Steel 72 rejected by LDS

[JKPAO]

No they can not over rule DOT, but they can telll you they will not fill anything they don't want to! (their comp their rules, even if they make up some lame rule) I have several 72's and the day I hear from a shop that they will not fill them (because of age) is the day I purchase a compressor.
See you topside! John

 

[captain]

The DOT will say the shop as a private entity can chose to fill or not fill any tank it wants to. You can take that to the bank. Now if it is a case of the shop doing something that is not authorized by DOT regulation then you have reason to notify the DOT.

 

[TravisD]

Might be a fun exercise to see what the hydro dates are on those shop's bank bottles. Bet there's some >20 year old steel bottles in there...

 

[JamesBon92007]

Rumor has it that certain dive shops around here won't fill tanks over 20 years old but of course I have not bothered to go in and verify this. My LDS even fills my "condemned" AL80 (the tanks reported to fail at the neck) but then he did the VIP himself and sent it out for the hydro and visual eddy. He also is only going to charge me for one fill for my doubles (if they ever get back from getting hydroed). He also said there will be no charge if they, for some reason, fail the hydro tests.

I also worry about where they are going to stamp some of my old 72s--there's not much room left on the necks.

 

[adelman]

I also worry about where they are going to stamp some of my old 72s--there's not much room left on the necks.

You'd have to ask a hydro shop, but I'm pretty sure it is legal for them to "erase" some of the hydros with a ball peen hammer to make room for a new hydro stamp. The rule is that they can't erase the first or last hydro, and the damage caused by the erasure must be within allowable damage limits.

 

[oldsalt]

The local industrial gas supplier told me he filled an acetylene tank stamped with the date 1906 but was still passing hydros.

 

[superstar]

A few years ago I was using an industrial oxygen bottle with a 1907 hydro date.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

The poor schmuck at the fill station is not thinking or maybe not in the position to set policy for the shop. As experienced divers we should try to get the LDS to think about the policies and their effects.

One argument you can try with problem shops is to first admit to them that as a private company, you recognize they can make their own rules on filling tanks. Then continue on to ask how can they expect you as a customer to trust them for training / gear if they are making up their own rules outside of government / industry recommendations without scientific basis? Put them in the position have having to justify the silly rule. They either have to admit they are untrustworthy or try to find evidence to back up their rule. It might at least get them thinking.

 

[akdeepdiver]

My hydro shop recently requalified a O2 Welding bottle that was manufactured in 1920 in Germany. (It still had the pre WWII Export stamp on it from Nazi Germany). It passed with flying colors. A tank can remain in service as long as it passes its 5 year hydro and vis.

 

[Gilldiver]

My hydro shop recently requalified a O2 Welding bottle that was manufactured in 1920 in Germany. (It still had the pre WWII Export stamp on it from Nazi Germany). It passed with flying colors. A tank can remain in service as long as it passes its 5 year hydro and vis.

1920 would be the Weimar Republic , the Nazi's didn't take power till the election of July 1932 with Hitler taking office as Chancellor in January 1933.

Welding bottles were made in Germany during the time of the Nazi power for LINDE and imported into the US by Union Carbide. These bottles had a swastika stamped on them. In the US almost all of the swastika's had the open sides closed out and look like a window like this one from my bank:

I find them a lot on O2, Nitrogen, and noble gas bottles like for argon and helium. I would guess that there are 3 or 4 in every batch of 100.

The oldest welding bottle I have seen was from 1907.