BTS steel tanks?

[evil_xander]

I have a 2x12 steel tanks setup, the manufacturer is BTS (somewhere in European Union), tanks are made in 2008.

Does anybody know more on this brand? I never heard anything about them, so I asume these are rebranded tanks?

Google doesn't help a lot as well, and their homepage is rather useless, besides that they are GUE affiliated.

If you need, I'll take a photo of the markings, BTS-EU is on them, they are plain white and a bit on the heavy side then usual, 14kgs each when empty. Here's a photo:
http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/113785/limit/recent


Just being curious.

 

[Jimmer]

Post up the stampings. Anything steel and white looks like a Faber to me.

 

[evil_xander]

Unless they decided to start encrypting the name Faber, I don't think so. I got several Fabers, double checked them, you can clearly see Faber imprint...

Ok, this is what's on the neck:
1st row
BREATHING APPARATUS M25 D ecs W0Q035 UT
2nd row
GRUPPE1/GROUP 1 -50/+65 ^oC PS232 PT342 BAR 14.0 KG 12L 3,9mm
3rd row
BTS-EU CE0090 ^TU15 2008/09

So, we know what this is, volume, weight, working pressure, etc.

Trick question: who made it?


In the meantime, going line by line think I got it - Eurocylinders, Eurocylinders AG

ecs being the marking of manufacturer, D marking of country.

 

[pescador775]

Thanks for posting. I had not heard of this co. So, the Euros still make those neat, 12 liter tanks with 6.75 dia and 3300 psi. Looks like about 30 pounds net weight. I just left a post on the "small doubles" thread about how much I like that type of tank.

http://www.eurocylinders.com/sites/de/material/Tauchen-de.pdf

I was also interested in a recent thread started by an Australian. Seems that Faber is marketing tanks there that look a lot like the LP tank sold here but with much higher pressures and with about the same weight as the LP's.

 

[evil_xander]

Never heard of them either, one never stops learning... glad you found it useful.

Anyway, regarding Faber over here, they make the same volume tanks (12L) in 171mm (tall) and 203 mm diameter (fat stubby irritating ones), both rated for 200/232 bar (this is LP over here as well ).

 

[evil_xander]

Anyway, I finally took them for a dip today.

They trim very nicely and are a bit on the heavy side, so I needed only 6kg of lead on the belt (lean, 175cm, 77kg, drysuit, fuzzy undies, sea, perhaps could drop more with time, but hey... ). Overall, I'm quite happy with my purchase.

I'll keep you posted how they stand the test of time, so far in 3 yrs I never had any corrosion issues with my Fabers.

 

[pescador775]

Thirteen pounds with a drysuit? Sounds about right. No junk in the trunk?....errr, wings or other stuff with steel plates or lead ballast? I always said that those steel tanks were the right stuff for drysuit diving.

I have several tanks like yours except they were made in the USA thirty years ago. Same dimensions, hot dipped galvanized, 3300 psi. Each tank is 6 lbs negative empty which might be a little heavier than yours. I dive them as singles only (wetsuit).

 

[evil_xander]

They are attached to Tobins SS BP, medium size, I believe 5 lbs, and Apeks WTX4 wing.

 

[pescador775]

I calculated each empty tank has -4 buoyancy, slightly more with valve gear. That is a very good number given a steel tank with over 3000 psi and about 90 cf capacity. I'm guessing the tanks are made of 4130 steel (3AA) which makes it doubly impressive.

 

[evil_xander]

You mean -4 lbs or kgs?

How did you calculate this, pardon me for asking...