Tank Question

[DA Aquamaster]

the 01400 + is almost certainly 01%00 where the 01 is the month (January) and the 00 is the year (2000) of manufacture. The % represents the symbol for the orignal manufacturer who hydro tested it before it was placed into service. These codes are unique to each production facility or hydro test facility. For a hydro test facilty, they are a 4 digit code arranged in a 2x2 quadrant arrangement. For a tank this is initial hydro test date is basically it's "born on" date.

The "+" means it is approved for a 10% overfill. Normally Faber manufactured Scubapro tanks are DOT marked as well and the 71.4 cu ft tank had 71.4 cu ft at the 3300 overfilll pressure and 64.9 cu ft at thr 3000 psi service pressure. 230 bar is either 3381 psi or 3450 psi depending on whether you use 14.7 psi or 15 psi per bar,but either way you get a little more pressure than you would with a psi marked tank. The downside is that you may have problems getting a tank filled that does not have DOT markings on it, but again I would be surprised if there are not DOT markings on it.

The REE number of 46 is important as it makes it much easier to convince a test facility to again approve it for the 10% overfill (plus rate it) as its presence means that they do not have to manually do all the math for the wall stress calculation.

Like most Faber tanks, they are a little more negatively bouyant when empty than most tanks (around 4.5 lbs) and will be in the 8 or 9 lb negative range when full.

 

[Luis H]

Actually, a Bar is actually 14.504 psi. An atmosphere (Atm) is 14.7 psi
Therefore the 230 Bar = 3336 psi (which if it was rounded to the nearest 100 psi it would be 3300 psi).

Then again the difference between 3336 psi and even 3450 psi is hard to read in many gauges and most are not that precise either.

 

[oxyhacker]

Though DOT and Euro practice is to rate the tanks at a different standard temparature which can account for an extra 100+ psi or so if one compensates for it, as all the manufacturers of the new 3442 psi tanks and valves seem to have done.

Actually, a Bar is actually 14.504 psi. An atmosphere (Atm) is 14.7 psi
Therefore the 230 Bar = 3336 psi (which if it was rounded to the nearest 100 psi it would be 3300 psi).

Then again the difference between 3336 psi and even 3450 psi is hard to read in many gauges and most are not that precise either.

 

[Jet-Lee]

Corrections:

TC-3AAM-230/201-38A is really TC-3AAM-230/DOT-38A

and

01400+ is really 01(funny A-looking symbol)00+

 

[Luis H]

Corrections:

TC-3AAM-230/201-38A is really TC-3AAM-230/DOT-38A

and

01400+ is really 01(funny A-looking symbol)00+

I suspect that after the DOT (Department of Transportation) it actually reads 3AA

As mentioned above:
3AA means it's Chrome Molybedebum Steel

It is the same code as the 3AA after the TC (Transport Canada), the only difference is the added "M" which refers to Metric units for the pressure.

The 01A00+ is the first hydro (manufacturing date) Jan 2000.
The funny looking "A" is the hydro facility code symbol.

I do find it very strage that it has a "+" sign after the hydro date. As mentioned before, that implies that it can be filled by 10% above the stamped pressure. Since the stamped pressure is 230 Bar (3336 psi) this would mean that it could be filled to 253 Bar (3670 psi).
Something doesn't seem right about that, but maybe it is.

 

[rjack321]

Canadian specs, not European - since '93 or so TC has used the metric system. The M after 3AL stands for metric, and means the working pressure that follows is given in BAR not psi. Not sure what the numbers after it are but they are not a minus the plus rating - TC also eliminated the "+" when they went metric, and the metric working pressure includes the 10% overfill, so to speak.

I think Jimmer is right on the Hydro, that its an A or similar-appearning mark not a 4, and that it's a 3300 psi tank - 230 bar works out to anything from 3300 to 3450 depending on how you do the math.

I find it hard to believe that there aren't some DOT markings there too, since it is almost unheard of for a scuba tank to have TC but not DOT markings, and if such a tank did exist, it should not have a + in the hydro stamp since Canada doesn't use the + on the metric tanks.

Yeah its a metric tank but imperial (DOT) tested?? Weird

Pretty crazy to try an analyze markings 3rd hand like this!

Nah its fun! What else would ya do work?

 

[mike_s]

Yeah its a metric tank but imperial (DOT) tested?? Weird

I don't have any Worthington's but I think they would be a perfect example of this. They are sold mostly in the US but made in Canada.

Fabers are sold a lot in the US but made in Italy. (another example of imperial verses metric usage in tanks.)

 

[Jimmer]

I don't have any Worthington's but I think they would be a perfect example of this. They are sold mostly in the US but made in Canada.

Fabers are sold a lot in the US but made in Italy. (another example of imperial verses metric usage in tanks.)

I think the "weird" aspect is that the tank has a DOT stamp but no PSI markings. My Fabers have DOT with PSI rating, and TC with Bar rating.

 

[rjack321]

I don't have any Worthington's but I think they would be a perfect example of this. They are sold mostly in the US but made in Canada.

Fabers are sold a lot in the US but made in Italy. (another example of imperial verses metric usage in tanks.)

Nope, both Worthington's and Faber's are required to and definately have DOT markings to be legally used in the USA commerce. They just also happen to have metric markings which are totally irrelevant in the States.

 

[rjack321]

I think the "weird" aspect is that the tank has a DOT stamp but no PSI markings. My Fabers have DOT with PSI rating, and TC with Bar rating.

And a plus mark which is meaningless without DOT markings to go with it.

Me thinks this is a Canadian metric tank which was accidentally hydro stamped with a plus somewhere.