6. GENERAL MAINTENANCE, ADJUSTMENTS, AND STORAGE
Page 163
© 2007 DH Instruments, a Fluke Company
Place the reference gas cylinder (with connector and support still attached) into the case so that the
cylinder connector is supported with the fill port and valve facing up.
Close the case lid and latch the latches.
The cylinder is now ready for shipment or storage. When shipping, it is recommended to place the case
in a corrugated shipping container to keep the case in good condition and prevent easy access to the
latches.
6.5
REFERENCE GAS CYLINDER HYDROSTATIC TESTING
US-DOT and European regulations require that the composite Reference Gas Cylinders be
hydrostatically tested every 5 years and have a maximum service life of 15 years. Figure 106 shows
representative labels from the US-DOT cylinders on the left and European cylinders on the right.
The US-DOT label shows the month and year of manufacture (indicated in the Figure by an arrow) and
the statement that “Hydrostatic testing must be performed every 5 years”. The cylinder serial number is
directly above the month and year.
The European label shows the year and month of manufacture, the year and month of the cylinders final
service date, and locations to list the dates of the periodic inspections (all indicated in the Figure by
arrows). The cylinder serial number is in the upper right corner of the label.
Figure 106: US-DOT and European Reference Gas Cylinder labels
To locate a local hydrostatic testing facility, contact a local paintball equipment supplier, scuba shop, or
compressed gas supplier and inquire as to whom they have hydrostatically test their cylinders. Prepare
the cylinder for shipment by following the instructions in Section 6.4.
During the testing process it is almost certain that the testing facility will require that the cylinder be
removed from the carrier. For this reason and due to the fragile nature of the cylinder carrier in untrained
hands, DHI recommends the removal of the carrier prior to sending the cylinder out for hydrostatic
testing. The instructions in Section 6.6 detail the removal and reassembly of the carrier.
For a fee, DHI can sub-contract the US-DOT hydrostatic testing of the Reference Gas Cylinder, and
ensure that the cylinder is properly aligned in the cylinder support assembly before return shipment to the
customer. When sending the cylinder assembly to DHI for this purpose, it is only necessary to prepare
the cylinder for shipment by following the instructions in Section 6.4, and removal of the carrier is not
required.
6.6
REMOVING OR REASSEMBLING THE CYLINDER
CARRIER
If the cylinder carrier has been removed from the Reference Gas Cylinder, either intentionally or by
accident, it must be correctly reassembled and aligned to safely and properly continue to use the