Recommendations on used scba tank

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madeintheuk

madeintheuk

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Apr 19, 2020
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Washington depot, Connecticut, United States
I’ve looked all over eBay, and there’s lots of sellers, but how do I know who to go with? How do I know the quality of the tank (if it’s banged around a lot) if the pictures are generic from a ‘batch’ they have? And finally, what’s the oldest tank it’s worth buying? I know DOT is a must, recent hydro test is needed, but is a 2005 tank (technically expired) worth getting? Or should I spend more money on a tank that’s still in serviceable?
 
The vendors will be able to tell you the age and hydro status of the product that they are selling. It's up to you to decide whether it is value for money. It doesn't matter if it is DOT certified if it's out of date. If it's older than fifteen years, It's not worth a brass razoo. If you have your own compressor and you can find one that is in good shape for zero $, then it might be worth considering but don't pay anything for something that is out of service.
 
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I have two SCBAs one still with 7 years left and one expired. I fill them both from my own compressor. There is no way my home compressor would overfill and blow up the expired tank. I believe the compressor would fail first. As for durability? Remember firemen and women wear these things on their back. While enduring hostile fire and smoke scenarios. So the tanks are built accordingly. I’ve been filling my out of date tank for over a year now... no worries. The same SCBAs that are rated for a 15 year lifespan here in the USA. Get a 30 year rating elsewhere?
 
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Find a tank that is already full of air and that is actually pictured instead of a representative sample. Overall condition is more important than the manufacturer date- a tank is more likely to fail from being abused in its lifetime than from aging. Seller reviews are always helpful.

I have an out of date tank I fill myself and never had any issues. The expiration date is a "one size fits all" law to make the tanks in use overall safer, it doesn't mean any individual tank is bad. Any high pressure system is subject to failure. I only fill to 4200-4250 psi and not the max 4500 for some extra safety anyway, there's no need to push the limits when it only takes 20 minutes or so to top off.
 
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I should have elaborated a little. I’ll be filling this at my firehouse, so out of date isn’t really a big deal. My biggest worry is finding a reputable seller that is selling what’s pictured, and not from a generic picture. Some pics look good, others are battered, but they’re just pics of the batch they currently are selling off,not the particular one you’re buying. Are there any dealers out there that show what you’re truly buying? Any more reputable than others?
 
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madeintheuk

You stated:

I should have elaborated a little. I’ll be filling this at my firehouse, so out of date isn’t really a big deal.



It most certainly is a big deal! Having them fill an out dated tank puts them at 100% liability, not something you should even consider!
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So firstly the only person liable is myself, because I will fill it myself. 
secondly, have you ever been in a firehouse and seen a cascade system? And the bombproof enclosure designed to fill bottles in? I have filled hundreds of bottles during my tenure as a firefighter at this house. Bottles that have been in and out of some of the hottest and toughest situations you could imagine, and are STILL in service. I have NEVER had one explode on my, and yet will never fill a bottle without using the enclosure. 

That being said, I understand where you’re coming from, but in the case of liability, or safety, I am much safer filling an expired bottle in a firehouse cascade enclosure, than I am from a personal compressor in my own home. 
 
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So you're a firefighter. Don't you have any tanks laying around you could "borrow"?
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Would I be writing this if I did? 
we just had all of our bottles and packs swapped out due to being “past service life”. The company we deal with to buy new equipment takes our old bottles as trade ins for the new ones. I asked the rep what they do with the old ones, and they can’t legally sell them to me, so my loss!!

hence, I’m posting here to ask. Thanks for all the constructive answers though!
 
Upvote 0
So you're a firefighter. Don't you have any tanks laying around you could "borrow"?
Click to expand...

Would I be writing this if I did? 
we just had all of our bottles and packs swapped out due to being “past service life”. The company we deal with to buy new equipment takes our old bottles as trade ins for the new ones. I asked the rep what they do with the old ones, and they can’t legally sell them to me, so my loss!!

hence, I’m posting here to ask. Thanks for all the constructive answers though!
Click to expand...

Well, I didn't know and it's why I asked. Thanks for explaining anyways. Moving on.
 
Upvote 0
So you're a firefighter. Don't you have any tanks laying around you could "borrow"?
Click to expand...

Would I be writing this if I did? 
we just had all of our bottles and packs swapped out due to being “past service life”. The company we deal with to buy new equipment takes our old bottles as trade ins for the new ones. I asked the rep what they do with the old ones, and they can’t legally sell them to me, so my loss!!

hence, I’m posting here to ask. Thanks for all the constructive answers though!
Click to expand...

