash rust but will last 100 years with proper care. Our local hydro test facility still sees welding tanks come through from the 1910-1920 era and they still pass with flying colors.

-----

But I digress...Mike had the tank sectioned and the guy doing the cutting pointed out a second crack nearly as severe as the first. No one else noticed both of them as one is enough to get and hold your full attention. And frankly who would expect 2 that bad in a tank that did not blow up. The second crack is also all the way through all of the threads and is about 170 degrees opposite the first crack. Both cracks extend back approx 1 1/2 - 2" across the shoulder on the inside of the tank.

One wonders what would have happened had a firefighter had about 800 psi in the tank and then had it hot filled on his back with an unfortunatley all too common rapid application of pressure. The fire department in question is extremely lucky the tank leaked.

Three more tanks from the same department have also been found now with neck cracks and they are going to pull all of the tanks of that vintage from service. There is probably some excessive torquing of the valves that has occurred that has aggravated the SLC problem in their particular case so they are also going to carefully review their training and maintence procedures as well.

I did not have my camera along but will plan on getting pictures next weekend.

 

[archman]

And frankly who would expect 2 that bad in a tank that did not blow up.

Oh, that line's priceless!

 

[HBDiveGirl]

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

Since Ross explained GUE to me today, NOW I get the joke!!! Just one step away from the DIR-Solo class?

 

[DennisW]

Rudy Mola has a sectioned tank that was cracked all the way through. He uses it as an example and that tank was also being used until it couldn't hold air. Although there are more and more certified tank inspectors out there, there are no requirements that one be certified to provide a vizual inspection and sticker a tank.