SCBA tank from Best Fittings
My 4500psi, 45 minute SCBA tank has reached its 15 year lifespan and my 60 minute tank has a couple of years left.
I can buy a 60 minute tank, without the valve, from Joe at AirTanksForSale.com for $499. I have checked best fittings and they seem to offer a 60 minute tank that is cheaper than what Joe sells.
Has anybody, in the US, bought a SCBA tank from Best Fittings and if so, what was the shipping cost? Are the Best Fittings tanks DOT approved?
I’m trying to get stuff lined up for the AOA shoot this fall and this air gun bullshit is quickly getting out of hand! 😯
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Chinese titanium? 😯
Maybe the powers at Government want us to blow our heads off eventually .
That sounds right – the external wear and tear and de-lamination is probably the death blow for a CF tank. There´s one more thing to consider : We all have a Vessel pressurized upto and exceeding 200 Bar literally glued in out faces while shooting our PCP´s. I think that should be a far greater concern but obviously no one gives a damn. And there are no regulations for pressure nor hydro testing the EG/Cricket air tubes – not that i know off.
Maybe the powers at Government want us to blow our heads off eventually .
I spoke to my local gas/welding store about this on several occasions. He basically agreed on the CF tanks going beyond 15 years with some reservations. The number one was folks sometimes don’t realize what external issues of the CF they need to be concerned about (chips, and delamination’s). He said paint ball tanks really take some abuse sometimes. He also said in reality, the very few tanks that have had problems nearly all passed their hydros and visual inspections so they are kind of worthless except that they may have prevented some they drilled that they will never know about but they fail very few. The good news is the CF tanks tend not to explode but rather tear although that may not be much consolation if it opens in your direction and it is real close. He has never heard of that happening. Anyway, I had him visually inspect my 2 year old SCBA tanks when I bought them used for any obvious external damage for free. He said they looked new.
If you just top off the tanks there is much less working of the aluminum alloy.
Cf and aluminium ages and hardens in the process. That makes the material more brittle. I wouldn´t use an expired pressure Vessel but that´s me. I´ve seen what happens when a 200 Bar bottle lets go and i wouldn´t like to be around when/if that happens. 300 Bar is worse still.
That said if the Tank is inspected and found OK i think it has some extra years left. If they label one for ,say, 15 years i imagine there´s at least five years safety zone still – if not more. I wouldn´t fill any expired Tanks nevertheless … 😯
Ok, so lets presumes that I bought the tank right after they made it, Now it is 15 years and the tank expires. What are the danger of using the tank beyond it manufactured date.
Again, I am not taking it to the dive shop for refills. i do not hydro test it every five years, and I have my own air compressor pump at home.
I would like to know the risks of using the expired tanks.
John
I doubt that. You need to ask Dr. Evil. He´s been diving , a lot , and knows the DOT/EN difference very well.
I was told that the 15 year lifespan in US is 30 years in Europe and not to worry about my expired tanks?
I have a question I wanted to ask long time a ago, and I think this is the opportunity to do so.
I have a new carbon fiber tank which I bought from Joe just a few years back. I had been filling it at the local dive shop. I have noticed that they never check the certification, or the the date which it may need to do hydro test. How often do they need to do hydro test on these bottle? And how long these bottle lasts? assuming I bought it new three years ago.
Now I have a new shoe box compressor, but thinking of upgrading to the Bauer Jr sometime in the near future. Do I have to bring it in for hydro test every so often?
and do you throw it away when it expires or just use it as long as it is in good condition?
John
One thing to consider : It doesn´t much matter when you bought it. What matters is when it´s made. Over here the clock starts ticking from the moment they´re made – or the month/year actually. I imagine it´s the same thing over there.
Sometimes there are cheap leftover Tanks for sale and albeit new they´ve been sitting on the shelf somewhere for few years and thus can´t be considered as “fresh”. You can buy tanks with,say , 15 years life cycle but if the Tank was made five years ago it only has 10 years left before it´s dead. Doesn´t matter whether it´s new and unused when you buy it.
I have a question I wanted to ask long time a ago, and I think this is the opportunity to do so.
I have a new carbon fiber tank which I bought from Joe just a few years back. I had been filling it at the local dive shop. I have noticed that they never check the certification, or the the date which it may need to do hydro test. How often do they need to do hydro test on these bottle? And how long these bottle lasts? assuming I bought it new three years ago.
Now I have a new shoe box compressor, but thinking of upgrading to the Bauer Jr sometime in the near future. Do I have to bring it in for hydro test every so often?
and do you throw it away when it expires or just use it as long as it is in good condition?
John
Hydro lasts five years. They will likely need visual inspections every year or two…
Let the augment begin!!!
Hi Guys,
I have a question I wanted to ask long time a ago, and I think this is the opportunity to do so.
I have a new carbon fiber tank which I bought from Joe just a few years back. I had been filling it at the local dive shop. I have noticed that they never check the certification, or the the date which it may need to do hydro test. How often do they need to do hydro test on these bottle? And how long these bottle lasts? assuming I bought it new three years ago.
Now I have a new shoe box compressor, but thinking of upgrading to the Bauer Jr sometime in the near future. Do I have to bring it in for hydro test every so often?
and do you throw it away when it expires or just use it as long as it is in good condition?
John
Damn right they are, OG. They don’t use tanks more than just a couple of years-for professional use – whether those tanks have 100 years life span or not.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2. This POS iPhone sucks though …
My firehouse always checked the label before filling. Normally just the date.
I don’t know if the local fire houses will fill a CE tank.
I do know that I wouldn’t be able to get a non DOT tank hydroed.
I’m sure that the DOT and CE tanks are of the same quality.
I don’t know if the local fire houses will fill a CE tank.
I do know that I wouldn’t be able to get a non DOT tank hydroed.
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HELL NO !!! :angrymob:
If properly X-rayed and radio wave tested (don´t know the English word for that) by a certified test facility then O.K. but otherwise i´ll pass. By,by SnowCone !