In Reply to: slight rust in steel tank posted by Gregg on August 12, 2008 at 23:42:26:

The first mistake you made was going to Sport Chalet. I used to frequent them back in the good ol' days when they actually put the tanks in the water, filled to the rated pressure, posted the conditions and were staffed by those that actually knew what they were doing. My experience with SC over the past few years (on the few times that I've used them) leads me to believe that they are idiots and I would question everything they say, including the tumble.

Once at the Laguna Niguel shop the tank monkey filled my 72 to 3,000, or at least tried until the burst disk blew out. He removed the valve and found a slight discoloration with a hint of orange and determined that he could not fill the tank because it had "rust."

Unless the tumbling process involves some type electrolytic process such as galvanization that can add metal to the tank (which it does not) tumbling may remove a negligible amount of metal and will not significantly reduce the life of the tank. If maintained and not overfilled, steel tanks will last 50 years or more and still pass hydro.

Sport Chalet's philosophy is to reduce their exposure to litigation while maximizing profits. With this in mind, I suggest you get a second opinion on your tank.

I recommend visiting All Things Scuba across from the Laguna Hills Mall and next to Big 5 off Swartz Dr. in Lake Forest. They don't bother with checking VIPs and actually get a descent fill (unlike SHORT Chalet).

Steve