How do you "sidemount" rental tanks?

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DevonDiver - yes, essentially it is a stage strap kit - but I have fitted the DiveRite chokers and use the side-mount ring bungee system they sell - this means that the tank gets pulled in to the side rather than hanging down- my first attempt worked fine but did not pull the tank in fully - I have now changed the way the bungee runs so that it pulls the tank tighter to the body.

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Karl, many thanks - this was the thread and picture I had in mind. I noticed it once but could not find it again.

Andy, I read your posts carefully and I'd love to have an advanced sidemount course with you. Alas, the last time I had chance to visit Philipines was 1989. :) If you still would consider posting some pictures regarding my question, I will appreciate it, indeed.

rambaldi, a good point, thank you for warning! I learned the lesson about mismatching tank and valve threads in a less dramatic way - just by wasting some money and buying two pairs of valves I cant use. :(

Thank you friends for your informative posts. That was a good help!
 
Thanks, Phil! I use steel jubilee bands for fixing the lower boltsnaps, but cambands might be an easier and quicker solution for traveling and with rental tanks. I'm curious how yo have fixed the top of the cylinders. I use a continuous bungee loop, no boltsnaps but I imagine, it should be possilble to use a boltsnap in a similar way as in a stage rigging kit. I'm looking ahead for the picture. :)


Johanan,

It sounds like you don't need the upper clip, stage rigging kits also tend to have tails which are way too long for use on Al tanks. If you think you need an upper clip for Al tanks but use a small rope or bungee loop with a bolt snap you can remove once in the water - having the clip and stage rigging there for back-up just gets in the way on Al tanks.

The easiest option is to make up some travel bands using tank cam bands, a little rope, a bolt snap and a single triglide on each as shown below. These hold tight once tank mounted and are much more durable than the large hose clamp style bands when frequently used for travelling.

Cam band.jpg

Keep the rope as shot as practical and try to find the non-stretch rope used to start motors this works best, the clip should also be as small as you can use comfortably - keeping the minimum length from tank to end of clip makes tank trimming much easier using Al tanks (not steel).

Karl
 
...are much more durable than the large hose clamp style bands when frequently used for travelling.

Karl, have you had problems with durability on hose clamps? I've been using a pair for the last six months and much prefer them to cam-bands. No problems to set-up (I carry a leatherman and a little, dedicated, screwdriver in my dry box for the job). They're lighter and much less bulky for travel... and more robust on the cylinder, with a lesser chance of entanglement/entrapment in small areas. Fine after (only) 6 months (intensive diving schedule) - but you think they're more failure prone in comparison to cam-bands?
 
Karl, have you had problems with durability on hose clamps? I've been using a pair for the last six months and much prefer them to cam-bands. No problems to set-up (I carry a leatherman and a little, dedicated, screwdriver in my dry box for the job). They're lighter and much less bulky for travel... and more robust on the cylinder, with a lesser chance of entanglement/entrapment in small areas. Fine after (only) 6 months (intensive diving schedule) - but you think they're more failure prone in comparison to cam-bands?

In short, yes. They tend to twist easily and deform, especially if the hose clamp is concealed in a fabric, heat shrink or rubber hose coating. If it's not coated it tend to get deformed much more easily. I keep my permanent sidemount tanks with the hose clamp type bands, otherwise I just use the cam bands for all other tanks.

There isn't really any difference with entanglement and entrapment unless you are tanking very small spaces, even in which case the difference is only marginal. The only way to break a cam band is to break the plastic buckle on a cheap band, the metal buckle cam bands are near indestructible.
 
My SM rig has the bungees that I just put around the tank neck and clip to my chest d-ring. I never have to worry about the valve posts. One of my sets of SM tanks has the long posts, the other has short stubby posts.

If I am slinging a single AL80 with no BC in my monkey rig.. a lot of my AL80 tanks don't have the big side post. I just try to loop it around the neck and around the valve wheel if I can.

I used my monkey rig in mexico once with a jacket style BC (took all the tank straps off) and side mounted two AL80's this way, under the neck and up and over the valve wheel.

**edit...oh and I also carry two cam bands with clips bungeed to them for easy on/easy off bottom clips.
 
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Also; it sounds like your bottom cylinder connection utilizes a metal-to-metal connection. There are very valid reasons why this is frowned upon.

Hi DevonDiver - Sorry - I missed this comment when I read this first time around - why is a metal to metal bottom tank connection frowned upon - I am unclear how this would differ from having a ss "jubilee" type hose band at the bottom holding the bottom bolt snap - what is the risk that causes the concerns?

Cheers - Phil
 
Hi DevonDiver - Sorry - I missed this comment when I read this first time around - why is a metal to metal bottom tank connection frowned upon - I am unclear how this would differ from having a ss "jubilee" type hose band at the bottom holding the bottom bolt snap - what is the risk that causes the concerns?

It's simply a case of whether you can cut-away the cylinder if entangled/entrapped. Some might say that using a double-ender provides sufficient redundancy of the release to overcome this hazard - but I think if you progress into diving confined spaces you might not agree with that (I don't).

A single bolt-snap can easily jam. If connected metal-to-metal, you can't release the cylinder at all.
 
A single bolt-snap can easily jam. If connected metal-to-metal, you can't release the cylinder at all.

A lot of dive theories are one in a million or less likely hood but this one has actually happened to me, in open water too! One clip completely ceased up and was not moving, so the only way to remove the (stage) tank was to cut the connecting line before exiting the water. I then managed to get off the clip out of the water using a lot of WD40 and a hammer to release the clip mechanism - ironically it worked fine again after wards to it would seem it was jammed rather than ceased, it took some effort to release though and I don't think it would have been possible in-water.

The double ender should be avoided if possible, bolt snaps are intedned to swivel at the join point allowing the clip to be rotated, double enders will twist, if it twists while putting on the tank it's almost impossible to get back off again unless it is 'un-twisted' first. For sidemount this would mean that if the lower clip is put on first and the tank rotated upwards to the bungee the bungee must be released before the lower clip can be removed.

Basically metal clip to non-metal line to metal d-ring is the only real way to go!
 

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