H.P Steel tanks in Florida

[uncfnp]

My wife has a couple HP tanks. HP80's. We have them because the form factor fits her body much better than the taller al80's.

I have 2 HP 80s and 2 HP 100’s and love them. Because of size the 80’s are my favorites but I mostly use the 100’s to match Eric’s 120’s.

Are you talking “hot” fills or fills to 3,600+. I’ve gotten a few of the latter, but generally the fill is hot enough that I’m lucky to be at 3,400 when it cools.

3,500 here.

I know the shops that @uncfnp goes to, they'll give 3600 cold if you ask nicely and can leave it over night. Now, the issue with that is they have double labor bringing them back onto the whips, so some shops will charge more for it *only fair*, but the shops in her region will fill them really slowly to about 3700-3800 and they'll cool to 3600 or so

Also of note is that the working pressures at standard temperature, so if the tank is rated at 3442 and is filled to 3800 and cools to 3442, then it hasn't been overfilled because with temperature correction it was still holding the same volume of gas so that's nice.

The local shop fills are definitely cold since Randy does nothing fast. So we usually wait a few days before we pick them up.

The Florida fills are also mostly cold, at least as cold as tanks get in the Florida heat. The 4000 reading may well have been shortly after the fill.



One day our last trip I was sitting at the marina waiting to board a boat when I saw a crew member checking the pressure in their rental al’s. I heard her call out to the Captain the reading and while I don’t remember the number I do recall the Captain telling her to let some of the air out to reduce the psi in the tanks!

 

[Lostdiver71]

I personally like the way my old 3500 psi HP100's trim out better than my LP95's. Since switching shops for fills I no longer have problems with the HP tanks being under filled and they alway fill the LP tanks to 2800 psi cold.

 

[Boston Breakwater]

At the end of my O.P.
I left off with.
"What's the advantage and/or scenario in which H.P. Steel would be beneficial?"
So, I may have come into a scenario that could be beneficial.
Yesterday, I dove 3 wrecks off Florida's East coast. 11 divers on the boat. 10 divers using "Nitrox." (I did not go around and check their percentages.) Doesn't matter, max depth 95fsw. I'm sure they were standard recreational fills 32 to 36 All were using shop aluminum 80's.
No one had redundant air? Starting a thread on that today....
One diver using 117's "Nitrox."
(Beautiful tanks....thought about mugging him.)
Broad daylight, so no. (Just kidding.)
Anyway, I used my Faber H.P. 120 @3600 P.S.I. "Nitrox." 34.8%
Benefit....I had ample bottom time, and reserve before the safety stop. I'm all about having a pillow.
A major of the divers had 300 P.S.I. to 600 P.S.I.
I was sitting around 1300 P.S.I.
Boat Rules: NO DECO. 1 HOUR DIVE. RETURN WITH 500 P.S.I.
I was reminded of a couple of things.
I hate diving with other people.
I haven't done a dive within N.D.L. in months.. Maybe, last year.
It was just yesterday....I'll have to rewind the memory, and look for more benefits.
Cheers.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

At the end of my O.P.
I left off with.
"What's the advantage and/or scenario in which H.P. Steel would be beneficial?"
So, I may have come into a scenario that could be beneficial.
Yesterday, I dove 3 wrecks off Florida's East coast. 11 divers on the boat. 10 divers using "Nitrox." (I did not go around and check their percentages.) Doesn't matter, max depth 95fsw. I'm sure they were standard recreational fills 32 to 36 All were using shop aluminum 80's.
No one had redundant air? Starting a thread on that today....
One diver using 117's "Nitrox."
(Beautiful tanks....thought about mugging him.)
Broad daylight, so no. (Just kidding.)
Anyway, I used my Faber H.P. 120 @3600 P.S.I. "Nitrox." 34.8%
Benefit....I had ample bottom time, and reserve before the safety stop. I'm all about having a pillow.
A major of the divers had 300 P.S.I. to 600 P.S.I.
I was sitting around 1300 P.S.I.
Boat Rules: NO DECO. 1 HOUR DIVE. RETURN WITH 500 P.S.I.
I was reminded of a couple of things.
I hate diving with other people.
I haven't done a dive within N.D.L. in months.. Maybe, last year.
It was just yesterday....I'll have to rewind the memory, and look for more benefits.
Cheers.

