This Is What Can Happen.....

[Gerard]

Ah, I see, sorry but I didn't catch the hyphen in his link. I think the new website address has been in place for over a year at least. Don't know why Alex changed the domain name. Nor why he uses a proxy service for website hosting and conceals his real name with his domain registrar.

[rsterne]

The link I posted (with the hyphen) was copy/pasted from his Forum post of Feb. 24.... 

Thanks for the new website link.... On the HiPac page....  http://www.powermaxhipac.com/5--hipac-s.html

you will find this statement....

2240/2250 Only

New parts with ​smaller bore/thicker wall

Due to manufacturing error all other HiPAC models are discontinued until further notice.

So it appears the thin wall does not just impact the Extensions.... but not having ever used a HiPac I will leave it to those who have to determine if there is a safety issue....

Bob

[vigilandy]

Thanks for the updated info.  My QB78 HiPac units AND extensions have the same wall thickness issues (0.033"—0.035").  Hopefully  there will be some exchange/refund policy forthcoming.....   

[chekbone]

I don't know why the Forums should have to do the Rat's work for him.
I repeat what I read from the above, from the Rat's Forum....

Bob

Don't be so sensitive Bob . In that post I was referring to the rat (squirrel) on the website's front page, the one that's yelling "Nooooo", to which he responded. A personal shot in my opinion. Maybe You owe Him an apoplgy this time. My understanding, and the content of the conversation was that the extensions were out of stock. In the conversation he was referring to the hipac he's still selling being .047". From the website - sure you've seen the rat - he stopped selling the others until he gets other parts along with the extensions. I went back and read it again just to be sure and got the same message. "EXTENSIONS" aren't mentioned in his post, but it's in yours. You copied, pasted, then added extensions to it to make it sound specific to extensions. Then you posted it as his words for everybody to read out of context. Not saying that everything you say about hipac is wrong, but it's definitely ain't all right. If your going to quote for the purpose of convincing others to your effort you should quote verbatim. No hidden agendas when you do it that way. Also read that .033" is nominal.

[chekbone]

Ah, I see, sorry but I didn't catch the hyphen in his link. I think the new website address has been in place for over a year at least. Don't know why Alex changed the domain name. Nor why he uses a proxy service for website hosting and conceals his real name with his domain registrar.

Ask him.

[Gerard]

Alex doesn't respond to me by email any more. Doesn't post my messages on his 'forum' either. I said a couple of things last year which called into question some HiPAC stuff, and he got mad and deleted some of what I said and started throwing insults at me in public. I emailed to ask him to behave like a rational person and just answer the questions but no reply ever came. From what I've read in many forums this sort of behaviour is rather typical for Alex going back through the last 4 or 5 years.

[buldawg76]

Alex doesn't respond to me by email any more. Doesn't post my messages on his 'forum' either. I said a couple of things last year which called into question some HiPAC stuff, and he got mad and deleted some of what I said and started throwing insults at me in public. I emailed to ask him to behave like a rational person and just answer the questions but no reply ever came. From what I've read in many forums this sort of behaviour is rather typical for Alex going back through the last 4 or 5 years.

This was the exact same treatment I got from him when I called him two years ago to discuss my issues and concerns over the 230.00 dollars I just spent with him for 2 hipac units with 2 extension each.

Mine would never seal above 1200 psi and IMO the main reason was the fact that the threads on the female ends of the parts had no relief shelf in them to properly capture the o rings in place under pressure like every other piece of equipment that use an o ring to seal in or out pressure or fluids of any sort always has to function correctly. He emphatically stated there was no design or manufacturing issue with his products and that since I was not an engineer I had no idea of what I was talking about or what I was doing. So 45 years as a ASE master certified technician working for Cadillac meant I had no clue as to how mechanical things were sealed or constructed at all, A 32 valve variable valve timing Northstar engine is by far more complex than any Hipac ever could be.

He did offer to replace the parts with ones of the same design and manufacturing quality, but would not refund my money for the returned parts. I saw no benefit in returning defective parts only to receive more of the same defective parts on my dime for shipping the parts back to him.

I was in no way aware of the safety issue of the thin metal under the o ring grooves or would have never purchased from him at all so as I have said before here.

It is BUYER BEWARE.   

Mike

[rsterne]

OK, here is exactly what Alex wrote....

