Addison Snyder
Contributor
How long do y'all leave stages underwater for? Freshwater or saltwater? Assuming aluminum stages. How damaging is it to the tank itself vs the reg?
How long can stages be left underwater?
- Thread starter Addison Snyder
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While we never had a reason to purposely "leave" any gear underwater, we once lost a stage bottle, a steel 72, in Baja, years ago, near Todos Santos. and only recovered it after about forty-five days.
Aside from some encrusting sponges and algal slime deposition, the tank and regulator remained completely operable; and we used it for quite a while.
Still have that regulator, a Cyklon 300; have no idea what eventually became of the tank . . .
with or without an anode?
The tanks will rapidly pit without an anode in both waters, faster in salt but FL freshwaters are harsh on tanks too.
A month with no anode and the tank is scrap and definitely not passing VIP. They are a consumable product for actual project dives.
PfcAJ
Contributor
It depends on the water, but at least here in Fl freshwater caves, multiple years. It won’t be pretty, but it’ll work.
PfcAJ
Contributor
Some regulators can last even longer:
Lost Apeks regulator survives three years submerged in the sea...
Lost Apeks regulator survives three years submerged in the sea...
These were sitting on the bottom of Lake Huron for 40 years. The doubles were still holding pressure when they were recovered. The center oxygen bottle had rusted through.
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