Is a 1/2 full tank safe in a hot car?

[Gilldiver]

All good points. When I was in the Navy working on aircraft in the tropics the wings would get so hot it would be uncomfortable to walk on them in leather sole shoes, definitely couldn't touch them bare handed.

In Saudi and Iraq we see surface temps on the skins of the Blackhawks of up to 180F when parked on the flight line. Think of a dark green aircraft, at noon, in the sun, with the air temp of 115F 3' off the blacktop.

The max ambient temp you might find on the earth is right around 180F, under very special conditions where sun light is naturally concentrated it might get up to 212F as the water that is always around keeps it at a lower temp. There are hotter areas as the result of being in a fire, man made ovens and furnaces, and areas with volcanic activity. These areas rarely see SCUBA divers or SCUBA equipment.

 

[aquaregia]

man made ovens and furnaces, and areas with volcanic activity. These areas rarely see SCUBA divers or SCUBA equipment.

Or at least SCUBA equipment that anyone's concerned about getting back

 

[Gilldiver]

Acctualy, I don't like to keep a tank in the trunk as a hot tank is very hard to get a good fill in. If you fill a hot tank you will end up being 200-400 psi short when you get it into the water and it cools to water temp.

 

[macado]

Funny this thread came up. I had three full scuba tanks sitting in my car all day last week in the hot sun with my windows cracked and no issues. I joked that I hoped I wouldn't come back to a burning shell of a car. I've done this numerous times with AL80s and HP100s all filled slightly over capacity.

A friend of mine (who also posts on scubaboard) did the same thing last week. When she went to use one of her tanks she discovered it was noticeably lighter and completely empty. One of the burst discs in her tank (I think it was an older Scubapro HP100) went while it was in the car. No harm to the car or anyone else.

 

[Frosty]

Acctualy, I don't like to keep a tank in the trunk as a hot tank is very hard to get a good fill in. If you fill a hot tank you will end up being 200-400 psi short when you get it into the water and it cools to water temp.

Sorta related --for endurance races on production bikes one trick was to all but freeze the tank and the fuel as you filled it. The result was greater capacity. So I wonder if the air from the compressor and the tank was somehow chilled if you'd end up with more air

 

[scubadiveilat]

Avoid the tank from direct sunlight. Keep a window open!