CYLINDER HYDRO TESTING IN CENTRAL MARYLAND
Brass Anchor Scuba is proud to announce that we are now hydrotesting cylinders in accordance with 49CFR-180. We test all scuba cylinders, paintball, CO2, oxygen, 3A, 3AA, 3AL, 3HT, and 4BA. We now can test cylinders up to 6000 psi working pressure. Test pressure up to 10,000 psi.
Test pressure up to 10000 psi including low pressure 4Bx
Cylinder size up to 12" diameter and 60" length.
+10% stamp when specified REE is met.
Quick turnaround time
Scuba cylinders refilled with air or nitrox.
Cylinder retester # D929
Hydro Scuba $24
Hydro CO2/O2 $16
Air Fill $5
Doubles Manifold Add $6
Scuba Valve Repair $10 + Parts
Most test pressures are 5/3rds the working pressure. This means a cylinder stamped with a working pressure of 3000 psi is tested at 5000 psi. Our high test pressure is currently 10000 psi which means we can test cylinders with a working pressure up to 6000 psi.
Some 3AA cylinders can be stamped with a + mark when hydro tested. The + means it may be filled to +10% over its working pressure. We can stamp these cylinders if the REE value is given by the manufacturer or is marked on the cylinder AND the calculated REE value is not exceeded during testing AND no pits or corrosion are visible on or in the cylinder.
Brass Anchor Scuba Center
519 E Church St
Frederick, MD 21701
301-663-9363
Terry Brady or Dave Lee, Certified Hydrotesters
weekdays Noon to 8PM, Saturday 9-5
COST is $20 plus return shipping. Paintball cylinders shipped to us for hydrostatic retesting are normally return shipped in two days with credit card payment. We test any cylinder including CO2, 3AA, 3AL, 3000, 4500, and 5000 psi paintball cylinders. If your cylinder is 2 inches or less in diameter, it is exempt from retesting. We accept most credit cards, check or money order.
SHIPPING Empty cylinder. It is not necessary to remove regulator. Wrap cylinder in foam or bubble wrap at least one inch on each side, top and bottom. Stuff box with paper so there are no gaps. We are not responsible for cylinders damaged when received. Cylinders are returned UPS Ground unless otherwise specified. Use their rate calculator to figure exact shipping cost to/from zip 21701 or simply add $8 for Ground. Expedited shipping by request. You will receive email tracking notification from UPS when cylinder is shipped back to you.
INCLUDE WITH SHIPMENT Return address, phone and/or email address, check, money order or credit card number with expiration date (or phone in #). UPS cannot ship to a P.O. box. It is a good idea to record your serial number before shipping for tracking purposes. (serial number is not the one that starts with E)
REQUALIFICATION includes disassembly, internal and external visual inspection, hydrostatic retest, assembly. No extra charge for removing or installing valve regulator assembly. (Others charge +$5.00) We use custom made tools for the proper removal of the VR. Hydrostatic retest must be done every 5 years (or every 3 years for most older fiber wrap) for the life of the paintball cylinder (15 years for most fiber wrap). See your exemption on the hazmat.dot.gov web page for specific hydro specifications and due dates. We cannot ship full paintball cylinders.
ASSEMBLY Paintball cylinders are properly assembled using no more than 2 drops of thread locker on valve assembly. Thread locker will prevent the accidental explosive release of compressed air due to valve assembly coming loose.
REPAIRS We can make minor repairs to the epoxy coating for no extra charge. Cylinders with damaged fibers are checked against specified limits and repaired if possible. A damaged cylinder should never be filled. Store and use your cylinder carefully, preferably in a foam neoprene wrap.
VISUAL PLUS eddy current testing is not required for paintball cylinders. Eddy current testers use a medium frequency radio resonance method to indicate flaws in the density of metal and is used to find cracks and folds in alloy 6351 aluminum cylinders made before 1988. No paintball cylinders are made with this alloy and stress load cracking due to alloy 6351 impurities is not a problem. An eddy current tester will indicate some flaws such as thread galling and pitting, but is not a substitute for visual inspection and can give false readings if used improperly. Link to Visual Plus information page.
STICKERS Do not apply stickers to your paintball cylinder. The only stickers on the cylinder should be the manufacturers label and any retest stickers the hydrotester applies. Remove any stickers you applied from your cylinder before sending.
CASCADING FILL CYLINDERS It is a proven fact that more paintball cylinders can be filled to a higher pressure from a set number of scuba or storage tanks when they are cascaded. This means you start with the lowest pressure storage tank and work up to the highest pressure storage tank until the required fill pressure is reached. Number your storage or scuba tanks so they are used in the proper order. We have scuba tank to 1/4"NPT adaptors for filling.
WARNING - HIGH PRESSURE It is required that you receive instruction for handling high pressure air before attempting to fill your own paintball cylinder. Any paintball shop can assist you in this and most offer seminars on safe use of high pressure gas. Make sure all fittings and hoses are rated for the highest pressure in use. Brass can be rated for use to 3000 psi but only if marked. Brass 1/4" NPT fittings sold at plumbing supply or Home Depot are NOT rated for high pressure. Do not fill a composite cylinder with damaged wrap.
PAINTBALL COMPRESSORS We have recently found an air tank that was corroded so bad the air was leaking from the fiber wrap. Several grams of aluminum oxide were poured from the tank. When high pressure air is mixed with moisture, rapid corrosion occurs. So much metal is lost that a tank can leak or explode in as little as 6 months. This is why it is important that all paintball high pressure compressors have integrated desiccant filter stacks that are serviced every 100 hours. A desiccant filter that is ignored will pass water to the paintball tank and damage it quick. (This tank is available for your inspection.)
QUESTIONS? Happy to answer any questions about your cylinder retesting cycle. tbrady@fred.net "Terry" 301-663-9363 between noon and 8PM weekdays or 9-5 Saturdays
updated 3/27/08