Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

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nwbobber
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Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by nwbobber »

I took a couple of hp 100s into Oly UW sports for fills last week, turns out they were due for hydro, so I left them there. Got a call yesterday, seems they have an alloy that is a problem- they condemned them! It seems worthington is taking care of it, I just have to pay for the shipping- 40 bucks per tank, if I can wait for them to combine with another shipment. I have never heard of a problem with a steel tank like this(and I neglected to ask the specific alloy number, serial number and the like), any one know anything about it?
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cofford
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

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nwbobber
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by nwbobber »

So it sounds like it is not an alloy problem, maybe some other manufacturing anomaly. These were a matched set, both failed.
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by deep diver »

I have had my worthington 130 for years and it has problems too. Found out after the fact that worthingtons aren't very good for larger tanks. Blue steel is the way to go
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by HydroGirl »

How old were they?
Did you request the results of the hydrostatic test?
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by FlyinV »

I am glad worthington is standing behind the tanks.
There have been a few divers with this same problem.
Was it the galvanizing coating that cracked? Someone said a batch of tanks it was too thick.

My worthingtons are 2-3 years from their first Hydro -- If they happen to fail I won't be that happy to pay another $40 each to have them replaced. I guess its better then throwing them in the trash but still.... bought them brand new, they weren't cheap.
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nwbobber
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by nwbobber »

I got the call at work, I was a little surprised, and unfortunately I did not ask any questions beyond how to get some tanks that I can use. All they said was it was an issue with the alloy. I searched worthingtons site, and could find no information about anything like that. I'll give them a call today and see if they can give me any more info.
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by coulterboy »

I had one of my HP 100 hydro'd at UWS Seattle. The tech there said, while I watched him test my tank, is that Worthington steel tanks are known to not pass it's first hydro testing. As a matter of fact, that day, he failed 3 Worthington steel tanks. But once it passes, it will always pass the next hydro tests. He explained something, but I don't recall what's causing it. Just letting you know that you're not alone on this.
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by coulterboy »

By the way, my tank passed the hydro.
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by E_Mo »

Not the news I wanted to hear... I have four Worthington tanks, 2 100's and now 2 80's. One of the 80's is in for hydro, and the other three are due next year... so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

If so many of their tanks are failing hydro, is there a higher risk for Worthington tanks to fail during use between being purchased and first hydro?

With such a problem, does anyone know if they are doing anyting to fix the problem?
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by HydroGirl »

I would strongly recommend contacting the hydro facility directly. They are required by DOT to provide you with a form with test results.
Also, call Worthington directly and ask about this alloy issue.
Most likely what has append is the hydro tester failed to perform the 90% test (round out test) require for most steel alloys.
I used to own and ran a hydrostatic testing facility in Florida for 7 years, I personally tested 3000 cylinders a year and I never had 3 new steel cylinders fail in one day.
If the cylinder had already been condemned, why are they sending them back to the factory? Once a cylinder is condemned by a hydro facility there is nothing any one can do to bring it back to a service status (not even the manufacturer).
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by nwbobber »

According to the info on the link above, they just send documentation of the test procedure, along with a photo that shows the serial no. and evidence that the tank has been rendered incapable of holding gas, and they will provide new tanks, shipping not included.
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by PeninsulaDiver »

Being an owner of a fair number of Worthington 100's, I heard about this issue last year. Check this link out for more information and Worthington's procedure for Hydrostatic Requals. Probably wouldn’t hurt to print and attach a copy of this to each of your cylinders heading in for hydro.
http://www.xsscuba.com/email/special/20 ... letin.html

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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by DFessler »

There is an issue with the galvanizing process in a certain batch of tanks,so I have heard by our repair manager. So far it has only happened to 3 of my customers who were rather happy with the arrangement, being that the hydro/vip was going to cost $35 and for $5 more they got a brand new pretty tank (they don't replace the valve). We do send back the condemned paperwork to the customer and the tanks get sent back to the manufacturer (either to prove we actually had it or perhaps to recycle to recover some of their losses.)

I personally own 10 worthington tanks and 8 of them passed their first hydro's. Two still have yet to be done as they are not quite due. So don't panic, this isn't like the alloy aluminum issue from the 80's.
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nwbobber
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by nwbobber »

Does the galvanizing crack during the test, or does the galvanizing affect the steel somehow. I'm not unhappy with the situation, other than being tank poor for a while, it's good to know the thing on your back can stand the pressure.

Are these not tested before they are shipped?
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by Waynne Fowler »

The MFG wants the tanks (for now) to run additional tests. There will come a time when they will no longer want the condemned tanks.
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by CaptnJack »

nwbobber wrote:Does the galvanizing crack during the test, or does the galvanizing affect the steel somehow. I'm not unhappy with the situation, other than being tank poor for a while, it's good to know the thing on your back can stand the pressure.

Are these not tested before they are shipped?
They are independently tested prior to being shipped.

The issue is 2fold.
1) The exemption series (3500 and 3442psi) HP tanks stretch like hell and this elasticity is an issue meeting the <10% permanent elastic expansion limits that DOT has used as a "default" for years.
2) The heat treating doesn't like the hot-dip galvanizing that much.

If you want tanks which last an eternity go with the spray galvanized instead of hot dipped 3AA tanks. The 3AA tanks are built and tested to different standards. Of course the paint and galvanizing chips and wears sigh.

Oh and be grateful Worthinton is replacing the tanks and move on.
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nwbobber
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by nwbobber »

CaptnJack wrote:
nwbobber wrote:Does the galvanizing crack during the test, or does the galvanizing affect the steel somehow. I'm not unhappy with the situation, other than being tank poor for a while, it's good to know the thing on your back can stand the pressure.

Are these not tested before they are shipped?
They are independently tested prior to being shipped.

The issue is 2fold.
1) The exemption series (3500 and 3442psi) HP tanks stretch like hell and this elasticity is an issue meeting the <10% permanent elastic expansion limits that DOT has used as a "default" for years.
2) The heat treating doesn't like the hot-dip galvanizing that much.

If you want tanks which last an eternity go with the spray galvanized instead of hot dipped 3AA tanks. The 3AA tanks are built and tested to different standards. Of course the paint and galvanizing chips and wears sigh.

Oh and be grateful Worthinton is replacing the tanks and move on.
Curiosity satisfied. Moving on. Thanks.
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by Pez7378 »

I just got an Email from someone who purchased one of my Worthington HP100's. It was out of Hydro and I lowered the price to cover it. Turns out it failed. If I remember correctly, the original Hydro date was 05/06. I'm not sure if this is useful to anyone or not, I had heard of this issue but didn't know if there was a specific series of cylinders that were having the problem or not.
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Re: Worthington hp 100 alloy problem

Post by spatman »

Pez7378 wrote:I just got an Email from someone who purchased one of my Worthington HP100's. It was out of Hydro and I lowered the price to cover it. Turns out it failed. If I remember correctly, the original Hydro date was 05/06. I'm not sure if this is useful to anyone or not, I had heard of this issue but didn't know if there was a specific series of cylinders that were having the problem or not.
from what the guys at Seven Seas were telling me, there is a date range in which those defective tanks are falling. i don't know the specific dates, but i think it's a 6-month window in 2006, so they're coming up for hydro now.

also, as i understand it, there is a little bit of paperwork and proof of testing that needs to be filled out and sent to Worthington, but they will replace the defective tanks for just the shipping charges.
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