DG-400 Oxygen Bottle Problems

Gary: Did TYM's put a new date stamp on the bottle when they tested it
? Also, what work did they do on the bottle? ie, remove the
valve,sand blast the inside, test and reinstall the valve ? or just
put a pressure test thru your valve without removing it? The reason I
ask is I got the Salt Lake City test site to test one of my bottles 2
years ago and the didn't realise that the thread was metric and when
they put their automatic pressure tester on and it auto-screwed up the
joint it stripped my bottle threads !

They do a lot (perhaps all U.S.) metric bottle testing.
They stamped the bottle and provide a certificate that
it passed test. I don't know if they removed the valve
and/or cleaned the inside. Give them a call and ask
if it matters to you. As explained before the lack
of a DOT stamp has not been a problem for me and I
have used several different filling stations. All metric
bottles obviously have never had DOT stamps and there
are many still in use.
As Tim pointed out metric bottles also do not have
a safety rupture disc installed in the valve, which
is to protect against significant over pressurization,
such as could be caused by fire.
If either is an issue for you a new bottle is the only
choice or only fly low.




At 19:43 08 September 2005,
wrote:
Gary: Did TYM's put a new date stamp on the bottle
when they tested it
? Also, what work did they do on the bottle? ie,
remove the
valve,sand blast the inside, test and reinstall the
valve ? or just
put a pressure test thru your valve without removing
it? The reason I
ask is I got the Salt Lake City test site to test one
of my bottles 2
years ago and the didn't realise that the thread was
metric and when
they put their automatic pressure tester on and it
auto-screwed up the
joint it stripped my bottle threads !

you can see these bottles (and a lot more) on my page
http://www.wingsandwheels.com/page35.htm
the bottles measure 4 3/16" O.D.
essentially, when the major manufacturers of these cylinders went to
Aluminum bottles they kept the same inside volume, but since steel is
stronger they made the wall thickness on the aluminum bottles thicker and
gained a few mm in the process...
And for what it's worth, I spoke directly with the principles at DG and the
former LS a few years ago and told them of the problem....asked why they
couldn't just simply make the openings a few silly millimeters larger to
accommodate the US owners .they in both cases simply shrugged it off and
said to anyone in the USA it's "your problem" in Germany we have no
problems.. real satisfaction I'd say...
tim
Wings & Wheels
www.wingsandwheels.com

wrote in message
oups.com...
Tim: I'm glad I posted this item so I could see all these comments.
You are right of course that just finding someone to test it isn't the
answer because without the DOT stamp an alert O2 station shouldn't fill
it. I can't understand why the USA and Germany couldn't have agreed
that for EXPERIMENTAL gliders the German bottle was exempt. Mine are
certified to 2900psi and we only fill generally to 1800psi. What is
the circumference of your "small" diameter bottles? and how long are
they? Capacity ? Cost ?

Duane Eisenbeiss wrote:


so putting it back in should make your insurance invalid and the annual.

Doh


Take to bottle out at annual inspection!!

duh



When you reinstall the bottle just call it "baggage".

I might be wrong, but I thought that is exactly what it was all the
time. I don't know of any glider with a certified oxygen installation,
so we all carry oxygen as "portable" equipment. As such, it does not
need FAA inspection and does not affect the aircraft airworthiness
anymore than a flashlight or handheld GPS you carry in the glider.

The problem isn't the FAA, but the DOT requirements. I'm not familiar
with the DOT details, but prudence suggests having the bottle tested
periodically, even if you can get it filled without the DOT stamp.

I avoid the hassle and expense of commercial filling by owning two
glider bottles, which gives me plenty of time to get one filled while
the other is in use. I fill the bottles myself from larger tank that
will allow several refills to 75% or more capacity. The tank is small
enough that I can easily carry it with me on extended soaring trips;
however, the two glider bottles are enough for a week of flying with my
EDS controller.

If you do decide to fill your bottles yourself, be sure to learn how to
do it safely and get the right lines/hoses/valves. Improper equipment
can lead to fires and explosions (been there, watched it done). It is
possible to do it wrong, but done right, it's easy and safe.

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA