Response from AF on Hydrotesting…
I spoke with AF today and they said the following:
* Tank does NOT require visual inspection every year.
* Tank DOES require hydro every 5 years.
* Tank valve needs to be removed counterclockwise.
* Tank valve thread is M18/1.5 and can be tested by Paintball and some SCUBA depending on their adapters.
* AF does NOT hydro their own tanks.
Wok, you’ve got a lot of experience with the tanks… is the thread and removal information correct?
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Talked to the dive shop and hopefully I won’t change the story in the translation 😕 but he told me that they have every adapter imaginable to hook up to any thread count…and that they hydro with water, but they use air as well to achieve a 5/3 pressure so on our tanks they filled it to 5,000 psi while the tank was submerged in water. Prior to the fill test they measure the tank and if the last measurement (after they fill to 5,000 psi) exceeds the first measurement by more than 10 % the tank will fail the hydro test.
If you guys are interested in seeing exactly how many percent larger my tank remained after the test, next time I go to the shop I’ll ask if the hydro man saves records (as he should) and perhaps he can tell me. Hope this helps.