Bands & Manifold for Rental Tanks?

[Lost Yooper]

With an H-valve, you want to get a valve that can be turned into a iso manifold when you're ready. I suspect Sea Elite has the H part for their. I think Dive Rite and Scuba Pro offer H-valves that can be turned into iso manifolds. They call this modular, I guess. Just stay away from OMS valves.

LP72 to 3000psi? Sounds like they are over filling them to me. If you're going to do this, buy new and plug the disks. 72's are nice and light weight, but you'll soon realize when you go deep, that you won't have enough air. You want to think ahead of the game here. Where do you want go and for how long? Think a fews years down the road here so you don't blow any money.

Mike

 

[Lost Yooper]

Yeah, pretty much. I only use my doubles for "ceiling" dives (as I call them) -- deco, wrecks, etc -- off a boat. I won't drag those things around for shore dives. I don't do too many "recreational" dives anymore, but if I were going to do repetitive rec dives up here off a boat, I would take the doubles. I like diving with the doubles over a single anytime (better balance), but I don't like lugging them around if I don't have to. For shore dives, I use a single Faber LP95 with an H-valve.

What I like about the 95's is that they limit my dive time to about 90mins (deco and everything included). 90 mins in Lake Superior is a long time -- both temperature wise and weather considerations. If I want to stay longer, I'll bring a stage of bottom mix. The 95's are also considerably lighter than 104's (20lbs lighter full??) which is nice if you're on a rocking boat.

I haven't gone on a technical diving vacation (yet). When I go on vacation, I'm going for the relaxing time in the water and to look at fishies and things we don't have up here. I could hang out at 35' and just play with a turtle for an hour and be in heaven. Don't ask me why, but I just have very little interest in technical diving in tropical waters. I have almost no interest in going on a vacation where the waters are cold -- though there are some subs in the NE that I might hit someday (wife's uncle lives in Rhode Island). I get enough cold water diving up here which can seem like more work than play sometimes . A cave class is on my list of things to do, so maybe someday I'll do that with GUE in Florida.



Mike

 

[metridium]

Originally posted by Lost Yooper
LP72 to 3000psi? Sounds like they are over filling them to me.

No, that's what the spec sheets at both Fifth Dimension and RSD say. Fifth mentions taking them to 3300 with the + rating. Sounds like HP to me, but they're listed in the LP section.

RSD lists the 72 at -11.3lb full, -5.9 empty.
FifthD lists it at -8.5lb full, -1.2lb empty.

What's up with that?

 

[Lost Yooper]

Roakey knows more about specific tanks than I do, but I believe there are three "72's" out there. There's the "standard" 71.2 that has overfill pressure of 2475psi and is -2lbs full. I don't know who makes these anymore. Then Faber has a couple 71.4's. Both of these 3300psi tanks, but one has a -11lb buoyancy full and the other has -9.5 buoyancy full.

Beat's me. It's rare that you find two spec sheats that have the same numbers . If what I have there is correct, there is one LP 72 and two HP 72's (if you consider 3300psi high pressure).

Mike

 

[devjr]

Metridium, double 71.2's have perfect buoyancy for reef dives but where are you going to get them? I doubt that dive shops would have.

Recreational diving with doubles is not practical unless you are talking about a wreck dive. When swimming the reef, you will tend to lag behind and use more air, thereby limiting the efficiency of your air supply. For example, the double tanks might end up a tad short for a second non deco dive on the same set.

Having said that, the traditional solution was to carry a "crossover" bar manifold which has yoke screws on each end. Takes two minutes to manifold two tanks with K valves. No provision for separate reg though; but why would you need one? Ditch your present reg, probably not machined correctly.

Yes again to your question about bands. The original US Divers SS tank bands which were designed for 71.2 tanks will fit both 71.2 steel and aluminum 80's. Longer bolts are required for the 80's, otherwise no change to the bands or manifold. Check E bay for the crossover bar and bands. If you buy a crossover bar, make sure it is the new straight bar with heavy duty yokes. These yokes are identical to current production on USD regs. Be aware that somebody might call you a "stroke" or some other nonsense.

 

[roakey]

Originally posted by metridium
I'll probably also go the H-valve route. Are there any H-valves that are better than the rest?

Call Diver's Supply. They used to have a SeaElite manifold package that was a doubles isolation manifold AND the H valve for an excellent price (the combination is not on their web page).

It'll save you a bundle when you go to doubles.

Roak

http://www.divers-supply.com/

 

[Uncle Pug]

But I'm glad I was out.... diving... I feel so much better now!!!
48@124 on 30/30

Speaking of cross over bars... I've got one right here next to my keyboard... paper weight at the moment but as devjr says, they work....

Metridium, 5thDs tank spec sheet is all fouled up... but if you were to walked into the Kent store and ask Andrew what you should do I don't think he would recommend doubling up the 72s. Hey... that is an excellent idea... give him a call at 1-253-854-6692... he will give you good advice if he is in.

I do know a guy up here who dives double PST LP steel 80s... but he is not a real tall fellow... I thought about getting a set but I think that they would really throw my trim down the toilet...

So if I dive doubles its the 104s (and Roak is right...gotta have good bands - HM!) Singles I'll do with 104s (or HP102 but they are not really long enough) Warm water... man I would like to dive some warm water.... AL80 and as little else as possible!!!!

About H-valves... if you have twice the brass at the top of a short tank you are going be doing a head plant.... that is why so many divers do UW aerobics using ankle weights.... tanks too short or too much *lead* near the head.

I'm rambling... sorry...

 

[metridium]

Originally posted by devjr
Metridium, double 71.2's have perfect buoyancy for reef dives but where are you going to get them? I doubt that dive shops would have.

All the dives shops I've spoken with in one dive destination seem to carry only steel 72s and 95s.

Originally posted by devjr
Recreational diving with doubles is not practical unless you are talking about a wreck dive. When swimming the reef, you will tend to lag behind and use more air, thereby limiting the efficiency of your air supply. For example, the double tanks might end up a tad short for a second non deco dive on the same set.
[/B]

This would be on a liveaboard, so airfills won't be a problem. Also, my style of diving is to poke around looking under things, into crevices, and closely inspecting just about anything that catches my eyes, so lagging isn't a problem.

 

[metridium]

Originally posted by roakey

Call Diver's Supply. They used to have a SeaElite manifold package that was a doubles isolation manifold AND the H valve for an excellent price (the combination is not on their web page).

It'll save you a bundle when you go to doubles.

Excellent prices, Roakey, thanks. They have a good deal on double Faber 108s with manifold and HM bands, which sounds significantly cheaper than the quotes I've seen for PST 104s from some of the main technical shops.

Anyone know of any competitive sources for the 104s?

 

[metridium]

Originally posted by Uncle Pug
Metridium, 5thDs tank spec sheet is all fouled up... but if you were to walked into the Kent store and ask Andrew what you should do I don't think he would recommend doubling up the 72s.

Good suggestion; I think I'll do that the next time in that area. The guy I spoke with at EE wasn't too helpful.

Originally posted by Uncle Pug
About H-valves... if you have twice the brass at the top of a short tank you are going be doing a head plant.... that is why so many divers do UW aerobics using ankle weights.... tanks too short or too much *lead* near the head. [/B]

Thanks for the caveat. I'll dial my buoyancy trim in before the next trip, once my new gear arrives.

I have to admit, seeing tech divers dissuading me from true redundancy (doubles, not the H-valves) has been a novel experience.