VIP on two steel 120's gone bad!!!

[Colliam7]

The verdict 35$ each tank is there price for O2 cleaning and VIP valve insp.

That would be incredibly cheap for O2 cleaning and VIP!

Today recieved a phone call from them. They found rust in both which needed to be "wanded?" for about an hour they said. Also they needed to replace a few pieces on the valve to comply with nitrox. end of story their new cost 85 $$$$$ each tank!!!

This is still quite cheap for doing the tank and valve. If you ever oxygen clean a tank yourself, you will understand why. IF done correctly, it is time/labor-intensive. How much is your time worth per hour? Figure one hour minimum, and probably 2 to set up the equipment, do the tanks, break down the equipment, etc. When you disassemble a valve and oxygen clean it, you really should replace the 'consumable' parts - O-rings, burst disk, etc. You don't have to, but I prefer to. So, you have the cost of the parts, plus the time required to hydrosonically clean the valve parts - Simple Green, followed by TSP, followed by a distilled water rinse. I usually do the valves while the tanks are tumbling, drying. But, it is still a time-consuming process.

Or at least let me know that I got the **** end of the deal when my wife bought these tanks from a local in our town of Mooresville, NC.

Not at all. I don't think you necessarily got a bad deal to begin with, and certainly don't think you are getting a bad deal now. You (your wife) bought the tanks used. They are steel tanks. I would expect rust. I recently bought a set of double HP100s, relatively new tanks (2 years old), but came from CA. LOTS of rust in them. But, not a big deal, just needed to be tumbled ('wanded'). Where I would fault the shop is for giving you a ridiculously low initial estimate, then coming back with a much more realistic price after you authorized them to do the work. I don't know the shop, so I won't speculate as to whether it was simple incompetence on the part of the person who took in the tanks, or a 'bait and switch' situation, but I would presume the former.

 

[james croft]

Seems high to me. Most places I go to tumble a tank for about 15 bucks. 10-15 bucks for a visual. A few bucks for Viton o-rings.

I have my own tumbler and also viz my own tanks so I do my own for very little money but I do notice what the LDS charge.

I have bought a lot of used aluminum and steel tanks with current hydros and visuals for less than 85 bucks. I would shop around more carefully in the future. I know of one LDS that is sending tanks out to a hydro facility and is charged 11 bucks per hydro and charges the customer 27 bucks for the service. The hydro facility picks up and delivers the tanks so the shop makes 16 bucks just for storing the tanks at the back of the shop. I just take my tanks to the hydro facility and cut out the middleman. I can't get it done for 11 bucks but I don't pay 27.

I am a bit leery of the valve servicing. I am not sure that what they did was necessary. What kind of valve was on your tanks?

 

[Colliam7]

Seems high to me. Most places I go to tumble a tank for about 15 bucks. 10-15 bucks for a visual. A few bucks for Viton o-rings.

Reminds me of the longstanding business principle, that many LDS owners (and car dealers, mortgage lenders, etc) have apparently employed - 'We lose money on every transaction, but make up for it in volume.'

 

[DCBC]

Hi Garth,

I cannot help but notice that you are a new diver with less than 24 logged dives, so I have to ask "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH NITROX EQUIPMENT? Two steel HP 120 cu ft cylinders?!?!?!?!"

As far as your question is concerned, Nitrox tanks are required to be tumbled yearly (a commercial diving practice for non-air cylinders), although this is not a general practice / requirement for recreational divers. It's just part of the cost of mixed-gas/enriched air diving. The price seems reasonable to me...

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I bought my own tumbler and and certified to do VIPs because I am picky and with several steel tanks it makes more sense to own a tumbler and do it myself than pay a shop to do it for me.

I am not a real fan of using a whip or wire brush inside a tank as tumbling works a lot better and gets it all rather than just the bad spots.

 

[Couv]

DA,

How often do tanks that have been reasonably well cared for need tumbling? I know people are more picky today for various reasons (O2 clean etc) than we were years ago when we accepted flash rust as normal. Also, if I'm remembering correctly, it was pretty standard to get a hydro done if a tumble was required. Is that still the case?

Cheers,

Couv

 

[deadly_risk]

Hi Garth,

I cannot help but notice that you are a new diver with less than 24 logged dives, so I have to ask "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH NITROX EQUIPMENT? Two steel HP 120 cu ft cylinders?!?!?!?!"

So whats wrong or unusual with that? I have less than 24 dives and dive nitrox with LP96's.

 

[Rocketmahn]

"I cannot help but notice that you are a new diver with less than 24 logged dives, so I have to ask "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH NITROX EQUIPMENT? Two steel HP 120 cu ft cylinders?!?!?!?!""

Whats wrong with that??
He's likely diving them as singles.

I'm getting EAN certed this weekend with 120's in fricken 39 degree water..

 

[Cave Bum]

I cannot help but notice that you are a new diver with less than 24 logged dives, so I have to ask "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH NITROX EQUIPMENT? Two steel HP 120 cu ft cylinders?!?!?!?!"

Hummm, interesting comment from a PADI MSDT... You can train for Nitrox along with Open Water and since it's not an 'in water' skill, it doesn't add substantially to the skills mastery or to the information overload. IMHO, this is well within the bounds of practicality even from dive one.

As far as your question is concerned, Nitrox tanks are required to be tumbled yearly (a commercial diving practice for non-air cylinders), although this is not a general practice / requirement for recreational divers. It's just part of the cost of mixed-gas/enriched air diving. The price seems reasonable to me...

Again, an interesting comment. If a black light doesn’t show evidence of contamination by petroleum products, no re-cleaning would be necessary to re-certify a tank as “O2 Clean”.

Just my 2 cents. Be safe and have fun in the water! Bruce

 

[DCBC]

Rocketmahn and Deadly Risk (of course you are)

I suppose that it's just one more reason to question the minimum standards. Nitrox compounds the usual concerns associated with compressed-air diving (DCS and AGE) with the increased risk of oxygen toxicity. Moreover, large volume cylinders encourage deeper/longer dives in the same way as 1000 H.P. engines encourage speeding tickets I just think that getting some underwater experience before going deeper is a wise choice. But, that's just one man's opinion...