scratched n2 tank

[darklord]

today I was playing with my mag, tripped and fell in the woods, and landed on some pointy rocks, which took out a small chunk out of my 88/4500 crossfire with a DYE tank cover. The cut is about the size of a pebble, maybe 1/2cm by 1/2cm, and is about 1/2 the width of an o-ring deep. I'll try to get pics of it up... the bottomline is, do you think this tank is useless? It didn't leak or explode....yet.... but I'm pretty concerned. Is there any cheap way to fix this? I'm pretty bummed since I'd have to spend another $200 or so to replace it, and I simply don't have that kind of $, since I'm unemployed, and I'd rather spend it on a ReTro. My friends recommended that I should put some black epoxy on the tank so the fibers don't get any worse. Any help would be appreciated.

[LawFox32]

umm try filing a complaint w/ DYE, and say their product failed and did not protect your tank,

but yeah epoxy will do the trick

[xmetal2001]

Its not DYE's fault, no tank cover is going to protect against a rock They just keep you from scratching your tank...

Did it actually get the fiber, or just that glazy stuff on top?

[DarkPhoenix]

If the fibers have been damaged, the tank will probably be unserviceable but you should be able to buy another bottle(w/o the reg) at a fairly reasonable price. If the fibers have not been damaged, you might need to send it in to have it reglazed and hydrotested. I may be mistaken though....

[Cliffio]

get it hydro'd if it passes your in the clear, if not, then your screwed, dont try any home made job, your putting yourself in danger as well as everyone around you


Cliff

[oldsoldier]

Like Cliffio said. The inside is ultra thin aluminum, or whatever they make the tank out of. The wrapped fibers are there to keep it all together. IT is DANGEROUS to play with a damaged tank like that. I know they are expensive, but, hey, so are medical bills. I advise you to seek out a new tank.

[Dern]

The answer is simple: Would you rather have a face or a nitro tank?

[dansim]

just buy a bottle not a whole new reg and everything

[Kevmaster]

as a certified hpa technition, heres my opinion

you need to have the tank hydrotested. it will cost around $15-20 at your local scuba store(they should be able to do it, or know someone who will). if it comes back clean(menaing it can hold 5/3 of its rated capacity without increasing in volume) then you should feel safe using it. if its not, then PLEASE GET A NEW BOTTLE. do not do a home fixit job. NO EPOXY, NO HOT GLUE, NO JB WELD. the risk of a HPA bottle bursting is way too much to risk using it. do not get it filled until it has been tested. once it is tested and if it passes you should feel safe. if its a fiber bottle, if the fiber is torn at all, dont even bother. no shop will pass it for hydro test. the glaze coating will not effect the integrity of the bottle, its just there to protect the fiber.

[BajaBoy]

if i were u ide to a trade with someone on the fourms.. its like u give them your bottel and 100 for a brand new tank (5year hydro and 4500) But i think he only has 68 ci.

[Creative Mayhem]

I was employed as a hydrostatic tester for a local scuba shop. We used to test all the fire dept tanks, all of which were fibre wrapped. If the scratch nicked the fibre, the tank is NFG(not factory guaranteed ) It doesn't matter if the tank passes the test, the tank is a possible rupture hazzard due to the damaged fibre(s). You need to take it to a local tester for inspection and test(if required) Only he/she can know for sure if the scratch has damaged the fibre threads to the point of no return.

[Collegeboy]

Originally posted by BajaBoy
if i were u ide to a trade with someone on the fourms.. its like u give them your bottel and 100 for a brand new tank (5year hydro and 4500) But i think he only has 68 ci.

Note to self, do not trade with this guy.

[paint magnet]

You mean a tank can fail hydro testing and still be intact? I thought that basically all you did (for a 3k tank) was fill it up to 5000 and if the burst disc popped before the tank exploded/leaked then it passed.

[Gadget]

Hydrostatic testing doesn't go near the burst disk, as the reg is removed for testing. There are loads of ways a tank can fail and still be intact - damaged threads etc.

The main pressure test involves pressurising the bottle and measuring the amount of water displaced by the tank expanding - if that is out of range, the tank will also be failed.

Have a look at this .pdf document (Adobe Acrobat needed to view it), I got it from the product manager at Luxfer and although UK/HSE biased, it gives some interesting info on damage to bottles and repair - section 6.4 covers impact damage.

http://www.chimpy.com/lcx composite manual.pdf

[darklord]

thanks for the replies guys, so far the majority of your input has been to have it hydroed. Unfortunately I don't know of a scuba shop near my area. If anyone from MA knows of such a shop in Middlesex or surrounding towns (eastern MA if possible) I'd appreciate it. Hopefully I can just keep the reg instead of buying a new tank. How much will a new bottle cost? If it's $50 or so I'd be rather happy...
And as for if it was the glaze or the fiber damaged, I think it's the glaze, but I can see a little speck of grey at the "bottom" of the scratch. I don't know if that's aluminum or not. I really hope this doesn't burn a hole in my pocket..... by the way, if I do get a new bottle, can I pick the size I want? (68, 88, etc.) if so I can kill 2 birds with one stone, since I was looking to get a 68 instead of my 88 anyway.