I have a question for you. Does your fire department keep their bottles for their whole 15-year usable life or do they swap them out on their own schedule? I know that our brigades he in Aus. get rid of their's when the first hydro is due. I was told that they are then given a second life in the Pacific islands. I don't believe that it would be legal to sell out of service (more than 15 years old) bottles on the open market. That is why I said that they have no monetary value apart from maybe a few bucks for the valve.
 
Upvote 0
So you're a firefighter. Don't you have any tanks laying around you could "borrow"?
Click to expand...

Would I be writing this if I did? 
we just had all of our bottles and packs swapped out due to being “past service life”. The company we deal with to buy new equipment takes our old bottles as trade ins for the new ones. I asked the rep what they do with the old ones, and they can’t legally sell them to me, so my loss!!

hence, I’m posting here to ask. Thanks for all the constructive answers though!
Click to expand...

Well, I didn't know and it's why I asked. Thanks for explaining anyways. Moving on.
Click to expand...

Apologies for being stern. I just get worked up with criticism towards me. When it comes to my liability concerns, I’ve obviously done my due diligence to make sure I can safely fill these bottles without worry of damaging people or equipment. That being said, I appreciate the responses I get that help me in my venture. The reason I joined this forum was to learn every aspect of the sport, and get information from those who are much more knowrledgable than I. However, when it comes to my profession I don’t take criticism as lightly. 
thanks for all the helpful responses. 
 
Upvote 0
So you're a firefighter. Don't you have any tanks laying around you could "borrow"?
Click to expand...

Would I be writing this if I did? 
we just had all of our bottles and packs swapped out due to being “past service life”. The company we deal with to buy new equipment takes our old bottles as trade ins for the new ones. I asked the rep what they do with the old ones, and they can’t legally sell them to me, so my loss!!

hence, I’m posting here to ask. Thanks for all the constructive answers though!
Click to expand...

I have a question for you. Does your fire department keep their bottles for their whole 15-year usable life or do they swap them out on their own schedule? I know that our brigades he in Aus. get rid of their's when the first hydro is due. I was told that they are then given a second life in the Pacific islands. I don't believe that it would be legal to sell out of service (more than 15 years old) bottles on the open market. That is why I said that they have no monetary value apart from maybe a few bucks for the valve.
Click to expand...

We keep ours for almost the full 15yrs before replacing them at the same time. They are purchased with the packs, so by the time the bottles are past their in service date, so are the packs, and we get all new equipment. Our current setups went into service last year. All our old equipment was traded for the new stuff (I have no idea what happens to it after that, but the company we use will not sell out of service bottles or equipment to us). 
I know European services hold on to these for 30yrs sometimes, but after 15yrs, nfpa requires we replace ours. 
I don’t mind spending a little extra money and buying a bottle that still has some service left in it, including an up to date hydro. I just don’t want to spend the $600-700 they want for a new one, that I would need to buy adapters to fill at my fire house. 
 
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I got my first one about 4 years ago. It was born in 2010 and overdue for it's first hydro. I paid $200 AUD for the whole backpack, mask and bottle. The guy that I bought it off was a commercial painter and only needed it for one job. He bought 2 of them from an auction and I suppose that they were full of air and in new condition. I think that he may have had trouble getting them refilled because of the due hydro. I told him that I only wanted the bottle but he didn't want to separate them, hence the cheap price for the whole kit. Our SCBA bottles use DIN 300 valves so it was cheap getting filling systems.
 
Upvote 0
So you're a firefighter. Don't you have any tanks laying around you could "borrow"?
Click to expand...

Would I be writing this if I did? 
we just had all of our bottles and packs swapped out due to being “past service life”. The company we deal with to buy new equipment takes our old bottles as trade ins for the new ones. I asked the rep what they do with the old ones, and they can’t legally sell them to me, so my loss!!

hence, I’m posting here to ask. Thanks for all the constructive answers though!
Click to expand...

Well, I didn't know and it's why I asked. Thanks for explaining anyways. Moving on.
Click to expand...

Apologies for being stern. I just get worked up with criticism towards me. When it comes to my liability concerns, I’ve obviously done my due diligence to make sure I can safely fill these bottles without worry of damaging people or equipment. That being said, I appreciate the responses I get that help me in my venture. The reason I joined this forum was to learn every aspect of the sport, and get information from those who are much more knowrledgable than I. However, when it comes to my profession I don’t take criticism as lightly. 
thanks for all the helpful responses.
Click to expand...

No worries. It's all good. 🤙🏽
 
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