HYDROSTATIC TESTING OXYGEN BOTTLE

[Danb]

When our O2 bottle is tested or replaced do the regulators etc., also need to be recertified and recalibrated?

Also can we change our own bottle with new, or does it need to be done by our friendly mechanics? 

[GeeBee]

The manual says overhaul the regulator every 6 years, inspect every 3 years. If you are part 91 that is not mandatory. 

 

[pwnel]

https://www.c-l-aero.com 

Have a chat to them.  They did mine - on recommendation from previous similar threads here on MS.  Excellent service - excellent telephonic advice beforehand.

PS: I removed my own cylinder and shipped it to them, but it's required to have an A&P re-install it and do the log entry.  (reference somewhere here on MS too). 

[EricJ]

22 hours ago, Danb said:

When our O2 bottle is tested or replaced do the regulators etc., also need to be recertified and recalibrated?

Also can we change our own bottle with new, or does it need to be done by our friendly mechanics? 

Maintenance of on-board (i.e., not portable) oxygen systems does not fall under Preventive Maintenance so should be done by an A&P or other suitably certified maintainer.  There are some serious pitfalls regarding contamination and safety when handling O2 systems that should be avoided.

Your aircraft maintenance manual is the first reference to use for equipment servicing, testing and requalification requirements, so whatever it says should be the appropriate approach. 

The DOT regulates requalification intervals for O2 equipment rather than the FAA, so 49 CFR 180.209 is the guiding regulation for hydrostatic requalification of cylinders.   The interval between requalification depends on the construction material of the cylinder, i.e., thin or thick steel, aluminum, composite, etc., have different requirements.   Most cylinders require 5 year intervals, some of the composite or other materials may be different (e.g., 3 or 10 years for some).

Here are a couple references that provide a little more detail:

https://www.duncanaviation.aero/intelligence/2020/March/hydrostatic-testing-and-requalification-requirements

https://www.aps-aviation.com/wp-content/uploads/aerospace-hydrostatic-testing.pdf

[RobertGary1]

13 minutes ago, EricJ said:

Maintenance of on-board (i.e., not portable) oxygen systems does not fall under Preventive Maintenance so should be done by an A&P or other suitably certified maintainer.  There are some serious pitfalls regarding contamination and safety when handling O2 systems that should be avoided.
 

Or specifically the FAA requires the A&P to provide supervision. You can remove it, send it to a proper shop for maintenance. Then you can reinstall it under A&P supervision.

-Robert

[testwest]

+1 for C & L Aero. Great shop with a lot of experience and know how. They are who I use.

[N201MKTurbo]

The hydro test is not an FAA requirement (unless it is in the ICA for the bottle). It can be done anywhere. The local cylinder shop charges about $20 to do a hydro test. Most large cities have hydro test facilities. Think of all those welding and medical bottles that need testing.

[RobertGary1]

5 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

The hydro test is not an FAA requirement (unless it is in the ICA for the bottle). It can be done anywhere. The local cylinder shop charges about $20 to do a hydro test. Most large cities have hydro test facilities. Think of all those welding and medical bottles that need testing.

We have a dive shop that does them. 
The requirement and rules for testing are from the DOT. 
 

-Robert

[philiplane]

Within the DOT hydrostatic test regulation is a built in extension to the test requirement. You do not need to test at the end of the 3 year or 5 year (as applicable) term to continue using a full bottle, but you can't refill the bottle after the end of the term. Meaning that you can fill your bottle at the end of the 3rd or 5th year, and use the bottle until it is empty. Then it must be tested before refilling. So if you are a casual user, you might gain another full year of use before needing to test & refill it. This acknowledges that pressure cycles are more important that just calendar time. There is often no need to empty a full bottle just to test it, if the user will take many months to consume the oxygen.

Edited October 2, 2020 by philiplane