In Reply to: Has this happened to anyone else? posted by Sumit on January 31, 2006 at 16:20:04:

I have 7 steel tanks of which every one has passed hydro on the first 5-year cycle (bought 4 new 6 years ago), and 3 have passed hydro on the 2nd 5-year cycle (bought them used). I have never heard of a steel tank failing hydro. I have seen 72s that are 25 years old at the scuba store and they have still passed every hydro.

I agree with the suggestion to get it re-hydro-ed right away, however I would recommend at another hydro facility. It is possible the hydro was done wrong.

If you took a college inorganic chemistry course you would have done lab tests on metal elasticity. You would have learned that metals lose their elasticity slightly from the stress of such tests and from repeated stretching and contraction, but only slightly, not a lot.

The issue is two-fold. (1) Was the test performed properly; the only way to find out is to re-test. (2) Was the metal so inferior that it failed the hydro on the first test and it will also fail all other hydro tests as well; again the only way to find out is to re-test.

All my tanks are PST and all of them fared well on all hydros. Good luck.