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Hydro testing steel bottles.

keeper

the other white meat.
Jul 29, 2013
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London
I have a couple of hpa steel/aluminium bottles and would like some clarity on test dates etc. Is hydro testing worth the cost? How long is it valid for? And do all sizes need re testing? Many thanks.
 

BOD

The brotherhood
Aug 1, 2003
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I doubt you have steel bottles but if you do they need testing every 5 years, aluminium bottles are every 10 years hydro test, the test costs the same no matter what the bottle is. Whether it's worth testing them is down to you, but if you have to post them to and from the test centre it may well be cheaper to just buy another new one. I believe there are some bottles that don't need testing but they are the small ones under 50mm in diameter, (don't know the capacity size of those bottles).
 
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Tom

Tom
Nov 27, 2006
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www.TaskForceDelta.co.uk
What bod said

Small aluminiums like a 13ci are exempt
In America they give 2x2 as a guide (within 2 inch diameter x 2 foot tall). That's not the same as the U.K., but gives you an idea

If you can find someone local to test it then it could be worth the money to test an aluminium cylinder
(Note that the markings on an aluminium may still say 5 years, but they are U.K. legal for 10 years, and if you do test them they have no final date)

You could get lucky with someone who will test for £15 - £20 as long as there is no postage involved
Check the IDEST members list

https://www.sita.org.uk/idest/idest_members.php

However I was charged a nice price for testing my fibre cylinder at a local dive centre, I went back to ask about prices if I took them 5 aluminiums
But this time the other guy didn't like paintballers and offered a ridiculous price
I never bothered to go back
 
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