What to do with a tank that has failed hydro?

[Dark Eternal]

For an accurate cut a horizontal band saw will be the best bet - but you need a decent sized one. I have one that is for industrial production that would do it - but your only going to find those in fabrication shops or the like. A torch or plasma cutter will go right through it but be a "torch quality" cut which is fine if you want to just rip it open, but if your trying to make something fancy out of it you will need to do alot of grinding. A sawzall will get through it but cost you a pack of good blades, alot of time, and some numb hands. A dremmel - you will grow old before you get much done.

 

[oxyhacker]

Not likely - the PST procedure has no official status, it's just a kludge that PST came up with to give their tanks a little extra help at hydro time, without actually breaking the law. So a hydro shop isn't required to follow it. And the PST that issued that bulletin doesn't even exist anymore.

That said, I'd be interested to know about how and why the tank was condemned.

Did they stamp out the DOT information or otherwise stamp it condemned? Of did they just put a sticker on it, or hand it back to you, saying it was condemned?

Why did it fail, was it the expansion or visual.
Here is the PST test procedure. If it failed on expansion and they didn't follow the PST procedure you may be able to get another tank out of them.

 

[kidsdream]

I actual picked up an out of hydro tank to use as a nice mounting stand for a old double hose regulator.

A friend cut it off at about a 40% angle about 3 inches below the tangent where the tank widens out to the full 7.25" diameter. This makes for a small excellent table mount to display the reg with old J valve (my buddy even welded on a small bracket to wall mount) I picked up the tank and J valve for nothing as many dive shops have lots of this stuff lying around.

 

[Kingpatzer]

I bet if you're at all handy you could turn an old tank into a nice shell for a scooter . . . just need an electric motor and some batteries

 

[mfalco]

Not likely - the PST procedure has no official status, it's just a kludge that PST came up with to give their tanks a little extra help at hydro time, without actually breaking the law. So a hydro shop isn't required to follow it. And the PST that issued that bulletin doesn't even exist anymore.

That said, I'd be interested to know about how and why the tank was condemned.

Did they stamp out the DOT information or otherwise stamp it condemned? Of did they just put a sticker on it, or hand it back to you, saying it was condemned?

They stamped out the info on the tank. They tanks are actually tested at the dive shop rather than shipped out somewhere for testing, so they probably know how to test scuba tanks. The owner of the dive shop did tell me that those tanks have a higher failure rate than other tanks he tests. From asking customers about them, he believes that the PST tanks that are stored low or empty seem to fail Hydro more than the ones that are always stored full.

 

[Doppler]

Mabey I will. They never responded to my emails.

Why on earth would you call the manufacturer? They will do nothing unless your cylinder is subject to a batch recall.

Think about it. How can they be held responsible for a piece of equipment you have had in your care for five years.

 

[Tom Winters]

Hey listen up here Steve - this is America where a person can still spill hot coffee in their lap at McDonald's and collect $3,000,000. Now with their new designer coffee, make that 4 million. (That's $175,000 Canadian.)
If all it takes for PST to get mfalco off their backs are a few new tanks to cover his pain-and-suffering, it's a bargain for them. You just don't mess with people who have the Jolly Roger in their avatar.
I'm glad to see that you're now working for the Strategic Defense Initiative and helping to make the world safer. Maybe you could direct one of your SDI space-based lasers on the PST parking lot and warm up the guy who ignored mfalco's emails.

 

[captain]

Not likely - the PST procedure has no official status, it's just a kludge that PST came up with to give their tanks a little extra help at hydro time, without actually breaking the law. So a hydro shop isn't required to follow it. And the PST that issued that bulletin doesn't even exist anymore.

That said, I'd be interested to know about how and why the tank was condemned.

Did they stamp out the DOT information or otherwise stamp it condemned? Of did they just put a sticker on it, or hand it back to you, saying it was condemned?

Maybe I am just lucky but I always ask the hydro shop to follow the PST procedure and they have no problem doing it.
Although DOT does not require it, it is within their regulations for calibrating the test equiptment and if the test facility isn't willing to calibrate their equiptment maybe he should find another facility.

 

[captain]

. From asking customers about them, he believes that the PST tanks that are stored low or empty seem to fail Hydro more than the ones that are always stored full.

Which leads me to believe that they do not follow the PST procedure which uses 90% of test pressure to round out the tank prior to the test. If you applied test pressure to a tank that had been empty it likely it would fail.

 

[mfalco]

Which leads me to believe that they do not follow the PST procedure which uses 90% of test pressure to round out the tank prior to the test. If you applied test pressure to a tank that had been empty it likely it would fail.

Either way I know I won't buy anymore PST tanks. If they fail the ordanary Hydro procedure, they sound like they can't be as good as tanks that pass it. On top of that they ignored the email from me. They could have responded and said "sorry there is no warranty on that tank".