Buying Tank, What comes with it?

[RoadRacer1978]

Looking at the tanks for sale on Scubatoys I know that they all come with valves and current vis. Was wondering about curent hydro. Looking at each of the tanks they all mention Vis, but not hydro, except the AL63 tank.

If you don't need all the capacity of an 80, maybe a 63 is perfect for you. Ideal for smaller divers, women, or folks who just don't need that much air. Still rated at 3000 psi, they are about 3 inches shorter and about 3 lbs lighter than a standard 80 tank. (Same 7.25 diameter).

Like all our tanks - includes, valve, current hydro and visual.

Taken from scubatoys website. The last part is what interested me. Says all tanks have current hydro and vis, but since none of the other tanks mention hydro was wondering if they do indeed come with this as well.

Maybe I am just too new to know better, do all tanks when purchased have current hydro. I ask because if a tank sat in a shop for over 5 years wouldn'y it be out of hydro then? Just wondering, thanks in advance.

[Charles R]

All tanks will have a current hydro unless they have been sitting in the shop for a long time! they do a Hydro test on the tank when they manufactur them and then every 5 years after that I am sure Scuba toys will sell you a tank with a current and good hydro date on it!

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by RoadRacer1978

Maybe I am just too new to know better, do all tanks when purchased have current hydro. I ask because if a tank sat in a shop for over 5 years wouldn'y it be out of hydro then? Just wondering, thanks in advance.

No, that's a very good question to ask. I doubt ScubaToys is a shop that falls into this category, but I have heard many times that divers have purchased tanks and only later noticed that they were originally hydro'd a year or two ago. Personally, when buying a "new" tank, I expect the hydro date to be within the past 6 months or else I expect a discount. If a shop ever sold me a tank that was actually OUT of hydro (5 years old!!!!) I would be returning it immediately unless I bought it at a serious discount with full disclosure.

Visual inspection stickers should always be current from the month you bought the tank so you get a full year out of them before you have to have them inspected again.

[mike_s]

You'll hardly ever find a hydro date that is done within the current month, unless it's just a high volume tank dealer that got in a shipment quickly from the manufacturer.

At most high volume tank dealers, I'd expect a hydro date to be 2 to 4 months old when you buy the tank.

at most small lower volume LDS's, I'd expect 6 months or older. Sometimes over one year. Check your date and if it's over 6 months old or at least a year old, try to negotiate a better deal.

You'll often see some bigger shops have 'tank deals' on tanks that are of older hydro dates also. If it's on sale, check to see why. Divers Direct does this often, but they are usually upfront about it. The deal that offer also more than outweighs getting a tank a few months older.

[Black-Gorrilla]

i bought a tank that had the same month hydro. they had 3 like that at the time... never again have i seen a tank like that.

[rktman26]

Just out of curiosity, how much does it cost to hydro a tank?

[ScubaToys Larry]

Varies a bit... but for example, we get $30 for the Hydro, Visual and Fill.

[rktman26]

Thanks. I don't own one, I was just curious.

[datamunk]

yea people pretty much covered it. depending on the shop etc, hydros will normally be "current" which means, its within 5 years. but always double check...

as for VIP, i worked in a dive shop and every time a person bought a tank(s), i would take it, or tell someone else who was certified, to go VIP it in the back and we would fill it there, just to make sure they are suitable.

so, just know when it comes itll be empty