Dive Source Fill Policy

DIVE SOURCE FILL POLICY

Please be advised that Dive Source as well as other concerned scuba shops will no longer service or fill Aluminum Scuba Cylinders made from 6351 Alloy as they are prone to Sustained Load Cracking - SLC-

While explosions are very rare, we choose NOT to gamble with our safety or yours and feel it is the safest choice to remove these cylinders from service as there has been several catastrophic cylinder failures resulting in serious injury.

(This does not apply to steel tanks.)

Aluminum cylinders included:

All aluminum tanks under Special Permit # 6498, 922, 7042, 8107, 8364, 8422
All Walter Kidde 3AL Cylinders
All Cliff Impact Cylinders

Luxfer:

S80.8 Manufactured Prior May 1987
S72 and S100 Manufactured prior to August 1987
S80 Manufactured prior to January 1988
S50 and S92 Manufactured prior to April 1988
S30 and S63 Manufactured prior to May 1988
S40 Manufactured prior to June 1988

History & Reasoning:

Scuba Cylinders are high pressure vessels that contain huge amounts of potential energy and must be handled with care. Part of that handling is also proper maintenance and inspection by properly trained people.

Sustained Load Cracking (SLC) is a condition that typically is seen in the neck area of aluminum cylinders and most commonly in cylinders made from 6351 Alloy which is a type of aluminum commonly used before 1989 by all manufacturers other than Catalina.

Failure to detect these cracks can result in catastrophic failure and there have been documented cases of explosions happening during filling which have caused serious injuries, although it is rare.

Dive Source has always taken this issue very seriously since it first came to light Approx. 10 when the first documented explosion took place in Australia in Oct. 1988.

Our service regimen includes:

· PSI or SDI trained inspectors (recognized as the industry standards in this area)

· Highly Magnified Optical viewers to inspect tank necks

· Thorough documentation during inspection.

Valves torqued in using a torque wrench during installation

Variables that we cannot control:

· Skill or training of inspectors outside of our store.

· Human Error

· Lack of proper tools used by other inspectors. ( I.E Eddiy current, Magnified viewers,Torque wrenches, proper lights etc)

· Fill rates & Pressures at other fill stations

· Many shops will not fill these cylinders any longer and we agree with this policy and encourage you to support it as well.

· Even doing everything right leaves a bit of doubt and frankly we do not wish to deal with this unknown any longer.

Summary: You will get various opinions on this topic from professionals in the industry but many share ther belief that this action is a positive one and have instituted similar policies.

Should you have one of these cylinders which are over 20 years old we reccomend you bring it in and allow us to dispose of it. WE WILL NOT FILL IT.

Finally: Consider a scenario for comparison - If you were told your car had 20 year old brake parts that were prone to failure more than others types of brakes and they required special testing and inspection techniques to be safe, what would you do? Especially when you could simply replace them cheaply and eliminate the risk...

Thank-you for your understanding on this issue, should you have any other questions please contact the shop.

References:

Transport Canada Notice ON 6351 Cylinders and SLC:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/tdg/Documents/alerts/cylinders.htm

PSI – Professional Scuba Inspectors:

http://www.psicylinders.com/

Article by Bill High of PSI on SLC cracking:

http://www.psicylinders.com/library/Current/cracking.htm

DOT – Department of Transport Alerts on 6351 Cylinders:

http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/pdf97/411928_web.pdf

http://hazmat.dot.gov/pubs/reports/cylinder/3al_advisory.pdf

Cylinder Manufacturers Info: