Buy or rent tanks

[ZzzKing]

RULE #1 IN ALL THINGS THAT QUALIFY AS A HOBBY/PURSUIT

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER EVER FIGURE OUT THE COST PER POUND OF THE FISH OR DEER OR THE COST PER DIVE FOR DIVE EQUIPMENT.
If you want it...buy it...if you don't...rent it...
Lake/golf course lot for sale, boat for sale and I really really do NEED a small airplane...honestly honey, we would fly to your Mom's all the time.

Could you drop me in Hawaii on the way to your mother in law's house?

My father has always had a garden. One year he figured out that one jar of green beans costs about $35...

 

[sealskin98]

If I was a diver starting out again- I would buy an Lp 95 or 98.

Just for the sake of general discussion, what are the pros. and cons of hp steel vs. lp steel?

Is there any danger in storing a fully charged tank in the house or garage?

I also heard that it's best to store a steel tank either empty or completely full. If you store it with about 500 p.s.i. like an AL it could lead to more condensation in the steel tank.

I was also wondering on ppls. opinion on how long you can store a full tank without concerns about the air quality inside. I think I've heard you don't have to worry about it for about two years or so. But I could be wrong.

Dang I should have never looked at this thread, now I'm going to have to go buy another tank.

 

[AggieDad]

Just for the sake of general discussion, what are the pros. and cons of hp steel vs. lp steel?



I also heard that it's best to store a steel tank either empty or completely full. If you store it with about 500 p.s.i. like an AL it could lead to more condensation in the steel tank.

I was also wondering on ppls. opinion on how long you can store a full tank without concerns about the air quality inside. I think I've heard you don't have to worry about it for about two years or so. But I could be wrong.

Dang I should have never looked at this thread, now I'm going to have to go buy another tank.

I filled my tanks last December and due to a chronic sinus infection have not dove with them since. One is filled with 32EAN and the other's are 21% air. I asked my LDS the other day and they said no problems that they knew of. In fact the guy thaqt does the fills said he has dove on two year old air, but these tanks are in good shape. I wouldn't do it on something that was out of inspection time. There still should be no reason but if you did and there was a problem....what would the lawyers say?
I hope after my surgery to be back diving so I will empty them pretty quickly.

 

[PvilleStang]

HP vs LP:

HP is a fill to somewhere in the realms of 3400 PSI I believe. LP's are at 2400 (or 2640 for the + hydros). If you have a HP tank, its not the best thing in the world. You have to find certain shops that can fill it, and even if they can get it up that high, its often times hard since the air banks get used and depleted. You can, but I don't recommend, overfill your LP steels to 3000 or more, and it will give you more air than a HP steel. The cubic foot volume of an air tank is measured by the amount of air in the tank at its fill pressure. If you emptied out a HP 95 and a LP 95, you would have a considerably higher liquid capacity in the LP tank. Also, if you dive a HP tank, it causes more wear on your regs because of the elevated pressures. I know some of you other tech divers should have some numbers that are more correct than mine, since I really don't deal with the HP tanks. All I can say is I have my double LP 95's and I don't see myself jumping on the HP bandwagon.

 

[Shownuff!]

........cut.....
About the only exception would be tanks without burst-disks (don't even know where you would find one) and some older aluminum tanks that were made with a bad alloy, however none of these should ever be passed by the inspector when doing a VIP.

Terry

This is not 100% accurate. My dive buddy from Leander bought a used steel 65 tank from an prominate Austin LDS. The next weekend we went diving at Windy Point Park, the owner (forget his name) surprised us by not wanting to refill his tank. The burst disk had been replaced by a plug. My buddy went back to the shop where he bought the tank, but the owner refused stating that they do not warranty used items they sell. This is the owner who had put a fresh VIP sticker on the tank! I was embarrassed for my friend and the LDS. Needless to say my friend went to Austin Aqua Sports and paid $30 for a new valve and refuses to ever shop there again. I told him I think he should be reported to DAN, but he is disgusted and just wants to forget about it.
I started diving in 2004. I had heart surgery in 2003 and again in 2005, so safety is my primary concern over $$$. I have been to a few dive shops around Austin. Some of the people who work at them are quality people, some employees are not. I thought the dive community was really open, nice, and had everyones interest at heart. I have been disillusioned over time. For me personally I trust Warren Roseberry at Tom's Dive & Ski the most. Warren has never talked bad about the competition to me, whereas the others seem to be stuck in that mode. It seems like there are 2 levels of service at some shops around here. If your "in" with that shop you get better service, than If they think you might not come back.

I am also looking at buying a tank and it will be steel. Pressed Steel went out of business, so it kinda slowed down my purchase. I also read an article about the dangers of hot dipped galvanized steel, so I am looking for a Steel tank that is not galvanized.

Tom's Dive & Ski only sells Sherwood AL tanks, so I will have to buy elsewhere.

 

[danktex]

Tom's sells Worthington steel tanks but have to order them.

 

[Web Monkey]

This is not 100% accurate. My dive buddy from Leander bought a used steel 65 tank from an prominate Austin LDS. The next weekend we went diving at Windy Point Park, the owner (forget his name) surprised us by not wanting to refill his tank. The burst disk had been replaced by a plug.

The seller was a moron, however without a burst disk, all he bought was the raw materials for a really nice gong for the back-yard.

Terry

 

[fmw625]

I can't justify the economics of owning a tank. I work a work schedule that is not the normal 40 hrs a week, Mon thru Fri. I have missed a couple of dives because I wanted to dive on Sunday. Couldn't get by the LDS Saturday nor return the tank on Monday. As a matter of fact I'll be in Pensecola Mother's Day. If not for the kindness of Superbugman I would have to miss a day of work just to return a tank Monday morning. In the near future I plan on buying a couple of tanks so I can capitalize on more diving opertunities.