Noob question: Small triples or doubles?

[charlesml3]

All the reading I had done pointed to SS tanks being the preferred material for longevity and strength compared to Aluminum. I can flat out state I detest Aluminum 80's with a passion.

Maybe one day I will actually understand why there is so much emotion over the material a tank is made out of. It's just a TANK! It holds your gas supply. Who cares what it's made out of?

Longevity? There are aluminum tanks in use that are 30 years old. How long do they need to last? A new tank is what, $160 or so? You're going to go through BCs and regs a heck of a lot quicker and they cost a heck of a lot more money.

I remember once reading a post here on SB where some guy was saying he would flat out REFUSE the dive if the op didn't have steel tanks. So I asked : "Really? So you get to the dock first thing in the morning with all your dive buddies and all the steel tanks went out on another boat. You're going to sit on the dock and watch the boat pull away?"

 

[WD8CDH]

Ron - that almost sounds ideal - having the two S40's for primary with a small pony bottle as backup would be ideal from the sounds of it - any ideas where to find 2 S40 tanks plus the 19?

S40 and S19 tanks are made both by Luxfur and Catalina and are available at most dive shops. There are slight length and weight differances so you will want to make sure that both tanks that are doubles are the same brand. S40 tanks are 5.25" diameter and S19 tanks are 4.38" diameter. An S13 tank is the same diameter as the S19 but is shorter if you want a smaller spare supply.

Also keep in mind that if you go with S30 tanks, remember the Catalina tanks are 5.25" diameter and 20 inches long while the Luxfur tanks are only 4.88" diameter but about 1 inch longer.

Preferably, you should get a manifold with barrel seal o-rings rather than one with face seal o-rings because the barrel o-ring manifold can be adjusted to a little wider spacing allowing the pony tank to be mounted closer between the larger tanks for a slimmer profile.

Of course with any of these combinations, you will need custom bands.

Other tank combinations like close spaced double 30s or 40s or any tripple setup would need custom manifolds. One advantage of close spaced doubles is you can either dive with the doubles alone or with a third identical independant tank mounted beside it in a tripple configuration.

 

[WD8CDH]

By the way, I don't like aluminum 80s either but I do like smaller aluminum tanks.

Ron

 

[Nemrod]

Maybe one day I will actually understand why there is so much emotion over the material a tank is made out of. It's just a TANK! It holds your gas supply. Who cares what it's made out of?

Longevity? There are aluminum tanks in use that are 30 years old. How long do they need to last? A new tank is what, $160 or so? You're going to go through BCs and regs a heck of a lot quicker and they cost a heck of a lot more money.

I remember once reading a post here on SB where some guy was saying he would flat out REFUSE the dive if the op didn't have steel tanks. So I asked : "Really? So you get to the dock first thing in the morning with all your dive buddies and all the steel tanks went out on another boat. You're going to sit on the dock and watch the boat pull away?"

I am with you, steel tanks are a PIA. Rust,rust, tumble, rust, tumble, rust, rust, rust, pit, tumble, pit, tumble, tumble pit, flunk hydro.

Aluminum 80s are a perfectly fine warm water tank, in such conditions they trimfine, don't plaster me to the bottom like a sack of concrete on my back and are just fine and they are maintenance free and they are cheap. Aluminum is good, steel is bad, unless your diving heavy exposure gear in cold water.

What is all this hate on aluminum tanks all about?

N

 

[charlesml3]

What is all this hate on aluminum tanks all about?

Beats me, man. I have a little table on the first page of my log book where I've filled out columns for which wetsuit I'm wearing, Pony or not, Steel or Aluminum. The last column is the amount of weight I need for that particular combination.

I don't give a flying poop what kind of tank they hand me. I just look at the table and adjust my weights accordingly.

-Charles

 

[Luis H]

I am with you, steel tanks are a PIA. Rust,rust, tumble, rust, tumble, rust, rust, rust, pit, tumble, pit, tumble, tumble pit, flunk hydro.

Aluminum 80s are a perfectly fine warm water tank, in such conditions they trimfine, don't plaster me to the bottom like a sack of concrete on my back and are just fine and they are maintenance free and they are cheap. Aluminum is good, steel is bad, unless your diving heavy exposure gear in cold water.

What is all this hate on aluminum tanks all about?

N

You need to quit adding salt water inside those steel tanks. lol…
I have own steel tanks for over 36 years and never had one actually fail for any reason. I own a set of German Draeger steel doubles from 1957. The insides are perfectly clean. I used those tanks a lot back in the 70’s when I lived in Puerto Rico.

I have about 19 steel tanks (including doubles) and a couple of aluminum 80’s. They are all just air bottles to me. Up here in Maine I do prefer my steel 72’s or my small steel doubles, but actually my favorite dives is with a rental aluminum 80 down in the Caribbean.

 

[evil_xander]

What is all this hate on aluminum tanks all about?

N

Buoyancy characteristics that suck when diving anything that requires good exposure protection. Not hate, but just not appropriate or desirable setup.

Ton of ballast? No thanks, give me a steel tank any time. With a SS BP & steel tank, I need 2kg of lead diving wet or 8kg diving dry (and I hate having more then 6kg on my belt, I can do it but why?). I fail to see an AL tank in that equation, so to each his own.

 

[D_B]

That's why Nemrod said Al80's are perfectly fine warm water tank

Love my Worthington steel 100 , smaller than my al80, holds more air, can have 7lbs less lead on me, trim is better... sold my Al80, wish I had another 100

I like those vintage setups though, and Nemrod .. that is a piece of art your diving there

 

[Nemrod]

Buoyancy characteristics that suck when diving anything that requires good exposure protection. Not hate, but just not appropriate or desirable setup.

Ton of ballast? No thanks, give me a steel tank any time. With a SS BP & steel tank, I need 2kg of lead diving wet or 8kg diving dry (and I hate having more then 6kg on my belt, I can do it but why?). I fail to see an AL tank in that equation, so to each his own.

I would certainly agree and in warm water the aluminum tank is better suited than heavy steels since there is little or no exposure protection. It makes no sense to use heavy (negative steel tanks) and heavy stainless plate and then have to add air to the BC (wing or whatever) to offset being so negative with NON removable ballast.

More than that, if a warm climtae diver is at the end of their dive dropping the weight belt allows for a bouyant diver. You guys dive overweighted with non removable weight then add air to your BC to offset and then wonder why so many yo yo up and down. There should be some weight on a belt or other ditchable method and you should be weighted--in TOTAL--such that dumping that weight at the end of the dive results in a bouyant diver and that results in minimal air into the BC (duringthe dive) to offset anything more than suit compression.

N

 

[evil_xander]

I would certainly agree and in warm water the aluminum tank is better suited than heavy steels since there is little or no exposure protection. It makes no sense to use heavy (negative steel tanks) and heavy stainless plate and then have to add air to the BC (wing or whatever) to offset being so negative with NON removable ballast.

I have no quarrel with that, and I also plan to go dive warm waters one day.

You guys dive overweighted with non removable weight then add air to your BC to offset and then wonder why so many yo yo up and down. There should be some weight on a belt or other ditchable method and you should be weighted--in TOTAL--such that dumping that weight at the end of the dive results in a bouyant diver and that results in minimal air into the BC (duringthe dive) to offset anything more than suit compression.
N

Now I don't know who the 'we' are in this paragraph. I do wear a WB like I wrote, and require minimum air to my wing at any point during the dive, and I sure don't sink like an anchor with the weight I mentioned in my previous post. So, I will leave this part to whomever 'them' might be to ponder upon.