Worthington hydro

[rileymartin]

Anyone familiar with the change in the Worthington hydro for their steel tanks? I saw a letter stating the hydro should be done to a lower PSI and done twice. Is there anyting to this? Does this mean their tanks have been failing hydro so they changed the hydro method so they pass? If their hydro'ed twice does that mean it costs double to hydro worthington cylinders as opposed to faber?

Thanks for any info.

Riley

 

[mike_s]

There are special directions for the hydro of their tanks on their website...

lemme see if I can find it for you.


EDIT: here ya go

http://www.xsscuba.com/email/special/2010/worthington/bulletin.html

 

[knowone]

Brilliant. No more worthington contemplation for me.
Perhaps next, they can design a concrete toilet pan.

 

[Brandon]

Doesn't seem bad at all... I have 4 Worthington tanks and I'm not concerned.

The actual hydro is still being performed at the mandated test pressure, and the other procedures are allowed in the appropriate guidelines.

What's the problem, exactly? Worry that the hydro facility won't do it properly because of the extra steps involved?

-B

 

[spectrum]

No Need to panic here. PST had also requires a rounding procedure for their hot dipped galvanized product. I was more of a mystery why Worthington didn't require this from day 1.

Pete

 

[oxyhacker]

That's probably the #1 worry, and it is a valid one - since the special procedure isn't required by the DOT, but only by the manufacturer (who doesn't really have the authority to "require" anything once the tank leaves the factory) the shop doesn't really have to do it, and there have been a steady stream of complaints here and elsewhere over the years about these tanks prematurely failing hydro when shops don't do the extra steps. Even after all the attention this issue has gotten over the last few years, I would still bet that the majority of tanks that are supposed to get the special treatment at hydro time don't. And then, some hydrotesters really dislike the procedure - they feel it is just a "cheaty" way to take advantage of a loophole in the regs to pass tanks that would otherwise fail.

Another issue is that Worthington originally told us that no such extra procedures would be necessary for the tanks, with the implication that there must be something wrong with the PST tanks that they did, so the fact that Worthington has now backpedalled is taken by some nervous tank owners as a hint that the tanks may not be as special as they'd hoped.

What's the problem, exactly? Worry that the hydro facility won't do it properly because of the extra steps involved?

-B

 

[captain]

But the procedure follows what DOT(180.205, paragraph 5) allows to be preformed and calls a system check where the pressure may be increased to 90% of test pressure to check the test equipment prior to the actual test. So in effect it is legal to do but not required but is apparently necessary because of the effects of hot dip galvanizing on the shape of the cylinder.

Think of it as testing a beer can with a slight dent in it. If the dent isn't pushed out so the can can assume it designed shape the amount of fluid required to push the dent out would be more than allowed to pass the test than it would be if the can didn't have the dent.

 

[captain]

Brilliant. No more worthington contemplation for me.
Perhaps next, they can design a concrete toilet pan.

PST bulletin D-100 says basically the same thing. I don't let any hydro facility do my galvanized tanks unless they are willing to follow the procedure.

 

[NJScubaDoc]

I just had 3 of my 4 worthington LP 95s go in for Hydro and the shop told me they all failed. After a few well placed cuss words I was told the hydro tester probably didn't adhere to this protocol.

I would just double check with whomever is doing your hydro before you send your worthington's in.

 

[mike_s]

I've heard that some hydro shops won't use the protocol even if you give it to them.

They see it as a liability and a way to "cheat" the hdyro into passing.

has anyone else heard this?