A couple of tank questions.

[jashaw]

A guy locally has 5 tanks for sale. Three of them are originally manufactured in 1995, and havent been hydro'd since 2000. One is originally manufactured in 1982, and hasnt been hydro'd since 2001. The last was manufactured in 1992 and was hydro'd in 2000.

I think i could get all five for about $175, i would of course have to get them all hydro'd and probably a Visual Inspection on all. I didnt look to see when the most recent visual inspection sticker was because i wasnt interested as his other gear was dated also.

What im asking is would it be a good idea to buy these tanks knowing that they have not been hydro'd in 10 years?
As mentioned earlier, i didnt look for a VIP sticker because it was a package deal, but now he's piecing it out.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Last hydro date isn't the best indicator of whether a used tank is a good deal.

It's entirely possible that all of the tanks will pass hydro and VIP...so they would all be usable. It's possible that there might be rust inside one or all of them which would necessitate a tumbling. In my local area, this service costs $25/tank at the dive shop. It's also possible that one or more tanks will fail hydro, which would drive up the marginal cost of the usable tanks. Some sellers will agree that the sale is contingent upon the tanks passing hydro. Having such an arrangement with the seller would mitigate the risk of being stuck with a dud.

What size/type of tank are you looking for? Are the tanks for sale a good match?

Tanks can last a long time if they are properly stored and maintained. Provided that all tanks pass hydro, $175 for 5 tanks would seem to be a very good deal.

 

[jashaw]

All the tanks are aluminum 80's. VIP's ($10) and hydro's ($35) would be $45 per tank. I talked with my buddy and he also suggested a pending sale on passing the hydro.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

AL80s are nice...but do you really want that many of them?

You might want to consider just buying two of them -- perhaps cherry-pick the best-looking ones originally manufactured after 1988. That would allow you to do two back-to-back dives at your local dive spot. As you gain experience, you might want to purchase some tanks with a larger capacity (100 or 120 cuft.).

The last thing to keep in mind is that you might want to avoid buying the AL80s if they were made of the Luxfer 6351 alloy. Many scuba shops will not fill those tanks due to a perceived increased risk of sustained-load cracking in and around the neck and threads of the tank. I believe that the latest Luxfer AL80 to be made of the 6351 alloy was manufactured in the U.S. in 1988, so this may be an issue for some of the tanks. Check the Luxfer website to find out how to determine if a tank is made of the 6351 alloy.

 

[jashaw]

that is true, i probably wont really need 5 lol. They were luxfer brand, but didnt look at what alloy they were.
I tried looking on the website and didnt have any luck finding information determining the alloy. Maybe i looked in the wrong spot. All i found was that they are now made of 6061.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

that is true, i probably wont really need 5 lol. They were luxfer brand, but didnt look at what alloy they were.
I tried looking on the website and didnt have any luck finding information determining the alloy. Maybe i looked in the wrong spot. All i found was that they are now made of 6061.

Do a Google search for: luxfer 6351 alloy. You should get many hits.
Here's one webpage which describes the issue.

If you could post the exact tank markings on the neck of the tank, then we could help you out. There are several very knowledgeable people on SB who can decipher the tank code on the cylinder neck.

 

[jashaw]

Ok, i'll do that if/when i do decide to buy them. The one's i would be looking at would be man'd after '89 so i should be safe.

 

[spectrum]

In addition to the 6351 issue you want to consider the actual original hydro date. For no sound technical reasons some dive shops are imposing a 20 year limit of aluminum cylinders. You can find somebody to hydro and VIP sticker almost anything but you may not be able to get it filled at will when traveling.

$175 for 5 expired AL80's isn't a great deal but getting them for $35 each + services is still a bargain compared to new.

Pete

 

[dannobee]

To add one more element besides the important non-6061 alloy thing. If they're luxfer's, they are very popular with the "tech" crowd as deco/stage bottles. If the price is low, once they pass hydro you'll have no trouble selling them for what you have into them (if you choose to go another route). Or keep them if you ever decide to do some tech diving.

 

[Scared Silly]

A guy locally has 5 tanks for sale. Three of them are originally manufactured in 1995, and havent been hydro'd since 2000. One is originally manufactured in 1982, and hasnt been hydro'd since 2001. The last was manufactured in 1992 and was hydro'd in 2000.

Lots of good info from folks. An AL cylinder in hydro is worth $75-$100.

Offer $120 for the three manufactured in 1995. If two of three pass hydro and vis you got a descent deal.

Skip the 1982 cylinder - 6351 - to many hassles.

Offer $25 the 1992 cylinder - though 6061.