Larger bottle for Spare air?

[MacGyverGTP]

I purchased a Spare Air, mostly for it's convenience & mostly for using it in a pool, local lake, to retrieve anchors & stuff and I'll probably dive with it too since at least one breath is better than none when you need it.

My question is, is there a way to use the regulator on a different size bottle? I am thinking a 6cf bottle would actually make it much more useful for actual emergency situations. Is the bottle neck on the spare air different than your standard bottle? Are adapters available?

Thanks for any leads or help, I just love the fact that I can fill the spare air off of my own bottle & not take it to a refill station, it's quite practical.

Sean

 

[ClayJar]

My question is, is there a way to use the regulator on a different size bottle? [...] Is the bottle neck on the spare air different than your standard bottle? Are adapters available?

The Spare Air regulator and bottles use a small opening (like paintball cylinders). There's no way to use the reg on "normal" cylinders (such as an AL6, AL13, or AL19). There are no adapters.

The H2Oddysey and Zeagle tank-integrated regs use standard fittings, but the Spare Air setups do not.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I purchased a Spare Air, mostly for it's convenience & mostly for using it in a pool, local lake, to retrieve anchors & stuff and I'll probably dive with it too since at least one breath is better than none when you need it.

Not if you need two .. or three ... or fourteen breaths. In some ways a Spare Air is worse then nothing because it can lead to complacency and then it can't deliver when it's needed. It can cause you to get yourself into situations you shouldn't be without true redundancy.

Spare Air was not originally designed for Scuba and is a horrible idea. It has no where near the needed capacity to be of any real help.

If you want a pony get a real one ... real cylinder (19 or 30), real valve and a real regulator that you can count on. And most importantly, practice with it frequently so that you can use it in an emergency instead of just assuming all will go well. It won't.

 

[scubajcf]

This was a recent discussion regarding Pony Bottles. A good read.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/238248-pony-bottles.html

Additionally, like any skill, using a redundant air source is something you should practice with. I would recommend taking it out to Lake Pleasant, dipping down to 34 feet (2ATM) and testing how many breaths it will take to empty it.

Then you can factor how many breaths you have at 3,4, or 5 atmospheres. Obviously the deeper you go, the more redundancy you will need and may want to opt for a Pony Bottle.

Of course, to assume you would be breathing normal in an out of air situation is naive. I would multiply your SAC rate by three and that is probably more realistic in a true emergency situation.

I think the idea of SPARE AIR is great. It is truly an extra breath. The problem most Scubaboarders have is that in some cases, it is not much more than a breath. And, that could lead to a false sense of security / redundancy.

Best,

jcf

 

[ClayJar]

Additionally, like any skill, using a redundant air source is something you should practice with. I would recommend taking it out to Lake Pleasant, dipping down to 34 feet (2ATM) and testing how many breaths it will take to empty it.

Actually, I'd say dip down to 2 ata and start swimming reasonably hard. Once you start to feel it, pop in the Spare Air and see how long it lasts in that situation (while still swimming, of course). It's a better approximation for the silt hitting the fin than just sitting around sipping.

(I personally dive an AL19 for my normal dives, with an AL30 available as well should I decide 50% more air would be called for on a particular dive's safety plan.)

 

[MacGyverGTP]

I fully plan on testing it out at Lake Pleasant. But like I said, I like the convenience of refilling off of my bottle & playing in the pool with it. I will probably get an al13/19 at some point, but as a fun toy that I can travel with, the Spare Air beats just snorkeling when I am not diving.
I did see a spare air with a T adapter somewhere that allowed you to use 2 bottles for 6cf, just don't know where. I am fully aware this is not a serious rescue device. I can already think of one dive I had that it sure would have been nice to have anyway! (dove without bottle fully open) a lesson that I will not soon forget. Thanks for the replies!

 

[sheck33]

This was a recent discussion regarding Pony Bottles. A good read.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/238248-pony-bottles.html

Additionally, like any skill, using a redundant air source is something you should practice with. I would recommend taking it out to Lake Pleasant, dipping down to 34 feet (2ATM) and testing how many breaths it will take to empty it.

Then you can factor how many breaths you have at 3,4, or 5 atmospheres. Obviously the deeper you go, the more redundancy you will need and may want to opt for a Pony Bottle.

Of course, to assume you would be breathing normal in an out of air situation is naive. I would multiply your SAC rate by three and that is probably more realistic in a true emergency situation.

I think the idea of SPARE AIR is great. It is truly an extra breath. The problem most Scubaboarders have is that in some cases, it is not much more than a breath. And, that could lead to a false sense of security / redundancy.

Best,

jcf

The bold part is probably true in most cases.

 

[scubajcf]

Graciously corrected.
Thank you for your feedback.

 

[WD8CDH]

While I am not a fan of SpareAir, I believe that the tanks have the same thread as paintball tanks and I have seen 3000psi paintball tanks up to 13CF. The common 47 ci tank holds 5.4CF, the 72 ci holds 8.2CF and the 114 ci tank holds 13CF.