Visual Tank Inspections - What Are They Looking At?
Visual tank inspections are required in many places every year, in Australia they are required every 6 months, so what are they looking at when they do a visual inspection of your tank?
The first thing they will do after they empty all of the air out of the tank and remove the “head” , tank valve is tip the tank upside down and place their hand under the hole to see what comes out, hopefully just a little bit of water will come out. Most tanks that have been in service for awhile and have been refilled on a regular basis will have a very small amount of water normally less than a teaspoon and some of which will be there from the emptying of the remaining air from the tank to do the service.
Another common find is some aluminum speck’s these are formed when the tank is filling they move the little bit of water that gradually accumulates and bangs the water droplets under pressure inside the tank, picture a steel ball bearing in a dryer bouncing around which will cause some small pits over time. When the pits become a certain size the tank needs to be sent for a hydrostatic test.
The next thing they will do is sniff the inside of the tank to see if there are any strange odors this normally points at a problem with the compressor filters rather than the tank.
Most tanks today are aluminum so they don’t rust which was a big concern with the steel tanks and the main reason why steel tanks are going the way of the K valve. For certain circumstances they offer enough benefit to override the rust issue (steel tanks can be rated to higher working pressures & are lighter making them attractive for some specialized uses).
The tank vales are made of brass which is a softer metal that aluminum or steel the idea is it is cheaper to replace a valve than the tank. Because there are two different metals you get electrolyses in sea water this will cause the metals to fuse together. If you take the valve off on a regular basis, it is much easier to remove and the likely hood of doing damage to the value, or the tank is greatly reduced.
Another one of the checks is to look at the tank threads if there is damage beyond a certain percentage, the qualified technician will need to send the tank for a hydro, or they will allow it to continue in service based on what see. The qualified technician will measure the damage and note it on the tanks history record and keep an eye on it in future inspections.
They will also feel the water to see if it is oily this is not a good sign as it means that the filters on the compressors were not serviced enough, or the compressor needs to be serviced, which means in many cases that the compressor needs to be rebuilt.
If you own your own tanks in between your visual inspections keep an eye on your filter on your first stage, if it turns rusty or green it is a sign that the tank should be inspected. Also if you get a bad smell you need to have your tank inspected and notify the location where you got your last fills that you noticed a bad smell or taste. If you notice a bad smell or tastes do not go scuba diving with that tank! Remember only let a qualified technician examine your tanks, working with pressurized air and gases can have fatal consequences if done improperly for you, or the unqualified individual!
Used Scuba 6cu Aluminum Tank | US $71.00 (16 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Aug-20-2008 20:13:49 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Scuba tank, 80 AL White
 | US $62.00 (4 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Aug-20-2008 21:30:17 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Military Diving Manual CD- cylinder scuba gear tank
 | US $5.95 End Date: Wednesday Aug-20-2008 22:22:04 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $5.95 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Military Diving Manual CD- cylinder scuba gear tank
 | US $8.95 End Date: Wednesday Aug-20-2008 22:56:39 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $8.95 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
925 + Rhodium 4D Solid Scuba Dive Tank Pendant Necklace
 | US $14.76 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Aug-21-2008 5:00:09 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
* * * SCUBA DIVER TANK MAGNET - BRAND NEW ITEM * * *
 | US $4.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Aug-21-2008 5:54:36 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Scuba Dive Embroidered Patches -Tank Series AUSTRALIA
 | US $2.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Aug-21-2008 5:56:11 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Scuba Dive Embroidered Patches -Tanks - PALAU
 | US $2.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Aug-21-2008 5:56:13 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
50 cf steel scuba air tank
 | US $36.00 (2 Bids) End Date: Thursday Aug-21-2008 7:43:16 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
TWIN STEEL SCUBA TANKS
 | US $112.50 (5 Bids) End Date: Thursday Aug-21-2008 9:00:48 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Fred’s new project http://www.CheapCharliesHotels.com/ where he reviews cheap hotels , budget guesthouses, discount accommodations and cheap international flights, but is really an excuse to go scuba diving on vacation more, Fred is in Phnom Penh Cambodia planning his next adventure travel tour. Keep up to date with Fred and to view some great pictures go to
Fred Tittle has lived and worked in holiday vacation resorts his entire life, from Lake Geneva’s Playboy Club, as a rock jock for KSPN FM in Aspen Colorado, he became a PADI Pro Scuba Diver in Hawaii, diving on Maui, Kauai, Kona on the big island, and Waikiki on Oahu. He founded Eco Adventures South East Asia in Sihanoukville Cambodia. he still teaches SSI and PADI scuba diving courses and runs liveaboards in the gulf of Thailand and Asia adventure tours, http://www.ecosea.com/ Fred is currently in Bali Indonesia
Related Articles:
- Draft created on January 10, 2008 at 7:26 am
- Scuba Diving - Scuba Diving in Hawaii
- Practice Makes Perfect Scuba Divers
- Scuba Diving History
- Scuba Diving - Scuba Diving the Wrecks in Florida Keys
- Scuba Diving - Scuba Diving in the Maldives
- Basic Scuba Diving Gear You'll Need
- The Science Of Different Scuba Flippers
- Scuba - The Tank – Part II
- Scuba - The Tank – Part I
- Scuba - The Face Mask
- Scuba - The Dive Computer
- Scuba - The Dangers of Dehydration
- Scuba - Snorkeling 101
- SCUBA - Scuba Diving Basics – Buoyancy and Pressure
- Scuba - Safety Tips for Safe Dives
- Scuba - Planning Your Dive
- Scuba - Picking a Perfect Wetsuit
- Scuba - Nitrogen Narcosis
- Scuba - Introduction to Scuba Diving
- Scuba - How to Judge A Snorkel
- Scuba - How To Clear Your Mask
- Scuba - How to Choose a Buoyancy Compensator – Part II
- How To Choose a Buoyancy Compensator - Part I
- Scuba - Hand Signals for Divers
- Scuba - Equalizing Pressure
- Scuba - Diving Instruction and Certification
- Scuba - Decompression Sickness
- Scuba - Communication Gear for Divers
- Scuba - Buoyancy Compensators
- Scuba - Breathing
- Scuba Flippers
- Scuba - Breathing Equipment
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment