Tank age and Max # of Hydros

[GoState!]

I have heard that some shops will refuse to fill a tank simply due to its age regardless if it is in hydro or not. Does this statement have any truth? Is there a max number of times a tank can be hydroed? Is there an age cutoff for a "good" tank? The reason I ask is because I have a couple older tanks. Any info would help. Thanks..

 

[Rick Inman]

I have heard many arbitrary reasons that a shop won't fill a tank, and I suppose number of hydros is as good (or bad) as any.

If it passes hydro, it passes, and the tank is diavable.

If the shop says it won't fill the tank after X number of hydros, I'd still press them to send it in for hydro, and tell them I want it hydroed so I can take it and have it filled at my new shop.

 

[OldNSalty]

scuba is unregulated which means your shop can create and follow just about any rule they want to (rather it is logical or stupid).

 

[drbill]

Both my tanks are vintage early 70s and my LDS has no trouble filing either one since they are in hydro. Fortunately I have no problem... and I have the option of three shops to fill tanks at. I'd certainly question why that specific shop won't do it based on an arbitrary number of hydros. Do they treat all tanks (HP and LP steel, Al) the same?

 

[tomfcrist]

Remember that depending on the tank it may be a DOT thing not a shop thing. Some of the old "special permit tanks " cannot be used anymore due to the high failure rate of the tanks. SP6498 and sp7042 tanks can be restamped to 3AL provided that the pass thier hydro, but some tanks inlcuding but not limited to SP6688 and SP6576 tanks. It may not have anything to do with the # of hydro's, just that they have been getting filled illegally for the last 30 years.

 

[Dragon Down]

I have a couple tanks that are 30+ yrs old.

A couple months after a fresh hydro I took them into a sports chain to get them filled and was told "it is unsafe to fill tanks older than 10 years, but we are having a sale on tanks."

Prior to this, I had taken my son in for an intro to scuba and the staff were very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. So keep in mind that just because some accountant in the corporate office wants to move inventory, it doesn't mean the rest of the shop is bad.

 

[akdeepdiver]

To paraphrase the DOT, the General rule to follow is this: The DOT specifies that a tank may remain in service indefinitly as long as it passes the required Hydrostatic and visual inspections. (The visual inspection I am refering to is the one done at time of Hydro by the hydrotester and not the Dive industry one.) Additionally, tanks made from 6351-T6 aluminum alloy must also pass a Eddy Current test at the same time. With the following exceptions:

1. If the tank has been made under a Special Permit/Exemption and it has expired, it must be removed from service

2. If it is a composite cylinder, than it will have a expiration date. One needs to check the SP/E to find out what it is as there are tanks with 15, 20, and 30 year lifecycles.

3. Tanks made under the specification 3HT have a limited number of fills allowed before they are condemed.

Again this is just a quick paraphrase. IF you realluy want to have fun, download a copy of 49CFR.

 

[redacted]

I have a couple tanks that are 30+ yrs old.

A couple months after a fresh hydro I took them into a sports chain to get them filled and was told "it is unsafe to fill tanks older than 10 years, but we are having a sale on tanks."

Prior to this, I had taken my son in for an intro to scuba and the staff were very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. So keep in mind that just because some accountant in the corporate office wants to move inventory, it doesn't mean the rest of the shop is bad.

That was not some accountant blowing smoke up your @$$. If the shop will feed you such BS over a tank's age, how do you know when to trust what they say????

 

[captain]

I have heard that some shops will refuse to fill a tank simply due to its age regardless if it is in hydro or not. Does this statement have any truth? Is there a max number of times a tank can be hydroed? Is there an age cutoff for a "good" tank? The reason I ask is because I have a couple older tanks. Any info would help. Thanks..

The only tanks with an age limit are carbon fiber tanks mostly used for firefighters SCBA's.
All steel and aluminum tanks have unlimited life providing they pass DOT required hydro, visual and in the case of some aluminum tanks an eddy current test.
Some tanks built under the DOT special permit rule may not be able to remain in use if the manufacture or other entity does not apply for and get a renewal of the permit.

Any shop that says anything different is making their own rules.

 

[flots am]

I have heard that some shops will refuse to fill a tank simply due to its age regardless if it is in hydro or not. Does this statement have any truth? Is there a max number of times a tank can be hydroed? Is there an age cutoff for a "good" tank? The reason I ask is because I have a couple older tanks. Any info would help. Thanks..

It's good until it fails hydro. There are a significant number of steel tanks still in service, manufacturerd around WW-II.

OTOH, many shops won't will older AL tanks, no matter what, and honestly, given the pictures of exploded dive shops that show up here now and then, I can't really blame them.

Flots.