Alabama Blue Water Anyone? 7/22/07

[mike_s]

Just too small of a tank (size wise) and they would only fill it to 2800. It was aluminum.

I bet if you stuck a magnet to it, that it would stick. (thus it was prob a steel tank).


The new LP77's that are out are Worthington Steel low pressure 77's. They are rated for 2400psi + 10%, or 2640 total. So 2800psi fill is overfilling it past it's DOT approved rating. Though that is pretty common for people to do that with the LP tanks.

In comparison, the AL80 is actually 77cf. They just use the phrase 80 in it as a rounded up "marketing term". So in reality, they LP77 you had at 2800psi had more in it than your average AL80 has.

At 2800psi, your LP77 was at 81.66cf. So that is more cubic feet of air than your common AL80 rental tank.


I think you're going to see this LP77 more and more common at local dive shops, especially in rental and instruction fleets of tanks. It's comparibly priced similar to an AL80 but dive centers won't have to work the compressor as near has hard to fill them to higher pressures. The Nekton Liveaboard is already doing this. They use all LP95's and it really saves a lot of wear and tear on their compressors.

So don't discount the LP77 yet Chris. I think you'll really like it. As as new diver, your air consumption will improve the more you'll dive.

Personally, I think the LP77's would make a really sweet set of doubles.

 

[snepdiver]

If it was their rental tank it was a LP77 steel tank. They sold all of their AL80's. The steel tank dives much better than Al. I bought 2 of their old Al tanks for trips and I also have a LP77. Great tank. Like Mike said, Your air consumption is more a factor of newb's than tank size right now. I am still a newb and my air consumption improves every time I dive. My first 20 dives were all less the 25 or 30 minutes. Now I can get as close as 3 minutes to NDL on my LP77 or AL80. Dive more.I should be at ABWA in the next couple of weekends. Probably 2.