Tank Hydro PSA

[Scuba_Shoe]

I dropped off my 4 Faber steel tanks, purchased new from DGX in 2015, at a local hydro shop. They said about 30 - 40 bucks a tank for a hydro, as i have a buddy that can vip and fill them. I pick them up a week later and get handed a $400 bill. They say they need to run 3 tests per tank bc they are "galvanized" which they not. Long story short, since no one disclosed any of that info to me before dropping off they charged me the $30 a tank and i left and wont ever be back. But to me it sounds like i chose a place that was not familiar with modern scuba tanks. What they were describing reminded me of problems with old PST tanks. So guys dont be me. Do your research!

 

[runsongas]

to be fair, faber is making hdg tanks these days also. but the prestretch takes a minimal amount of time and labor to do before the hydro and should not be charged as a separate test. it sounds like this facility doesn't really want to deal with scuba tanks though.

 

[-JD-]

Dive Shop or General compressed gas service shop?

Just a hydro or did they tumble/whip/blast and wash and dry to clean them up after?

 

[Scuba_Shoe]

Dive Shop or General compressed gas service shop?

Just a hydro or did they tumble/whip/blast and wash and dry to clean them up after?

Compressed gas service shop. And it was just a hydro, well actually 3 hydros per tank, which according to them are required due to the type of tank.

 

[ELCAM]

Compressed gas service shop. And it was just a hydro, well actually 3 hydros per tank, which according to them are required due to the type of tank.

I always go through a dive shop I trust..for the simple reason that I can ask them if their hydro people are familiar with PST/Worthington/Faber hot dipped hydro procedures...I even tape the testing instructions on the tanks to be sure.
A dive shop isn’t going to use somebody unfamiliar that can cause problems.

 

[-JD-]

Compressed gas service shop. And it was just a hydro, well actually 3 hydros per tank, which according to them are required due to the type of tank.

Insane. Hydro, tumble, clean for O2 service, valve-rebuild, VIP, and fill on my HDG HP PSTs was less than $100 at my LDS last batch a couple years ago. Of course I am lucky that my LDS is Northeast Scuba Supply and HDG steels are probably more than half the volume of main tanks coming through the shop.

Of course, I see now that you are in the outer Gotham premium pricing zone ... apply multipliers accordingly

Vetting hydro shops seems to be becoming a manifest necessity. Yours is not the only story. At least they figured it out and you didn't end up with unnecessarily condemned tanks.

 

[grf88]

I found my hydro shop by looking at the stamps on shop rental tanks. Make sure you get the numbers from both steel and aluminum tanks. It is a fire extinguisher company but going in the back door you see tanks from multiple dive shop lined up ready for hydro and those completed.

 

[njdiverjoe]

I dropped off my 4 Faber steel tanks, purchased new from DGX in 2015, at a local hydro shop. They said about 30 - 40 bucks a tank for a hydro, as i have a buddy that can vip and fill them. I pick them up a week later and get handed a $400 bill. They say they need to run 3 tests per tank bc they are "galvanized" which they not. Long story short, since no one disclosed any of that info to me before dropping off they charged me the $30 a tank and i left and wont ever be back. But to me it sounds like i chose a place that was not familiar with modern scuba tanks. What they were describing reminded me of problems with old PST tanks. So guys dont be me. Do your research!

I'm guessing you took them to Approved Fire Protection in South Plainfield?

I've used them before (roughly two years ago) to hydro PST tanks and was only charged for one hydro per tank. Then I recommended them to a friend earlier this year and he ran into the same nonsense that you did... Because of that I don't take any business there anymore, Chief Fire in Lodi has been pretty good and chatting with their technicians I'm under the impression they are much more knowledgable

 

[Scuba_Shoe]

I'm guessing you took them to Approved Fire Protection in South Plainfield?

I've used them before (roughly two years ago) to hydro PST tanks and was only charged for one hydro per tank. Then I recommended them to a friend earlier this year and he ran into the same nonsense that you did... Because of that I don't take any business there anymore, Chief Fire in Lodi has been pretty good and chatting with their technicians I'm under the impression they are much more knowledgable

good guess! haha I used them 3 years ago for my PST tanks and everything went smoothly and this time, I even made sure they knew the tanks and to got a quote, its the only reason I left my tanks with them. Thanks for the recommendation of Fire Chief ill have to check them out.