Posted by Ken Kurtis on November 19, 2001 at 11:02:00:
In Reply to: exploded tank out of hydro posted by . on November 17, 2001 at 13:57:19:
Definitely a sad story.
But before we focus too much on the problems with these vinyl-coated tanks (defintely a problem due to the "concealed" rusting as mentioned previously but not, IMHO, the main problrem in this specific icident), don't lose sight of the fact (as being reported) that this tank was BOTH out of VIP AND out of hydro.
The guidelines/industry standards (they aren't really "rules" since they don't carry the weight of law behind them) are pretty simply . . .
1. No current VIP sticker - no fill.
2. Out of hydro - no fill.
And to answer the "who's responsible" question, while you can argue that the tank owner is "responsbile" for keeping his tank in VIP and hydro, the bottom line is that the fill operator (whether that's the shop owner or an employee) is ultimately responsbile for confirming that the proper hdryo stamp and VIP sticker is present, and should refuse to fill when either one is absent.
While it's certainly possile for a tank in current hyrdo &/or VIP to explode (for a variety of reasons), IMHO, there's absolutely no reason to fill a tank that's out of hydro &/or out of VIP.
Ken Kurtis
NAUI Instr. #5936
Co-owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
Beverly Hills, Ca.