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Filling compressed gas cylinders is a serious matter. The Federal Government says that it’s illegal to fill gas cylinders beyond their rated fill pressures. Injuries at the fill station are common. Gas cylinder filling is a Hazmat situation that requires training for any individual who provides pressurized gas fills. Many divers want a “good fill” but what is a good fill? Divers seem to want their cylinders overpressurized meaning more than the cylinder is rated for. Cylinders are engineered & tested to allow for their maximum fill pressures. When cylinders get taken above their engineered max fill pressure things can go wrong. Cylinders will begin to weaken & potentially they will fail their hydrostatic test. It compromises the bust disc causing the burst disc to get bulged & then the burst disc can let go well below its rated burst pressure & at any given time (even U/W!) Most of our more discerning divers bring their cylinders in to fill well in advance so as to allow us to fill nice & slow, allow for cooling then to top up to the final psi while cooled.
