Tank maintenance advice

You need to have your bottles hydro tested every five years. On each of your tanks will be the date they were made. Look on the label for two digits followed by a C with an L in it's middle followed by two more digits that will be the month followed by the year it was made. If that is over five years there may be another label showing it was tested and passed for another 5 years. The bottle only has a life of 15 years and must legally be retired 15 years from the original date. Other than that a visual inspection should be enough to show it is ok to use. 

I have a 90 ci bottle that I was concerned about crazing on the surface, no deep cracks, but a paint ball shop that refills and inspects bottles judged it to be ok to use.

Hopefully your bottles were new in 2012 and look good with no cracks. If so you are due for a Hydro sometime this year.

I paid 21 dollars for each of two steel scuba tanks for the 5 year hydro test.

Search around your area, check with your fire department as to where you can bring your tank for hydro.

I cut out the dive shop cost and extra time involved for them to send them out etc.

Turn around was 7 days, Thursday before Xmas, picked them up Wednesday after Xmas.

I think that 15 year life is only in the USA, and the 5 year hydro testing , I know we have people on here from over the big pond,
I am pretty sure they treat there bottles a little different,
Someone jump in here and explain the laws over in Europe????
Just saying
Mike,