Visual Inspection not being completed

[oldschoolto]

Over reacting....

Jim...

 

[Bubblesong]

Tanks are heavy, and understaffed crews just get worn out. What I would do, (which would no doubt get me fired or at least piss everyone off) is make a case to the owner that the reputation of the place will be protected if some new procedures are put in place. Not everyone wants to go through life flying the battle flag, but you don't want to be there when a tank explodes due to awful treatment either.

 

[Freewillow]

With my own thanks, diving in the carribean, a visual inspection , with a lamp inside the tank was done every single year. Hydrolic testing every 5 years. These were aluminum tanks.

 

[USMC CPL.]

How often are the cylinders hydro tested?

In the U.K. visual is 2.5 years, with hydro every 5. We don't have stickers, but the tanks get stamped with the test centre's code.

I know this will sound a bit harsh, but bottom line if your not happy or feeling unsafe, find another employer.

Here in the states visual is done every year and hydro every 5. Where I get my tanks vip I do get a sticker but hydro is a new stamp on the neck of the tank.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Personally I don't think an annual VIP is really necessary unless the tank has been emptied completely or dropped or gouged etc. If it has a big dent or gouge on the outside it's unlikely it would pass the preliminary hydro testing. As long as a tank has some air in it I can't imagine how water could get in unless someone opened the valve all the way to empty it and some condensation collected inside.

It might be good to know the name of the dive op just the same so I can avoid them anyway. They don't sound real swift.

 

[KeithG]

It might be good to know the name of the dive op just the same so I can avoid them anyway. They don't sound real swift.

Are you willing to strike most (all?) of the Caribbean off your list?

VIP is an American thing (just like needing AOW to go down past 60 feet). Absence of VIP does not necessarily mean death.

 

[tbone1004]

@JamesBon92007 tanks will easily get water shoved into them during the filling process of there is water on the valve at the time of filling. It's critical to blow the tank valve off before putting the whip on there or you will put water into the tank. It can't come in during normal use, but it can absolutely come in during filling which is why we VIP in the first place. A lot of places are pretty careless during filling and if salt water gets blown into a steel tank it's going to be real ugly real fast.

@USMC CPL. the one year vip is only a recommendation and is not enforceable. There is no "rule" that says they have to get a VIP only an industry standard that has shown up. Fill stations can refuse to fill any tank for any reason, and a lot of them use VIP as an excuse. Hydro is also really only a recommendation and not required for personal use and when transporting for commercial use.
Swing down to cave country or a lot of the tech shops, and if they know you, they don't really look at the tanks before filling. They trust that you keep them in good shape and in hydro. If they don't know you or of you, they'll usually look for a hydro stamp. A lot of them will fill out of hydro tanks if they are a month out and usually give you a condescending stare that says "you really need to take this in" while they're filling it.
That crowd is obviously very different from the norm though so if you come in looking and acting like a stereotypical recreational diver you'll probably have to show a vip sticker, and various certs for what you are getting filled. All in who is showing up and who is filling.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Are you willing to strike most (all?) of the Caribbean off your list?.

Well, no.

@JamesBon92007 tanks will easily get water shoved into them during the filling process of there is water on the valve at the time of filling. It's critical to blow the tank valve off before putting the whip on there or you will put water into the tank. It can't come in during normal use, but it can absolutely come in during filling which is why we VIP in the first place. A lot of places are pretty careless during filling and if salt water gets blown into a steel tank it's going to be real ugly real fast.
.

I see. Are the tanks generally filled in a water tank? I'm not trying to argue with you, I'm just trying to understand how the water, especially salt water, gets in the valve in the first place. I don't think I've ever seen anyone on a dive boat or a dive op drop a tank in the ocean. I agree that if there is water in the valve from condensation or being left out in the rain or however can get into the tank however I fill my own tanks and always open the valve to blow out any water before I attach the fill hose. It sounds like maybe these guys don't, but I'm still having trouble visualizing how it gets in there.

 

[tbone1004]

@JamesBon92007 a lot are filled in water tanks, others are filled while on the boat and there is spray around. It doesn't take much to cause a lot of damage especially since the higher pressures cause the O2 to act much faster inside of the cylinder. It's not really an issue in most fill stations, but if you go to the caribbean or some liveaboards it becomes a bit more of a concern. For me in cave country? mine get vip'd when they go to hydro and have to get cleaned afterwards

 

[KeithG]

I have never seen a water tank fill in the Caribbean. The "more efficient" dive ops fill tanks in place on the boat.

The standard fill process is to leave the cap off after you remove your reg to signify the tank needs to be filled. This leaves the yoke exposed to salt water splashing, rain or water dripping off divers. The tank fill monkeys then slam the fill whips onto tanks as fast as possible. Once full, the cap goes back on.

A Caribbean dive op we use fills around 300 tanks a day.