Bottle failed test

[Dave Yates]

Evening all
I havet posted for a long time however I have problem that the accumulated experience of this parish may be able to advise on. I took my 7ltr 300bar bottle to my local gunshop to get re tested and filled. Called in today to see if it was done to be told that it had failed the test due to "permanent set". This was the third retest since I bought it approx 10 yrs ago, it has only been filled about6 times in its life (I dont shoot much these days). Anybody else had a similar experience? So its been scrapped now leaving me with a problem. As I see it I have two options a) get a new bottle or b) get a Hills pump, which I understand is quite hard work to get up to the 170bar I like to put into my two Air Arms 410s.
Any advice? All input gratefully recieved.

Cheers

Dave Yates

[acmsarh]

A failure on the hydro test is very rare and most that fail are picked up on the examination before the hydraulic pressure test corrosion , Thread's stretched , external damage etc , The expansion set limit is 2 or 5 percent of total expansion volume and of the thousand's I have tested there were only 3 maybe 4 that failed on exceeding the expansion set limit and those were probably used and refilled many times a year during diving season.

[oldboyshooter]

Hello, What is a Permanent Set ?? Do you know who they had it tested by ??, although they say a cylinder over 10 years needs replacing ? For the price of a pump you could buy second hand cylinder with a new test

[acmsarh]

Permanent set is like when you blow up a new balloon and then deflate it , The balloon will not return to it's original shape that is permanent set it's stretched , When I was testing cylinder's I tested cylinder's 30 plus years old and storage cylinder's that were originally used as high pressure ballast tank's on world war 2 submarines.

[Jesim1]

If it were me I'd get another bottle, second hand, you have been unlucky with a failure, they do happen, but are pretty rare under 20+ years old. I don't think a Hills pump will struggle at 170bar, I have no idea who told your that, but given the few times a year you use it judging by what you have said, it would have given up the ghost long before your last cylinder failed, so I'd still go the cylinder route

[Neil54]

I've had a valve fail the test but never a bottle.
I would replace the bottle with another.

[rapidresponse1]

as above cheaper to replace the bottle

[oldboyshooter]

Permanent set is like when you blow up a new balloon and then deflate it , The balloon will not return to it's original shape that is permanent set it's stretched , When I was testing cylinder's I tested cylinder's 30 plus years old and storage cylinder's that were originally used as high pressure ballast tank's on world war 2 submarines.

Thanks

[angrybear]

Evening all
I havet posted for a long time however I have problem that the accumulated experience of this parish may be able to advise on. I took my 7ltr 300bar bottle to my local gunshop to get re tested and filled. Called in today to see if it was done to be told that it had failed the test due to "permanent set". This was the third retest since I bought it approx 10 yrs ago, it has only been filled about6 times in its life (I dont shoot much these days). Anybody else had a similar experience? So its been scrapped now leaving me with a problem. As I see it I have two options a) get a new bottle or b) get a Hills pump, which I understand is quite hard work to get up to the 170bar I like to put into my two Air Arms 410s.
Any advice? All input gratefully recieved.

Cheers

Dave Yates

Not good news, but it happens, another option might be a cheap compressor.
A pump is a bit physical, but how hard depends on your build, and also technique
Some people try to pump just with their arms rather than use their body weight.

PS; did you get your ancillaries back from the old cyl (any boot, carry handle, surface valve, blanks etc)

[Dave Yates]

Not good news, but it happens, another option might be a cheap compressor.
A pump is a bit physical, but how hard depends on your build, and also technique
Some people try to pump just with their arms rather than use their body weight.

PS; did you get your ancillaries back from the old cyl (any boot, carry handle, surface valve, blanks etc)

Good point, no I did not so worth pursuing

[Dave Yates]

Thanks for all the replies, I shall probably go the second hand with test route. I have a mate who is big into diving so has contacts in that world..

Cheers all

Dave Yates

[angrybear]

Thanks for all the replies, I shall probably go the second hand with test route. I have a mate who is big into diving so has contacts in that world..

Cheers all

Dave Yates

Make sure any cyl is 300bar as divers can often use 230bar, although 300bar is becoming more common.
If he can get you a cheapish used 300bar dive cyl, you'll definitely want your surface valve back to fit it, & change to a 5 year test

[Leyland77]

I would also go the cylinder route again.

[Gerry B]

When I worked in Gloucester, I used to take my bottle to a dive shop there, who also ran safety courses for rescue in confined places and so on.

He had 2 different tests.

On Air Rifle only bottles, the test was not as intense as with breathing air cylinders.

Fortunately I never had any bottles failed over the years.

[maximus]

Get a surface use only bottle so tested every 5 years rather than annually. I don't use pcps much but have a 12 litre 232 bar faber steel cylinder that does just fine. 1 fill lasts me 5 years I found id have to travel quite a way to find someone with a 300bar compressor so happy with large volume 232bar. Ex diving cylinders will of had a harder life than the airgun cylinders so I'd look for one of them personally.