I have 2250 HiPACs, no extensions. Apparently my machinist drilled a lot of them with a bigger bore than the design which thinned the o-ring channel. As you read you'll hear what you hear, so for comfort sake here it is. The o-ring channel OD 0.672". ID is 0.578" for a grand difference of 0.094" or .047 wall thickness, which ain't a problem, as the AG gods profess their expertise in all things AG related. Funny that nobody"s asked to return them. Go figure.

I read that to mean that he was selling 2250 HiPacs, (but) NO EXTENSIONS, (because) "Apparently my machinist drilled a lot of THEM (ie extensions) with a bigger bore..... " I suppose it's possible that Alex meant it was the HiPacs that were made incorrectly, not the extensions, but I don't really care, because he goes on to say, "The o-ring channel OD 0.672". ID is 0.578" for a grand difference of 0.094" or .047 wall thickness, which ain't a problem," which to me means that 0.047" wall is OK, but SOME OF THEM WERE THINNER, AND ARE THEREFORE NOT OK.... I went back and added "and/or" since there seems to be confusion in the minds of some is the thin walls are on HiPacs, Extensions, or both.... Note that vigilandy, above says BOTH....

I feel this is confirmed by the statement on his own website that says....

2240/2250 Only
New parts with ​smaller bore/thicker wall
Due to manufacturing error all other HiPAC models are discontinued until further notice.

How anyone could read those two statements, and come to the conclusion that 0.033" is OK, I have no idea.... nor do I really care what you do, as long as you aren't standing next to me with a HiPac that measures thinner than 0.047" when you do it.....

I have no hidden agenda here, it is WIDE OPEN, and in a word SAFETY.... IMO, Alex clearly knows that some of his HiPacs (or extensions, or whatever) were under his own (now) stated tolerance of 0.047".... and yet he has not issued a recall.... I just went over his entire website looking for one, ZIP, NADA.... As far as I am concerned, as stated in the above posts, it is indeed BUYER BEWARE.... as you are dealing with somebody who now knows there was a potential problem with some of his products being under tolerance, and never recalled them....

How ANYONE can defend him, and attack me for trying to keep people safe, is completely and 100% beyond me....

Bob

[buldawg76]

Bob
Very well stated and I agree with you 100% in that he obviously new he had problems and was not concerned with recalling the defective products or issuing refunds to those who desired them, but more importantly and concerning is the fact that he has no regards for the safety of his customers or fellow enthusiasts whatsoever and seems to be out just for the money and nothing else.

I am not one to bash or beat down any seller or business person if they are willing to stand behind their products but it was very clear to me he is not one of those stand up people that can and will admit he made a mistake and try his best to make it right.

Therefore I will never do business with him again and tell anyone who choses to ask the truth as to why that is and then they can form their own opinions and decide for themselves.

Mike 

[chekbone]

You're right, it's not hidden, but don't divide my opinion into either attacking you or defending him; it's neither. The issue of safety is always in the forefront and i'm in line with the whole community to that point, but your hidden bias is blatantly obvious. *(&^, your fangs are out and it's all over this forum. If not you'd have copy/paste the actual statement in the first place, not your doctored-up version. Then you could easily have gone back and edited the first post to read his actual statement. And the "modify" button does work. Instead you reply with more guided comment and corrections. You wouldn't have done that if you had never been brought it to the carpet on it. Your readers obviously agree with you on everything so keep it honest and not in character.

As for the hipac, I read that .033 - .038" was nominal so guess .047" is what it is now. There'sothing saying .033" is an issue but you. What i haven't read (other than the incidents with Goober's mechanics and Superman's steel bending), is a single unit exploding when used as designed. That's all I'm saying. If that's happened then yeah, maybe a recall is in order, but without you pushing it. I don't know how he made them. Maybe .025" is the 3 to 1 safety margin for error you mention so often. I doubt it but unless you know the steel grade you're just mouthing bias. Sure they need to be tested, at least the thinnest one do, and I agree with the community on that issue point. I don't know if he's tested it or not but i'll ask next time I visit his forum. Keep it unbiased and factual. A Thousand truthes does not an honest man make, but a lie makes a liar.

"How anyone could read..."? I'm sure there're some who would have been smart enough to draw their own conclusion, without your influence.

[nervoustrigger]

Hmm, my wife accuses me of being an untrusting person.  I don't know what blinders are, let alone take to wearing them, and I find no bias in anything Bob wrote on the subject.

