Ultrasonic requalification
Ultrasonic examination is a non-destructive alternative to the hydrostatic retest, authorized under DOT special permit for 3A, 3AA and 3AL cylinders. Instead of filling the cylinder with water and pressurizing it, we measure the wall from the outside, over the full surface, and compare it against the minimum the standard requires.
The cylinder interior never gets wet, the valve never comes off, and whatever gas is in it stays in it. Passing cylinders are stamped with our RIN and the test date and go back to you ready to fill.
- DOT 3A, 3AA and 3AL cylinders
- External and internal visual inspection to CGA C-6.1 and C-6.3 included
- Full wall-thickness map on every cylinder
- Condemned cylinders returned to you with the written reason
- 3 to 5 business days from drop-off to pickup
What fits on the machine
- Outside diameter
- 2.2 to 8.5 inches5.6 to 21.6 cm
- Height, valve included
- 8 to 36 inches20.3 to 91.4 cm
- Weight
- Up to 50 lb22.7 kg
That covers everything from an M4 medical cylinder to an aluminum 80, and most steel cylinders through 80 cu ft. Not sure? Send us the size and we'll tell you.
Full refurbishment
A requalified cylinder with ten years of route wear on it still looks like a cylinder with ten years of route wear on it. Refurbishment fixes that. Old coating, labels, adhesive and surface corrosion come off; a clean, durable finish goes on. Returning your cylinder looking as new as when it first rolled out of the factory.
- Strip to bare metal. Aluminum-safe cleaning, no abrasive blasting, so wall thickness is unaffected.
- Inspect the bare surface. Anything hiding under the old paint gets caught here, before the retest.
- Prime and coat with a low-VOC finish in your fleet color.
- Relabel to spec, apply the heat-exposure indicator where required, and stamp.
Fleet colors on request
Standard is a clean, uniform finish in the conventional color for the gas. If your fleet runs a house color or a two-tone shoulder, tell us once and every cylinder you send comes back matching.
Temp-Alert on every medical aluminum cylinder
Every medical oxygen aluminum cylinder we refurbish gets a heat-exposure indicator applied. If the cylinder is ever exposed to heat high enough to compromise the alloy, the indicator shows it.
Revalving
Ultrasonic testing leaves the valve alone, which is the point. But some cylinders come in with a valve that's leaking, damaged, obsolete, or the wrong type for how the cylinder is used now. Those we replace.
We pull the old valve, inspect the neck threads, and install a new valve of the correct CGA outlet and pressure rating for the gas service. If the cylinder is also due for requalification, it's tested after the new valve goes in.
- Medical oxygen: CGA 870 post valves and CGA 540
- Beverage CO2: CGA 320
- Nitrogen, argon and mixes: CGA 580 and 590
- Neck-thread inspection on every revalve
- You approve the work before we do it. We tell you the valve needs replacing; you decide.
Only when it needs it
A valve that passes inspection stays on. We won't sell you a valve you don't need, and a cylinder that comes in for requalification alone goes out with its original valve.
Supply your own
If your fleet standardizes on a specific valve, send them with the cylinders and we'll install yours.
Send us the fleet. We'll send back a number.
Cylinder types, rough monthly volume, and whether you want refurbishment or revalving on any of them. Pricing within one business day.