well this bites...

[oxyhacker]

Yes, your problem is with the diveshop not the hydro. Hydro shops are actually usually easier to deal with because they operate under DOT regulations, rather than whim and fancy like some diveshops do. However, getting the tank hydroed is no use if you still can't find a diveshop that will fill 6351 tanks. And if they already told you they wouldn't hydro and fill it, they will be even less likely to fill it if you get it hydroed somewhere else!

Odd it has had three hydros since '83 without any of the hydro shops ever overstamping the SP 6498 - the DOT requirement to do this has been on the books since '82 or so!

There is probably nothing wrong with your cylinder, the problem is your dive shop. Take the cylinder to the local welding supply buisness for the hydro. It should cost about $15. Then find a dive shop that will VIP it and fill it.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Uh, maybe I'd try to be Mcgyver. I'd inflate my BC just a little, breathe using the deflator, inflate, breathe......probably not safe at all, and I would tend to ascend which is bad, but for kicks I'll breathe out of the BC with my head just barely inthe water sometimes in my pool. Only with people around though, incase I like, die or something


curiosity will kill me one day. I'll go from "hey, I bet I could breathe out of the BC if I were careful!" to "hm, if I fill a BC with helium, maybe I could fly." or something even stupider like that.


Yes, I'm sure breating through your BC isn't safe.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Wait, so is it a good thing or a bad thing about the alloy of the tank? This alloy has a history of cracking? Or a history of not cracking? I'll try to call welding places tomorrow.

 

[Ed Palma]

Can't weld it. You'll ruin the integrity of the tank.
I try to do everything on a budget too. Got my reg for 90 dollars, my BC for 150, and a tank for 35$ (steel). I sometimes feel like i'm cutting corners a bit, but I'd never think of circumventing established safety issues like applying heat to tanks.
Look around, I'm sure you'll be able to find a reasonably priced steel 72 somewhere around there. And keep the valve you have right now, those have value too.

 

[TheRedHead]

Yes, I'm sure breating through your BC isn't safe.

Just think about what grows in warm, moist spaces.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

We aren't welding it, Doc Ed. There's no hole to weld shut. I haven't yet ripped it in half to make planters either, so no welding there. The welding shop might have a hydrotesting setup. If I wanted to weld something, I'd haul out my dad's gear and do it in my garage.

 

[Wayward Son]

Welding shops don't hydro their own bottles. But they should be able to tell where they send them.

Hydrostatic testing is done by DOT licensed facilities.

 

[Hoyden]

Even if it passes hydro and the vip plus (eddy current) you may still have a hard time finding shops that will fill a 6351 tank - stamping it 3AL won't change that. You can buy a brand spanking new Al 80 for not much over $100 - by the time you pay for a hydro and Vip you will be almost half way there and you'll still have an old tank that no one wants to fill.

JMO,

Jackie

 

[Ed Palma]

We aren't welding it, Doc Ed. There's no hole to weld shut. I haven't yet ripped it in half to make planters either, so no welding there. The welding shop might have a hydrotesting setup. If I wanted to weld something, I'd haul out my dad's gear and do it in my garage.

yeah, I kinda figured you meant the hydro part after I went back and re-read the other posts. Oh well...

Granted though, there still is the fact that its 6351 aluminum. And while only a very small minortiy of the tanks actually fail (and those are without proper inspection), some shops still refuse to fill them - even if it has a recent hydro and VIP. Which leaves you with the only option of looking for another LDS that does. And gasoline isn't getting any cheaper...

...I'd still keep the valve though. My tank uses a J-valve too!

 

[pescador775]

Jah Jah, FYI the authorized retester in Gainesville is :

Gator Fire Extinguisher Co.
1032 South Main St

Don't let these guys jerk you around. Almost any modern regulator which is in servicable condition is just as good as the other. Better to use a good, reconditioned regulator than old fins. A broken fin strap can be more deadly than anything. It is like the stingray, the least expected.

Breathing from a BC on emergency ascent is OK. If you think that your BC is funky, rinse the inside using a quart of water with one tablespoon of bleach.

Don't get trapped into a gearhead cult. You don't need to be long on hose and short on brains.

You may be able to skate on with the aluminum tank but I can't speak to what the local shops are doing. The publicity surrounding the very, very few explosions of these tanks is centered in Florida.