VIP Criteria for Steel Tanks

[Ed Palma]

Hoyden,

Thanks for the the information! 0.02 is a lot thinner than 0.06! Good to know the value

 

[Ed Palma]

Gitterdun,

Sounds like a potentially interesting and educational story... care to share?

 

[jbd]

As fas as hydro being only for transporting and whether or not it applies to you, I guess you have no worries if you own your own fill station and you do not transport your filled cylinders on public streets/highways.

As long as the tanks are not being used in business he/she wouldn't be affect by DOT regs.

 

[captain]

As long as the tanks are not being used in business he/she wouldn't be affect by DOT regs.

True, if the filling, transporting or any other use results in the exchange of money than they are considered being in commerce and fall under DOT regulation. A private indivudal who owns, fill and tranports his own personal tanks is not bound by any regulation or law to follow DOT regulations which include not being required to have them hydroed or visually inspected..

 

[Ed Palma]

Another argument in favor of owning your own compressor... I wonder when that day will come for me?

 

[Luis H]

True, if the filling, transporting or any other use results in the exchange of money than they are considered being in commerce and fall under DOT regulation. A private indivudal who owns, fill and tranports his own personal tanks is not bound by any regulation or law to follow DOT regulations which include not being required to have them hydroed or visually inspected..

Hi Captain

I have been told (from a reliable source) that the only exception to your statements is that some States DOT's require that the Federal DOT regulations be followed if any pressure vessels are transported on state highways. I haven't confirmed that since I know it doesn't apply here in Maine.

 

[Luis H]

Where are you getting your information? The visual inspection is required every 5 years with hydro by the DOT (see 49CFR178 and 49CFR180). The Compressed Gas Association publishes CGA 6 "Standards for Visual Inspection of Steel Compressed Gas Cylinders" and CGA 6.1 "Standards for Visual Inspection of High Pressure Aluminum Compressed Gas Cylinders". In CGA pamphlet P-5 "Suggestions for the Care of High Pressure Air Cylinders for Underwater Breathing" the CGA recommends an annual visual inspection for scuba cylinders. The scuba industry is following the CGA's recommendation, not making it up on their own.

As fas as hydro being only for transporting and whether or not it applies to you, I guess you have no worries if you own your own fill station and you do not transport your filled cylinders on public streets/highways.

The standards for steel tanks for line or broadspread corrosion is condemnation for one or more pits greater than .020" deep - for isolated corrosion in 3AAs the pit depth is .040" - I don't have the numbers handy for other steel tanks.

Good post
Thanks for the references.

 

[gitterdun]

:quote:Gitterdun,

Sounds like a potentially interesting and educational story... care to share? :quote:





Well.. I purchased two single E7-100s from a friend of mine, in April. They had been VIP'd in December, but I really should have had them rechecked .... In May, I became very sick, and ended up in the hospital.. vomitting, dizziness, couldn't eat for days... The hospital had absolutely no idea what was wrong with me, and it didn't even occur to me that it could have been my tanks. I even went to my family doctor, and he couldn't figure it out.. I couldn't even drink water. I was on IV, as I had lost so many fluids..Soo.. when I regained health, I seemed to get sick alot after diving, and I attributed it to seasickness, as I had been in the past, but thought I had it licked.. I also had my ears checked, as I had also had problems with equilibrium imbalance. Ears were clear... sometimes the seasickness meds would work, sometimes they would not.. Then I started to feel sick even after a shore dive, and would sometimes get dizzy while diving.. I wouldn't have even thought of it being my tanks...

Soo.. on the Sept. long weekend, all the shops near me were closed, so I travelled to a shop farther away for a fill. When speaking to someone that used to work there, he suggested that I get my tank 02 cleaned again. So... decided better to be safe than sorry, and took my tank back to my shop for a "checkup." Well.. they had never seen so much crap inside a tank.. After doing a swab, there was soooo much brown oil inside. Soo.. this may have been there from the beginning... and I may have been breathing contaminated air the whole time... and I was lucky. Sooo.. I advise anyone buying used tanks to have them checked, no matter what.

 

[Ed Palma]

Jeeez! I hope that never happens to me! I guess if I was the doc in charge I would've never thought of asking about your tanks! Well, now I know better. Thanks for the story!
How are you now?

 

[gitterdun]

Much better, thanks! A bit disappointed in myself fof not having checked them, and a bit shocked, but I learned my lesson.. and luckily learned without anything serious happening. My tanks are being cleaned as we speak!