But I do agree most people are smart enough to draw their own conclusions...if they have the patience and stamina to read this entire thread.  At the same time, any safety-minded individual would be wise to check any parts in use regardless of whether they are the primary Hipac units or extensions.  Because if one of them has been found to have marginal wall thickness and made it to market, that means no QA step was being done to validate they were made to spec, so why would one assume the other part was?  That's what I take away from it, anyway.

[Rocker1]

You're right, it's not hidden, but don't divide my opinion into either attacking you or defending him; it's neither. The issue of safety is always in the forefront and i'm in line with the whole community to that point, but your hidden bias is blatantly obvious. *(&^, your fangs are out and it's all over this forum. If not you'd have copy/paste the actual statement in the first place, not your doctored-up version. Then you could easily have gone back and edited the first post to read his actual statement. And the "modify" button does work. Instead you reply with more guided comment and corrections. You wouldn't have done that if you had never been brought it to the carpet on it. Your readers obviously agree with you on everything so keep it honest and not in character.

As for the hipac, I read that .033 - .038" was nominal so guess .047" is what it is now. There'sothing saying .033" is an issue but you. What i haven't read (other than the incidents with Goober's mechanics and Superman's steel bending), is a single unit exploding when used as designed. That's all I'm saying. If that's happened then yeah, maybe a recall is in order, but without you pushing it. I don't know how he made them. Maybe .025" is the 3 to 1 safety margin for error you mention so often. I doubt it but unless you know the steel grade you're just mouthing bias. Sure they need to be tested, at least the thinnest one do, and I agree with the community on that issue point. I don't know if he's tested it or not but i'll ask next time I visit his forum. Keep it unbiased and factual. A Thousand truthes does not an honest man make, but a lie makes a liar.

"How anyone could read..."? I'm sure there're some who would have been smart enough to draw their own conclusion, without your influence.

  Undoubtedly sir you do not know the history of Mr Hipac and this forum,  try a search and see the past history on this subject. David

[dv8eod]

My 2cents- All the pertinant and necessary information has been stated by this point.
Probably a good time to go ahead and lock it before more BS appears and convolutes the whole purpose of this thread.

[Gippeto]

I agree...further bashing serves no one.

Love that avatar Rocker1....use it myself on a few forums.

Al

[Poorman Plinker]

  I am glad the thread continued... I just now saw the .047/.033 o-ring groove issue. Having been very happy with my Hipac so far, and having no opinion about the man (Alex?), I will take a caliper to the beast. I would not like to have a rocket on my hands if it failed.
To digress 16 pages: I would guess that the o-ring groove was not the cause of the valve in the leg problem LOL. And, I am otherwise happy to know of this potential flaw.
Ignoring any personal bashing... I am grateful that you all have continued your investigation of the product..
 

[aluminumfetish]

Well put plinker ! I will continue to use my hi-pac as I have been. It has been a great lesson to all about gun safety in the home. DE-GAS !

[laid over]

Some of the most experienced and respected dudes on the forum have been warning us about hipacks for a pretty long time.  It was a matter of time.

[tkerrigan]

I may have mentioned this before in this thread, I measured my 2250 with extension and one is .0285" wall thickness and the other is .0305".  Not acceptable for pressure.  As soon as I can find some 5/8" OD X .065 wall hydraulic tube I will reduce the OD about .025" and 5000lb epoxy some 1" long pieces inside the tubes centered at the grooves.  I will turn a wood dowel to make an installation tool to keep the tube centered until the epoxy hardens.  Regards, Tom

[rsterne]

If anyone cares, I ran the numbers given above with 0.047" wall.... 0.672" OD x 0.578" ID.... Using 1018 Cold Rolled Steel (a common material) which has a Tensile strength of 64Ksi and a yield strength of 54Ksi, and the industry standard for pressure vessels of a 3.5:1 safety margin using UTS (tensile), I get a MSWP of 2560 psi.... This does not allow for addition stress due to side forces applied to the tube....

We do not know the material used, but since Alex has specified a 0.047" wall as being used, we can assume that he is confident of that dimension up to the 3000 psi he specifies.... Using the material I did for my calculations, and that wall thickness, the Safety Margin at 3000 psi is 2.98:1.... I personally would take out of service, or return, any HiPac or Extension that was thinner.... I really don't think any further discussion is necessary, it may indeed be time to lock this thread....

Bob