re: tank decode scuba pro painted white

[lnjohn]

Hello all, I just bought a set of gear tonight from someone that didn't know anything about this gear that was his mothers. She got into diving and after 2 dives decided it wasn't for her.
Scuba pro tank has the following markings
DOT-3AAA-300096/8810/ 008 M8303 Faber 05 96 + Scubapro

It has a 232 bar scubapro valve with donut.

I know that its a 3000 psi tank, last hydro 96 and + I believe allowed for an overfill. Don't what how much air it holds, appears to be steel but want to make sure. Any help is appreciated.

remaining gear was scuba pro mk20 first stage with g200 b second stage, USD scan 4 dive computer, cousteau BCD with micra octo, dive case, dive knife, dive light, 2 masks and 2 sets of fins, ladies wetsuit xcel. This gear was all purchased for my 12 year old son, so the ladies wetsuit is going to have to go but I plan on keeping the rest. If anyone knows of any recalls please let me know, I plan on having everything checked out, but its all amazingly clean and free of any wear, dents scratches etc. For $400, it seemed like a good enough deal.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Anything marked 3AA is a steel tank certified under the 3AA stadards. Aluminum tanks will be marked 3AL. Both steel and aluminum tanks (as well as composite tanks) may be certified under special permits and will not have 3AA or 3AL markings. The PST E series and Worthington X series tanks are the most common examples of special permit steel tanks that are encountered. Luxfer may still be making a hoop wrapped composite aluminum tank (an AL 80 wrapped with fiberglass to allow a 4000 psi service pressure and greater volume) under a special permit, but they are rarely encountered.

As far as I know the only 3000 psi Faber tank of that period was the Faber 72. Over the years they came in galvanized finish as well as in white or black painted finishes and are often seen with Scubapro logos or markings as SP marketed them under the Scubapro name for well over a decade. Galvanized tanks are great, but Faber painted tanks hold up extremely well as the process they use is very durable.

A Faber 72 holds 72.6 cu ft at 3300 psi (with the 10% overfill) and will hold 66 cu ft at the 3000 psi service pressure. So unless it is plus rated think of it as a 66. The Faber 72's capacity at 3300psi and 3000 psi is virtually identical to the older generic 2250 psi service pressure steel 72 at 2250psi and 2475 psi.

If it is a Faber 72 it should be 6.8" in diameter (21 1/4" when measured around the middle), 20.5" high to the top of the neck, weigh about 30 lbs empty with the valve and it will be about -4 lbs bouyant when empty and about -8.5 lbs bouyant when full.

Compared to an AL 80, the tank will be about 8.5 lbs more negative when empty so you will want to remove that amount of weight when switching from an AL80 to a Faber 72 to avoid being overweighted. That is great news for a cold water diver who may be able to go from wearing 20 lbs of lead to 12 lbs of lead, but can be problematic for a warm water diver who may have only needed 4-6 pounds of lead to start with.

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The Mk 20 is an excellent reg as is the G200B. One thing you may want to consider is having your reg tech upgrade the Mk 20's piston to the current Mk 25 composite piston if it does not already have it. The early Mk 20 pistons were all stainless steel and were very reliable, but the mid production Mk 20 used a brass tipped piston that was notorious for having a mushy stabilization of intermediate pressure (IP) and were known for having issues with IP creep so most of them have been replaced over the years with the newer piston. The late production Mk 20's had the composite piston to start with. It is lighter, uses 2 o-rings rather than 1 and offers better cold water performance as it is more resistant to ice formation in very cold water.

The G200B uses the same case as the G250, which is still regarded as one of the best second stages ever made - and many would argue the G250 was the best second stage ever made. A G200B uses the same poppet assembly as the G250 and is an excellent performer. If you want the adjustable inhalation effort features of the G250, you can upgrade it to G250 status by adding a G250 air barrel, adjustment knob and balance chamber. To be honest I am not sure on the dealer price for the G250 air barrel as it seems to have jumped from the $20-25 range to the $40-45 range with the introduction of the G250V (a cosmetically redesigned version of the original G250) so conversion is not quite as cheap as it used to be. You'd also need an adjustment knob and a balance chamber to complete the conversion but even with the additional parts and a normal retail markup for the parts, you should be able to have it upgraded for around $80-$100 if you choose to go that route.

 

[lnjohn]

All this gear seems to have been purchased in 1996, I'll have reg tech take a look that is a great idea. The height of the tank is nearly identical to my HP 80 so I believe you are correct with the 66 or 72 depending on overfill. Thanks for all the info, looks like this will be a great setup for my 12 year old, he's just under 100 lbs and we are cold water southern california divers, with the exception of trips to hawaii. The tank will be staying here in california though.
thanks again