Al30

[PaulSmithTek]

I am getting into Technical Diving and would like to know...

Does anyone use AL 30's for anything. I have a AL30 that I use for commercial work, I would like to know if there is any practical use for this in Tech end of diving.

Also I was wondering what size of bottle would be used for argon in my drysuit, and how does the setup work. I am assuming I need a regulator with just a dry suit whip install to hook to my drysuit, correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks,

Paul

 

[hunter991]

An al 40 is the standard bottle for tech diving deco along with 80's. You will be ok with the 30 more than likely though. I would stick with it and rig it as a stage.

As far as an argon bottle the standards are generally a 6 or a 13-14 ft bottle. A way of attaching the bottle and a dry suit hose is all you need along with a reg. I sell all of this stuff on my site, and can give you a decent deal on any of it your are interested in.

Brent
www.hidawayscuba.com

 

[karstdvr]

The Al30 is usable,but very self limiting. When you do dive planning you may find the length of the dive maybe limited by the amount of available gas for deco plus safety factor. The Al40 seems to be the favorite choice,and this works well if you can get oxygen fills that are boosted to get 3000 psi. My preference is the lp46-it holds more gas,full at lower pressures,and it is negative at the time I need it the most.

 

[matt_unique]

AL 30 works just fine for deco dives, obviously depending upon your profiles. I can do two, 20 min dives at 150' with air using 70% 02 as a single deco gas with my AL 30 deco bottle for example. I bought it years ago and used it as a pony bottle and there was no sense in buying an additional 40.

Some dives I use an AL 80 as a single deco bottle and it's nice to have such a tiny tank in comparison.

--Matt

 

[Sloop John B]

40s seem to work better for deco needs when calculating safety factors for gas requirements. In addition, make sure you get an over-pressurization valve (OPV) for the first stage on your argon bottle. A freeflow into your drysuit could ruin your whole day.

 

[seaviper]

I don't know about AL 40's, but the STEEL 46 seems to be the bottle of choice. You can put 55 cu ft in it if you want, it's smaller than the aL30, and its negative. I have an OMS steel 46.

 

[Scuba_Steve]

...... but the STEEL 46 seems to be the bottle of choice...

Uhmmmm, not likely.

The best part about steel bottles are they are REALLY negative when you need it the least

If I ever need extra (useless) weight, I'll strap an anchor to my ar$e instead.

But admittedly, that's just me.

 

[TheRedHead]

I use an AL30 as a deco bottle. The size works better for me.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Interesting posts...
An AL30 is a good bottle to use when 30CF or less gas will do the job and you want a tank that swings around zero buoyancy, from slightly negative when full to slightly positive when empty, so it can be carried most anywhere without much adjustment in the way of trim. I use one as my 50% bottle and can usually get several dives out of it between fills. I have a buddy who uses one for his O2 bottle and finds it adequate for him; I prefer a 40 for that, 'cause I can get enough gas in it to be useful from a fresh T without a boost.
Bottom line - there are plenty of good uses for a 30 when it fits.
Rick

 

[JeffG]

I use an AL30 as a deco bottle. The size works better for me.

80% ? 50% ? 100%?