Argon bottle mounting..how and where?

[laurin]

Agreed, in wrecks, because of entaglements with use the plate mounted 6cf protected by the wing and reacheable by the hands, in case you need to untangle, but in caves, entanglement is not a concern (... unless you make a big mess with the guide line...), so you can use 13 or 14 cf, but this is to big for the plate, must be mounted on the backgas.

Around here (Finland, that is) you see quite often 1,5 liter argon tanks (which should be around 13-14cf, maybe just slightly smaller, I think) mounted on backplate, they're not too big. My preferred way to mount is a piece of webbing and a bungee loop around the bottle's neck instead of velcro straps. I've used both, and the bigger bottle is a lot more noticeable than a 0,8 liter (6cf), but doesn't really get in the way, even with multiple stage/deco cans. I would only consider backgas-mounting if the suit bottle was 2 liters or bigger. Then again, I do prefer the smaller 0,8 liter canister whenever I can get away with it...

 

[mikeguerrero]

Here is my setup:

Don't mind the 19cf bailout pony, I'm referring to the 6cf on my plate....

Here is the 6cf on my plate underwater at Carmel, CA

 

[alexxred]

^^^

how do you go reaching your rear dump? I really want to avoid mounting to my tanks if I can.

 

[TSandM]

It doesn't look like Mike has his mounted to his tanks. He's got it mounted on the plate with what looks like the Halcyon straps (which are expensive, but nice -- I use something much cheaper and simpler). It's really no problem to reach around the Argon valve and get your butt dump, once you've done it a time or two. The big thing for me is making sure my SPG is free of the argon equipment before I get in the water.

 

[rjack321]

You can see this 6cf bottle does not conflict with the butt dump

Most people mount ONE strap near where the 'not for breathing' part of the sticker is. Then use a loop of 1/4" bungie in the lowest hole of the plate down and around the valve. 2 straps is not typical even though Halcyon - for some reason - sells the 6cf straps in pairs. You can also just use a piece of 2' webbing - no velcro, and a bolt.

The 13 and 14cf bottles really need to go on the tanks like this 14cf is mounted

 

[laurin]

Here's an oldish pic of a 1.5 liter argon tank on big doubles, mounted on backplate using a webbing strap and bungee. It works, but then there needs to be a bit of slack on the strap, and when the kit is put on the tank is usually pushed lower against the bungee than in the picture. Also, the tank seems to be a fair bit smaller than the 14cf tanks, so might not apply in the US. The tank is Luxfer 1.5L.

//LN

 

[alexxred]

Seems to be two conflicting opinions here. Might this have something to do with the types of wings being used & where the rear dump sits?

If a 13cf bottle really does get in the way off the rear dump, then I can understand mounting it to the tanks. But surely this is something that people would prefer to avoid; mounting it to tanks is just going to make your profile wider.

Also wouldn't mounting it to the tanks effect how your wing sits?

TSandM could you please tell us what system you use? Cheaper and simpler (if it works well) is always good in my book!

 

[laurin]

Seems to be two conflicting opinions here. Might this have something to do with the types of wings being used & where the rear dump sits?

Once you're horizontal in the water the rear dump is going to be up against the tanks, not next to the Argon bottle. If you are carrying stage/deco bottles you might need to push stuff out of the way to reach the dump, but even then it's not particularly hard. Generally you should never be in a hurry to dump - especially if diving at a level requiring deco bottles.

I think the webbing loop & bungee system was described pretty well in previous posts.

Looking at the pictures it seems that the 13 or 14cf tanks are somewhat bigger than the 1.5 liter ones I've been referring to - the 0.8L is the same as 6cf, so 1.5L would be less than 12cf. Then again, the US tank size system never ceases to boggle me.

 

[TSandM]

I use a simple loop of 2" webbing with a grommet in each end, and a sex bolt through the grommets and one of the side holes in the plate. There is really no need to cinch the strap down on the tank. The bungie at the bottom is what keeps the tank secure to the plate -- the webbing loop is simply to keep the tank from tilting.

 

[Gombessa]

I use a simple loop of 2" webbing with a grommet in each end, and a sex bolt through the grommets and one of the side holes in the plate. There is really no need to cinch the strap down on the tank. The bungie at the bottom is what keeps the tank secure to the plate -- the webbing loop is simply to keep the tank from tilting.

My LDS makes this exact setup and sells it for about $5. Probably the cheapest price I've ever paid in a shop for something really useful.

The one below has the sex bolt passing through two grommets, which is a bit too thick for the screw. Whenever I get around to diving this plate, I'll probably leave the MC pack unattached at this point.