What is the life expectancy of tank?
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art.chick
Contributor
Could be fine to buy a used tank. My instructor has some from the '80's. Get an annual inspection (required) & every 5 years get it tumbled. If you use them often, they pay for themselves (we were paying $8 US a day per tank, renting them every weekend of the Summer both days...8x24=$192 for just the summer. Our new AL80's cost about $100 each.)
BOOM!
My biggest concern with buying used tanks comes from the cavers habitually over-pressurizing their tanks, especially the lp steels. It seems to be a chronic situation in Florida and some other areas and those tanks end up on ebay and floating all over the country. The argument is that the pressure rating is something that can be safely ignored and I'm not comfortable with that. Decide for yourself, but what's it worth to save a few dollars?
I've bought used tanks before, but I knew at least a little bit about their "history" and I had them hydro'd before I had them filled.
Steven
My biggest concern with buying used tanks comes from the cavers habitually over-pressurizing their tanks, especially the lp steels. It seems to be a chronic situation in Florida and some other areas and those tanks end up on ebay and floating all over the country. The argument is that the pressure rating is something that can be safely ignored and I'm not comfortable with that. Decide for yourself, but what's it worth to save a few dollars?
I've bought used tanks before, but I knew at least a little bit about their "history" and I had them hydro'd before I had them filled.
Steven
Bob3
Contributor
If a tank is properly cared for, it'll last a long time.
I just got a set of doubles back from hydro that were made in 1956, they passed with flying colors.
Steel does not have a built in failure/fill cycle, it is elastic. Aluminum tanks WILL eventually fail from repeated fill cycles, I've heard the design number quoted as being in the order of 10,000 cycles though.
I just got a set of doubles back from hydro that were made in 1956, they passed with flying colors.
Steel does not have a built in failure/fill cycle, it is elastic. Aluminum tanks WILL eventually fail from repeated fill cycles, I've heard the design number quoted as being in the order of 10,000 cycles though.
This is one of those arguements that sounds reasonable, until you check it against the record= when was the last time you heard of a PST 104 or a Farber 95 blowing up? Considering that these tanks are being overfilled probably more often than not, if there was enough danger to be worth worrying about, you'd expect at least ONE to have let go.
The DOT rates tanks very, very conservatively, and what is a 2600 psi tank here would be a 3500 psi tank in much of the rest of the world.
Sure it's nice to know a used tanks history but I wouldn't lose sleep over it, or miss a good buy, if I didn't. Alu of coure a whole different can of worms.
The DOT rates tanks very, very conservatively, and what is a 2600 psi tank here would be a 3500 psi tank in much of the rest of the world.
Sure it's nice to know a used tanks history but I wouldn't lose sleep over it, or miss a good buy, if I didn't. Alu of coure a whole different can of worms.
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