One thing on that area is that you get a lot of vacation divers (Captain Obvious). Many are traveling light with a small amount of personal gear. They’re renting a BC, regs, etc. They’re not likely to proactively rent a pony bottle, as it’s not particularly common with most recreational diving (absent technical and/or solo diving influence).

The deep dives I did down there were with operators that did not require or suggest that divers use a pony bottle. I did see that some shops bank 30% (for local wreck divers), so that’s cool.

That’s one thing with boat dives. Most divers are pretty chill/good to spend time with. You pile enough people onto a boat though and you’re bound to get one or two that make you wish that you’d opted for a solo shore dive instead, lol.

 

[grantctobin]

At the end of my O.P.
I left off with.
"What's the advantage and/or scenario in which H.P. Steel would be beneficial?"
So, I may have come into a scenario that could be beneficial.
Yesterday, I dove 3 wrecks off Florida's East coast. 11 divers on the boat. 10 divers using "Nitrox." (I did not go around and check their percentages.) Doesn't matter, max depth 95fsw. I'm sure they were standard recreational fills 32 to 36 All were using shop aluminum 80's.
No one had redundant air? Starting a thread on that today....
One diver using 117's "Nitrox."
(Beautiful tanks....thought about mugging him.)
Broad daylight, so no. (Just kidding.)
Anyway, I used my Faber H.P. 120 @3600 P.S.I. "Nitrox." 34.8%
Benefit....I had ample bottom time, and reserve before the safety stop. I'm all about having a pillow.
A major of the divers had 300 P.S.I. to 600 P.S.I.
I was sitting around 1300 P.S.I.
Boat Rules: NO DECO. 1 HOUR DIVE. RETURN WITH 500 P.S.I.
I was reminded of a couple of things.
I hate diving with other people.
I haven't done a dive within N.D.L. in months.. Maybe, last year.
It was just yesterday....I'll have to rewind the memory, and look for more benefits.
Cheers.

How does the situation you described have anything to do with HP or LP? You'd have exactly the same gas volume on a proportionally filled LP120 or an LP85 filled to 3700 or an LP95 filled to 3333.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Also remember that "Cave Country" is just a subset of Florida divers. Down here in South Florida I am not able to get cave fills. Multiple shops were happy to fill my LP tanks to 3000 but not to 3600. I therefore sold them but have kept my HP100s. I have no issue getting a good, solid 3600-3700 psi fill on my HP100s consistently.

 

[kelemvor]

I have 2 HP 80s and 2 HP 100’s and love them. Because of size the 80’s are my favorites but I mostly use the 100’s to match Eric’s 120’s.

What are the dimensions on those 100's? My wife and I consume gas at about the same rate, so dives tend to end on time or her gas supply. A little extra gas on her back would be kinda nice.

 

[uncfnp]

What are the dimensions on those 100's? My wife and I consume gas at about the same rate, so dives tend to end on time or her gas supply. A little extra gas on her back would be kinda nice.

From bottom to top of valve its 26 inches and the standard 7.25 diameter.

 

[scubadada]

@kelemvor From Dive Gear Express:

 

[2airishuman]

I know the shops that @uncfnp goes to, they'll give 3600 cold if you ask nicely and can leave it over night. Now, the issue with that is they have double labor bringing them back onto the whips, so some shops will charge more for it *only fair*, but the shops in her region will fill them really slowly to about 3700-3800 and they'll cool to 3600 or so

Also of note is that the working pressures at standard temperature, so if the tank is rated at 3442 and is filled to 3800 and cools to 3442, then it hasn't been overfilled because with temperature correction it was still holding the same volume of gas so that's nice.

There is also a considerably greater heating effect if the cylinders are nearly empty, than if they are ~1/3 full.

Some shops around here charge more for HP fills.