Hi,
I bought a set of used OMS LP46 tanks on here this year to dive tiny doubles on recreational dives (mostly shore diving in the North Atlantic). The set has worked great so far and I am very pleased with the overall feel of the setup, as it is stable, well balanced, and provides me with ample gas supply for my needs. I usually bring a HP 100 or 120 with me to allow for transfilling ~1000 psi or so during the surface interval when needed, which then allows me to comfortably do 2 1hr+ dives at the sites that we frequent.
The one problem I have had is my error to place boots on the small tanks to stand up the setup, and this has led to surface corrosion of the tank bottoms (rusty orange water was flowing out of the drainage hole after every dive...). Since the necks were also showing signs of rust, I decided to remedy the situation by stripping and refinishing the tanks completely. I used a mild citrus-based stripper, a wire brush to clean out the rust, cleaned the surface with isopropyl alcohol and acetone, and applied 4 coats of ZRC cold galvanize to protect the steel (2 sprayed, 2 rolled). Now the tanks are ready and look great, have gone trough a new visual, and are ready to dive.
My dilemma is the following. I also want to learn sidemount and plan on using an equally small set of tanks for local recreational dives. I plan on purchasing a set of Faber LP50s, but I wonder if there is a set that would work best for sidemount vs backmount, or if they would be roughly equivalent. Since the LP46s are disbanded, I wonder if I should keep them for sidemount, and band the new LP50s together for backmount, or vice-versa.
For background, the LP46s are a little shorter (2 inches or so) and more negative (0 when empty vs +1.24 for the LP50s), and their diameter being identical, I can use the bands equally on either set.
In your opinion, is there any rationale for deciding which set to use for which style, or would you argue that they are pretty much equivalent. I am tall @ 6'2" for context if that may factor into the decision.
Thanks very much for any relevant input you may have. Much appreciated!
I bought a set of used OMS LP46 tanks on here this year to dive tiny doubles on recreational dives (mostly shore diving in the North Atlantic). The set has worked great so far and I am very pleased with the overall feel of the setup, as it is stable, well balanced, and provides me with ample gas supply for my needs. I usually bring a HP 100 or 120 with me to allow for transfilling ~1000 psi or so during the surface interval when needed, which then allows me to comfortably do 2 1hr+ dives at the sites that we frequent.
The one problem I have had is my error to place boots on the small tanks to stand up the setup, and this has led to surface corrosion of the tank bottoms (rusty orange water was flowing out of the drainage hole after every dive...). Since the necks were also showing signs of rust, I decided to remedy the situation by stripping and refinishing the tanks completely. I used a mild citrus-based stripper, a wire brush to clean out the rust, cleaned the surface with isopropyl alcohol and acetone, and applied 4 coats of ZRC cold galvanize to protect the steel (2 sprayed, 2 rolled). Now the tanks are ready and look great, have gone trough a new visual, and are ready to dive.
My dilemma is the following. I also want to learn sidemount and plan on using an equally small set of tanks for local recreational dives. I plan on purchasing a set of Faber LP50s, but I wonder if there is a set that would work best for sidemount vs backmount, or if they would be roughly equivalent. Since the LP46s are disbanded, I wonder if I should keep them for sidemount, and band the new LP50s together for backmount, or vice-versa.
For background, the LP46s are a little shorter (2 inches or so) and more negative (0 when empty vs +1.24 for the LP50s), and their diameter being identical, I can use the bands equally on either set.
In your opinion, is there any rationale for deciding which set to use for which style, or would you argue that they are pretty much equivalent. I am tall @ 6'2" for context if that may factor into the decision.
Thanks very much for any relevant input you may have. Much appreciated!
