Cylinder Blasting and Repainting

At Ted Louis-Hydrostatics, we are able to restore your cylinders back to health internal and external,that exceed the Australian standards, no matter the size of the cylinder.

We specialize in repainting both Scuba and composite wrapped cylinders, to the highest standards, colour to suit your needs.

The workshop meets all relevant ISO Quality Management System, and paints to relevant Australian Standards. After Blasting, or sanding, and preparation the technician will determine and choose the appropriate paint to use to coat the cylinder . We are united by our shared values and our commitment to onsite and in-house safety, quality and professionalism.

All utmost care is used to get cylinders, back to new condition. We are Australian owned company which will deliver innovative and cost effective solutions to any cylinder surface treatments. Services Include:

• - Cylinder Hydro Test
• - Sand Blasting
• - Repainting
• - Cylinder Valve Servicing

Procedure for Cylinder Testing

“Fully wrapped carbon fiber cylinders should be tested every five years and have a 15-year service life.”

Annual Inspection and Testing

Australian Standard (AS2030.5) require that your scuba diving tank be visually inspected and pressure tested at a certified testing station once per year.

Visual Inspection

At Ted Louis-Hydrostatics an external inspection is carried out looking for damage or alterations that may include gouges, dents or corrosion. Special attention is paid to repainted cylinders as they may have been heat treated or had dents and gouges filled. To carry out this inspection thoroughly the cylinder boot and mesh are removed. Dents, gouges, corrosion or heat treating can all effect the integrity of this high pressure vessel and they can fail test as a result.

The cylinder is then drained and the valve removed,. If in the opinion of the operator the valve requires to be serviced it will usually be serviced at an additional cost. The neck thread and internal space is checked for corrosion, wear, pitting or rust.

Older aluminum cylinders often fail in this area as the neck thread may have corroded or worn beyond the allowed tolerance, this is an automatic failure under the standard. Aluminum cylinders can also be badly corroded internally especially if salt water has entered the cylinder.

Steel cylinders as we all know can be subject to rust, some brands more than others due to the amount of carbon used in the steel when manufactured.

It needs to be pointed out that rust in steel cylinders is usually a result of carelessness by its user or your fill station. If your cylinder has been filled with moist air from a station that has not been maintaining its filters or compressor adequately rust will occur, oil may also be found if this is the case.

Cylinders found to be rusty or corroded internally and are not beyond repair are brushed using various forms of wire brush attached to a long shaft driven by an electric drill. The residue is cleaned out and rumbling chips inserted into the cylinder, it is then placed on a rumbler that rotates the cylinder at about 90 to 100 rpm for up to eight hours depending on the severity of the corrosion. The cylinder is then filled with water and inverted to assist in removing the chips. It is then cleaned, dried and internally inspected.

This time consuming process removes remaining corrosion and polishes the internal cylinder wall and is an additional cost.

Hydrostatic Testing

At Ted Louis-Hydrostatics the cylinder passes all the previous inspections it is ready to be hydrostatically tested, when it is filled with water and connected to the test panel. The cylinder is pressurised to fill pressure twice to check accuracy of the panel and remove air bubbles from the system.

The cylinder is then pressurised to its test pressure and held there for one minute. The pressure is slowly released and the expansion measured on a manometer tube. The maximum allowed expansion is the water capacity of the cylinder in kilograms divided by five.

The cylinder is disconnected from the test panel and inverted to drain after which it is dried using warm air. After a final internal inspection to ensure proper drying the neck "o"ring is replaced and the valve installed.

The cylinder is then stamped and test certificate completed. Failed cylinders are destroyed in accordance with the standard.

Washing and Servicing Chemical protective clothing.

Washing and Servicing Requirments Procedures

At Ted Louis-Hydrostatics a bath is filled with warm water and detergent and stiring with a paddle. The zip is fully closed and fix cap over external coupling. Insert suit and soak for 5 minutes. Lift suit onto drainer and scrub with soft brush and then mild detergent solution to remove any soiling.

Remove suites from drainer and hand by boots on hangers provided in “suit draining area”. Rinsing with fresh water and drip drain for a few minutes. Open zipper and wipe out inside of suit using a clean damp cloth (water mixed with detergent).

All suites are sanitized by Ted Louis-hydrostatic BA Technician prior to repacking in tub. Carry suites to with hanger to “drying room” . Dry Protective cover and place into suite tub on bench top. Open suites and place drying hoses into the suites. Turn drying heaters on and take replacement suit from shelf. Fill in all details of incident and suit exchange on the Protective Clothing Movement Record Board.

Suit Packaging Procedure

• - Ensure Velcro is closed fully zip open.
• - Lay out suit, protective cover on, visor down and arms out.
• - Fold legs up, placing boots into the centre of back (Ensure boots face same direction).
• - Fold arms into centre of back, ensuring elbows meet boot soles and gloves sit into back of hood.
• - Lift visor/hood and fold back over boots.
• - Ensure tub contains all equipment.
• - Place folded suit into tub ensuring visor and hood and positioned at the labeled end (Visor top)

Inspections

At Ted Louis-hydrostatics Inspections are carried out 4 times per year. This consists of 3 visual inpections recorded by operational staff and a fourth inspection carried out by our Technical services, which includes a leak tightness test

To conduct a visual inspection

• - Remove the green technician seal and cable ties from the tub and take out the suit.
• - Visually inspect the suit for wear and creasing
• - If the suit is faulty it must be reported.
• - If the suites is in a serviceable condition re-pack it and cable tie the lid with a green “serviceable” tag indicating all the required inpection information.
• - Complete the quarterly inspecition card and return it to ourTechinical Services

Manufacturing Earthers

Manufacturing of earthers for the removal of static from bins used by fire fighting services.
The earthing kits are manufactured with chain and earthing wire, to alleviate the problem of static electrivcity build up, in plastic containers. See fig 1 to see the kits application.