Infuriating Hydro Testers
- Just when I thought we had a good place to take our precious vintage tanks, the place changed. Hydrostat of Rice MN was a welcome breath of fresh air and common sense two years ago when I first brought them tanks for hydrotesting. The fellow I dealt with said their business is "Re-Qualifying" pressure vessels. We talked about testing our vintage tanks and he said, "That's what the testing is for... To confirm that the tank is good. It doesn't matter what it looks like or how old it is. If it passes the hydro test it is a good tank."
- So I got a hint a few weeks ago when Ron brought them a nice set of vintage 38s. They failed both tanks and stamped a bunch of Xs on them to condemn them without a second opinion. I asked if he spoke with "Mike" (our contact from last time) but it was somebody else. (A second opinion saved my beautiful Sportsways 42s a few years ago... A proper test was re-done and they passed by a wide margin of safety.) But Hydrostat just failed Ron's tanks and condemned them without calling up Ron to ask what he wanted to do.
- Now this week, Rich and I brought in 12 tanks for re-qualification and found that our previous contact "Mike" was unknown to anyone. We asked if it was possible to request that they don't condemn anything without checking with us first but we didn't get a clear answer. Rich had a set of ScubaPro Twin 45s that we looked inside of and they were absolutely PRISTINE. I had two vintage 18 cu ft tanks (like the Vigo 18s I'd shown here before). These had discolored paint on the necks. So right off the bat they refused to test the two little tanks but thankfully they didn't condemn them.
- Then today we got back the 10 tanks they tested and damned if one of Rich's twin 45s was condemned with XXXs stamped in it.
- We're back to the same old suspicions/conditions we used to deal with:
1. The technician doesn't like antique tanks and takes it upon himself to condemn them out of circulation.
2. The technician doesn't know how to test galvanized tanks (test to 90%, release, and then perform the full test.)
3. The technician can't handle a condition he hasn't seen before so he declares it's against the law or regulations.
4. The technician can't give the benefit of a doubt when a test fails. There is no respect for the value and rarity of these antique tanks. We've seen good tanks fail when a test is run badly. These tanks deserve a second chance, a second opinion, before condemning them.
This current technician would not test my two 18 cf tanks because the necks looked like they had been heated to get the valve off. These are steel tanks from about 1930s and 1940s era. How does he know that ANY tanks that are that old haven't had all kinds of things done to them from heating the necks to bead blasting to tumbling to re-painting, etc. etc. The whole point of the Hydro test is to see if the tank is still good. A passed hydro test erases its past and gives it a fresh start with a clean bill of health. So, where does this technician get his idea that he won't test my little tanks because the necks are discolored? I believe he is making that up. Easier to say no than to understand. Thankfully at least he didn't X them out and condemn.