hp steel tank ?

[saragousa75]

hey guys, very new to the scuba board, but i have a good amount of diving under my belt. I am starting to look at scuba tanks and am leaning towards the hp 100 119 or 130. I thought i had a good understanding of tanks, but today when i went into the scuba shop near my house, and asked for a price on a hp steel tank the guy tried to sell me on lp or al(i knew that part would happen). His reason for lp or al was strange to me and was not something i have ever heard before. He said i would not be able to get a fill on a hp steel b/c no dive shop can pump to 5500psi, he was telling me that working pressure on a hp steel is 3442, but that they should be filled to 5500 psi to get there full advertised volume. Did i just find the one random dive shop guy who didn't know about hp steels, or am i missing something?
thanks for all the help

 

[MSilvia]

He's full of it on several counts. There are some dive shops that have trouble filling to 3442, but they're uncommon in my area... which is close to your area. I have HP100s, and have NEVER had a problem getting them filled to 100 cu. ft. or better. Anyone telling you that a tank with a service pressure of 3442 needs 5500 to be full obviously doesn't understand what service pressure means. By my reckoning, a HP100 would have almost 160 cubic feet at that pressure.

 

[jbrians]

I think I'd find a new shop.
To my knowledge the HP tanks are at rated capacity at at he most +10%.
What can happen often is short fills because the HP banks at a lot of shops aren't topped up to the 3500psi to do a good fill. I guess it depends on what percentage of their business is filling AL80's that are full at 3000psi.

I like a tank that isn't so heavy it sinks me like a stone. The HP 130 is a heavy tank!
The 100 is a good compromise for me. It's just 4 pounds more negative than my favourite of all tank the steel 72.

 

[saragousa75]

thats what i thought, i just moved to fl and am looking for a dive shop, guess thats not the one for me

 

[Cave Bum]

What an idiot! The rated volume of steel tanks is at the rated pressure plus the 10% of a plus stamp on steel tanks that are eligible for a plus stamp.

I'd avoid that shop...

What part of Florida are you in? If you're in the North Central area, around Ginnie Springs I can recommend some...

 

[WD8CDH]

Actually all of the 3442 psi SCUBA tanks are at their advertised volume at 3442psi NOT at 10% overfill. It's only the 3AA SCUBA tanks that can be + rated for 10% overfill.

5500psi would even be over the hydrostat test pressure of a 3442psi SCUBA tank.

 

[Cave Bum]

Yes, I'm aware of that. That's why I said 'for tanks that are eligible for a plus stamp...' so folks would know how to calc other tanks as well...

 

[krawdady]

He's either lying or an idiot, maybe both. I looked at the 119's too but I ended up going with the HP 100's. I'm so glad I did.

 

[saragousa75]

hey thanks for all the help, i thought he was wrong, cave bum i am in Panama city fl, not sure how far that is from ginnie springs

 

[Joe21]

Thats perfectly fine just get a 330 bar regulator and you're goood to go.