How to store a pony....stable

[Searcaigh]

I use my pony at least once a month to practice ascent with it or handing it over to a buddy to use for practice.

I frequently dive with deco bottles so am familiar using them, it is certainly good practice to be familiar with your gear so that charging the system prior to the dive and turning the valve off until it is needed is second nature.

 

[Bob DBF]

I keep mine full, but I also breath it on my safety stop for a bit on my last dive of the day just to practice using it.

I keep mine pressurized while stored and use a transfer whip to re-charge as necessary. I deploy and test the unit on the way down on the first dive of the day so I can rely on it functioning properly if I should need it during a dive. Occasionally I will simulate an issue and complete the dive on the pony.



Bob
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I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.

 

[oldschoolto]

A half bail of hay and a bucket of oats... Lots of fresh water... Put extra straw around to help it stay warm on a chilly night...

Jim...

 

[Six Feet Under]

I store all of my tanks with somewhere between 400-1000psi in them. They've all been full now for over a week because I was supposed to go diving two days after I got them filled, but my plans fell through.

 

[NAM001]

Just to throw some crap in the rotaryoscilator. Al tanks and issues of SUSTAINED load cracking and STRESS corrosion would indicate that they should be storred with litle air in it.., Granted 6061 tanks dont have cracking issues however i believe the corrosion issue applies. And common sense would tend to say why store a full tank.... just dont refill on the last dive of the year. The higher the ppo2 the higher rate of corrosion you get.

 

[2cold4california]

I'm curious how often you guys who carry pony bottles use them, if ever. I don't carry any pony bottle, I also don't really worry about OOA situations mainly because I'm 100% confident in my ability to do a CESA from any recreational depth at <60ft/min, but I'm 28 and swim daily.

Have you ever used it? Do you think that if you were 100% sure you could safely CESA from 100ft, you'd still carry the bottle?

 

[Roman_66]

Diver has pony with idea to never use it , except practices.
If you have good buddy, I think you don't need pony.
I care 30cu only because I don't have permanent buddy and in some dive trips assigned buddy appear few minutes before jumping to the water.
Regarding Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent (CESA) from 60ft you maybe can do it if you are 28 and swim daily.
I am not so sure about myself.
From 120 ft (maximum recreation deep) it looks mostly not possible.
Remember that in recreation diving OOG can't happened "just out of the blue", so something emergency already happened before that diver stuck and finished all air.
So diver already nervous + lost buddy + OOG. I am not sure how it is possible in this situation to perform really controlled CESA.

 

[NAM001]

Sounds like this should be another thread.....
If i am planning on diving deep and as many times cant rely on a buddy or am diving solo i carry one. It will be a heavily controversal topic to sdasy who the pony is for. I say its for me cause its the replacement for the buddy. But lets face it it the buddy's rig can suport hanging a pony on it and the budy is ooa athen give him your primary. Switch the pony from you to him and have him transfewr to the pony. you can both go up as independents instead of one tethered to another.

Carrying one is guess is dependent on how comfortable you are without one. Although I havnt heard of a first stage stick open, i have heard of 2nd stages freeflowing and not being able to stop. I think it is a personal issue when diveing pairs and a logical necessity when diving solo.

I'm curious how often you guys who carry pony bottles use them, if ever. I don't carry any pony bottle, I also don't really worry about OOA situations mainly because I'm 100% confident in my ability to do a CESA from any recreational depth at <60ft/min, but I'm 28 and swim daily.

Have you ever used it? Do you think that if you were 100% sure you could safely CESA from 100ft, you'd still carry the bottle?

 

[OkByMe]

There is the issue of a fire to be considered. I have a bunch of tanks and a compressor. All the aluminum tanks I leave at or about 3-500psi, since I use pony and stage, and I don't fill until I know the mix for the upcoming dive. I also don't fill them and leave them for long periods of time so as not to exacerbate the stress crack issue.

If you leave your tanks partially filled and get a fire - the gas will expand from the heat, but not enough to burst the disk and drain the tank. You are leaving a bomb for the firemen to find. Keep them full or nearly empty. If there is just a little pressure - the gas will expand and then the tank will rupture from the heat with little affect from the expanding gas to be a problem. This is even more important with enriched air - that will feed the flames more so than just air.

It is best to have all the stuff in a workshop near the house where it has Oxygen, Helium, Argon and Acetylene tanks as well. It it burns, it is going to be a show for sure.

 

[AfterDark]

I don't store mine I just stand it up next to all my other tanks full until the next dive.

I use mine once a year. Before every VIP I breath it down on the dive before the vip. Hey I paid good money for that gas I'm a usin' it!